These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations. In June 1938, the U.S.
piston-engined fighter. ==Development== In February 1938 the U.S.
These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations. In June 1938, the U.S.
After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 prototype of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp twin-row, 18-cylinder radial engine, rated at went ahead quickly, as the very first airframe ever designed from the start to have a Double Wasp engine fitted for flight.
The USAAC's twin engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning had flown over 400 mph in January–February 1939.
Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's first prototype in 1940.
Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models.
The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940, with Lyman A.
The maiden flight proceeded normally until a hurried landing was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter. On 1 October 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engine U.S.
Navy's November 1940 production proposals specified heavier armament.
Navy acceptance trials for the XF4U-1 began in February 1941.
The Navy entered into a letter of intent on 3 March 1941, received Vought's production proposal on 2 April, and awarded Vought a contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters, which were given the name "Corsair" – inherited from the firm's late-1920s Vought O2U naval biplane scout which first bore the name – on 30 June of the same year.
Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S.
The first production F4U-1 performed its initial flight a year later, on 24 June 1942.
Navy received its first production F4U-1 on 31 July 1942, but getting it into service proved difficult.
Early Navy pilots called the F4U the "hog", "hosenose", or "bent-wing widow maker". Carrier qualification trials on the training carrier USS Wolverine and escort carriers USS Core and USS Charger in 1942 found that, despite visibility issues and control sensitivity, the Corsair was "...an excellent carrier type and very easy to land aboard.
It is no different than any other airplane." Two Navy units, VF-12 (October 1942) and later VF-17 (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U.
The Corsair was declared "ready for combat" at the end of 1942, though qualified to operate only from land bases until the last of the carrier qualification issues were worked out.
It is no different than any other airplane." Two Navy units, VF-12 (October 1942) and later VF-17 (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U.
By April 1943, VF-12 had successfully completed deck landing qualification. At the time, the U.S.
VF-17 went aboard the USS Bunker Hill in late 1943, and the Chief of Naval Operations wanted to equip four air groups with Corsairs by the end of 1943.
Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter. =====Marine Corps combat===== From February 1943 onward, the F4U operated from Guadalcanal and ultimately other bases in the Solomon Islands.
The first recorded combat engagement was on 14 February 1943, when Corsairs of VMF-124 under Major Gise assisted P-40s and P-38s in escorting a formation of Consolidated B-24 Liberators on a raid against a Japanese aerodrome at Kahili.
He remembered: VMF-113 was activated on 1 January 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro as part of Marine Base Defense Air Group 41.
On 6 December 1943, the Bureau of Aeronautics issued guidance on weight-reduction measures for the F4U-1, FG-1, and F3A.
The aircraft was a prominent participant in the fighting for the Palaus, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. =====Navy service===== In November 1943, while operating as a shore-based unit in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 reinstalled the tail hooks so its F4Us could land and refuel while providing top cover over the task force participating in the carrier raid on Rabaul.
The squadron's pilots landed, refueled, and took off from their former home, Bunker Hill and on 11 November 1943. Twelve USMC F4U-1s arrived at Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) on 12 February 1943.
Navy did not get into combat with the type until September 1943.
The Corsair was welcomed as a more robust and versatile alternative. In November 1943, the Royal Navy received its first batch of 95 Vought F4U-1s, which were given the designation "Corsair [Mark] I".
Navy in late 1944 and early 1945.
carriers was delayed until late 1944, by which time the last of the carrier landing problems, relating to the Corsair's long nose, had been tackled by the British. ===Design modifications=== Production F4U-1s featured several major modifications from the XF4U-1.
On 26 March 1944, while escorting four B-25 bombers on a raid over Ponape, they recorded their first enemy kills, downing eight Japanese aircraft.
Since the assault was unopposed, the squadron quickly returned to striking Japanese targets in the Marshall Islands for the remainder of 1944. Corsairs were flown by the "Black Sheep" Squadron (VMF-214, led by Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington) in an area of the Solomon Islands called "The Slot".
By early 1944, Marine pilots were beginning to exploit the type's considerable capabilities in the close-support role in amphibious landings.
Navy finally accepted the F4U for shipboard operations in April 1944, after the longer oleo strut was fitted, which eliminated the tendency to bounce.
The first US Corsair unit to be based effectively on a carrier was the pioneer USMC squadron VMF-124, which joined Essex in December 1944.
Navy in late 1944 and early 1945.
In the course of such experiments, he performed strikes on Japanese positions during the battle for the Marshall Islands. By the beginning of 1945, the Corsair was a full-blown "mudfighter", performing strikes with high-explosive bombs, napalm tanks, and HVARs.
Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models.
and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, French Naval Aviation, and other air forces until the 1960s. From the first prototype delivery to the U.S.
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