[Dysart]

Dillon Smith dusts the inside of the canopy of the Vought F4U Corsair, the famed World War II fighter, at Vought’s Grand Prairie facility.

Jerry Fischer, Ronald Griffith and Bob Szabados attach a tow bar to the F4U. STAR-TELEGRAM PHOTOS/IAN McVEA

[edpc]

Great plane. It was one of my favorite models to build as a kid.

[BigCinBigD]

Here's One that is flyable. Took this at the Fort Smith air show a couple years back. Love the old planes.

[Poison Pill]

Corsairs were flown by the famous "Black Sheep" Squadron, led by Marine Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, whose exploits were the basis for the mid-1970s television show Baa Baa Black Sheep

With all the interest in the past few years of turning iconic 60s and 70s TV shows into movies, I'm surprised they have never done that with "Blacksheep Squadron". With the story elements they would have to work with and today's special effects, you could make a great movie.

[jazusamo]

The F4U is a beautiful aircraft.

[tanknetter]

Dillon Smith dusts the inside of the canopy of the Vought F4U Corsair, the famed World War II fighter, at Vought’s Grand Prairie facility.

The four-bladed prop identifies this as a post-war Corsair. I'd want to say it's an F4U-4, but I don't see the distinctive scoop on the underside of the cowling. It's certainly marked as an F4U-4 from the Korean War era, with post-war national insignia (red stripe in the Stars and Bars) and big white MARINES fuselage identifiers (the Japanese kill markings might be appropriate, since there were WWII aces, Marine and otherwise, the few back into combat during Korea).

My overall guess, tho, is that this is a Frankensair. Bash-together of lots of different bits and pieces not only from different Corsairs (as the article mentions), but also from different Corwair sub-types.

[GreyFriar]

ping

[r-q-tek86]

I may be wrong, but I think I remember hearing that this aircraft will be displayed in the Aviation Heritage Museum portion of the newly rennovated Science and History Museum in Fort Worth.

I wonder if this is the same aircraft that sat in the CAF hanger at Mecham Field back in the 80’s. Anyone know more history on this?

[Rev DMV]

Pretty, hate the not flyable part.... :(

Here’s a site for guy that’s working on a scale replica:

http://www.corsair82.com/

[tanknetter]

"It did what it was designed to do and that was defeat the Japanese Zero," Smith said.

One small correction here. The Corsair wasn't designed to defeat the Zero. The Corsair was designed years before the US had enough knowledge of the Zero to design an aircraft to counter it. The Corsair was certainly improved over the course of it's WWII service based on combat against the Zero and other aircraft.

The F6F Hellcat had a lot more "counter-Zero" elements incorporated into its design. But even then the Hellcat started as an evolution of the F4F Wildcat that grew (thanks partly to analysis of Zeros captured early in the war) into a completely new aircraft.

[advance_copy]

If I was filthy rich, that is something I would have.

[magslinger]

SONOBUOY PING!

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[DesertSapper]

I’ve been in these Vought work hangers many times over the past years but not much since I started working remotely. I need to head back over to see how the plane looks completed.

[Redleg Duke]

I also learned this week that the F-4U is the only piston-engined fighter to shoot down a jet fighter. It happened against a Mig-15 during the Korean War.

[shoptalk]

Chance Vought F4U Corsair on display at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, VA

This FREE museum shouldn't be missed. I had a great time there with my son's recruiting (poolee) class.

[zeebee]

Trivia question:

Do you know why the wings were shaped that way?

[Last Dakotan]

ping

[shorty_harris]

I remember years ago, I was working in New Zealand, at the Antarctic supply depot storage yard at the Christchurch airport. One day a flat bed truck came in with the pieces of a Douglas SBD Dauntless on the bed. It had been found somewhere in the bush, and had just been retrieved, and was on it’s way to a museum for restoration. You could see the faded NZ insignia on the wing, with the US insignia underneath (must have been lend-lease). It looked to me like long, hard work was ahead for the restorers.

[Bender2]

Corsair Bump!

[Chinstrap61a]

Whistling Death Ping

[calex59]

Corsairs were flown by the famous "Black Sheep" Squadron, led by Marine Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, whose exploits were the basis for the mid-1970s television show Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Many might not know it but Boyington's squadron was initially called Boyington's Bastards(privately of course) but the military thought that might not look so good in the papers when they started writing up the group so officially called them the Black Sheep squadron.