Fleet Air Arm Corsair Is at NAS Quonset Point, 1943. (Source) |
And she is a favorite of mine!
Yes, Old NFO and Murphy, your pleas have been heard at the highest levels here at Chez Sarge, so I hereby grant your wish. (Anyone else who has a favorite aircraft which is not in this post, read that first paragraph again. No, "Hey, I don't see the P-38 in this post! That's a great aircraft!" Once again I would counsel patience. If it ain't a Corsair, or Corsair related, you will not see it in this post. FWIW, I do take requests. But not right now. Also, I did sneak a P-38 in, see the videos...)
So that first photo was an "I had no ideer" sort of thing (with the appropriate tip o' the hat to my dear departed buddy Buck). Fleet Air Arm Corsairs out at Quonset, in Little Rhody? No, really. Too cool. Apparently the Brits would train their Nasal Radiators over there and then they and their birds would ship out on escort carriers. You can read about that here.
Before we proceed, I know that this is a Sunday and the Friday Flyby is, well the name says it all, a Friday kind of thing. But I could not ignore the cries of my people begging for Corsairs. So, this is Part Two (the French bit in the title) of the Friday Flyby from Friday last. Just for Old NFO and Murph. I mean I like those guys, how could I ignore their
Now I've seen Corsairs in person, these guys:
This bird is at Udvar-Hazy. I feel sad that she hangs from the ceiling. |
Now this beauty is at Pungo. Note the drip pans, yup she still flies! |
Missing Man Formation While the P-40, Avenger and P-51 hold formation, the Corsair does the honors. |
I have done Corsair posts before, including this one, dedicated solely to that mighty bird. While researching this post I ran across a few interesting sites dedicated to the Corsair:
- The Military Factory's page on the Corsair. (There's a lot of good stuff at that site!)
- F4UCorsair.com (Of course!)
- Ace Pilots website's page on the guys who flew her in combat. Specs and history. Gotta love it!
Ah, what the heck. Here's all four!
A great aircraft, the Wiki entry on this bird is pretty good. Check it out.
So Old NFO, Murph, we good?
I love this next pic, the old showing the way forward to the new. It's also The WSO's old air wing and Big Time's current air wing, CAG-2.
Thought I was up on most things Corsair, but Brits flying them was not on my list. Good Job Sarge!
ReplyDeleteTh Brits figured out the best way to land a Corsair on a carrier, side slip.
DeleteTough seeing over that long nose!
I do believe the Brits flew actually Corsairs off carriers before we did--we kept ours shore based for a while while fiddling with landing gear resilience, or somesuch.
DeleteI think you're right Cap'n. Our Navy gave them to the Marines who flew them from land.
DeleteThe Navy was satisfied with the Hellcat, though the Corsair was a better aircraft.
Just had a chance to see the video. Man, visibility out the back of the P-38 is Superb!
DeleteHadn't really noticed that before, but yeah it is innit?
DeleteThey did have some for their Fleet Air Arm, and sadness of sadnesses, when the war was over and they asked us how to return them (they were Lend-Lease), we told them to just push them over the side and call them combat losses...and they did! (Sob!) Oh, the humanity!
DeleteDamn! That sucks in a major way!
Delete(How deep is the water where they dumped them, also how cold. Just thinking out loud here...)
While I think the Spitfires are prettier, the Corsair just looks mean. Except for my Phantoms, the Corsair
ReplyDeleteis my favorite flying machine ever. You've started my Sunday off perfect! Thanks.
Glad to oblige Russ.
DeleteThe Corsair looks and sounds like a warbird!
And I really loved the second video with the Corsair and the Lightning. The P38 is my other WWII
Deletefavorite. Really got my blood pumping and maybe just a touch misty eyed. But then planes do that
for me!!!
That video is a favorite.
DeleteHey, if a Monday Update can occur at any time, so can Friday Flyby.
ReplyDelete...and yeah, I'm glad you found a way to get the P-38 into this post.
Hahaha!
DeleteGood point Skip.
And now the SLUFs have been gone from the fleet longer than the Hogs had been gone from the fleet in that iconic image. Time marches on.
ReplyDeleteI know. I still think of the F-15, F-16 and A-10 as being "new."
DeletePardon me but I think my age is showing.
How can you use French and not include the French using Corsairs?
ReplyDeleteWell, in my defense I use French a lot.
DeleteBut point well taken, something to be remedied!
Oh, he managed to sneak in a bit of French. That last pic is an F4U-7, the French variant.
ReplyDeleteGood eye!
DeleteYep, all good! :-) I like the old radials, and the F-4U actually was a better dogfighter than the Mustang. When you asked guys that flew them both, they always wanted the Corsair in a fight. Thanks for the time and effort to put those up, I hadn't seen that first one before! Flight instruction was 20 minutes :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpxyyLQ7u7g
ReplyDeleteWell, I did tell you to be patient. ;)
DeleteNice video. Where's Murph? Still waiting for him to chime him.
I'm here for you guys. No, really...
Sigh...happy now.
ReplyDeleteAnd Udvay-Hazy hangs that F4U-1D from the ceiling because they rightly suspect that I'd have snuck it out the door and flown it by now if it was still on the ground floor.
Looking forward to visiting the one at Pungo one day soon.
Whew. I'm glad...
Delete(Remember, the one at Pungo is flyable, not sure how their security is... Just sayin')
So when do we get the NEXT Corsair post?
ReplyDeleteThere's just no pleasing you guys is there?
DeleteSigh...
We shall see, we shall see.