In 1938 -at which time Chance Vought was a division of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) - the US Navy was seeking a new single-seat fighter suitable for operation from aircraft carriers. Details of the requirement were circulated to US manufacturers and Chance Vought's proposal (then bearing the company identification V-166B) was sufficiently interesting to be selected for prototype construction. A single prototype was contracted for on 30 June 1938, making its first flight on 29 May 1940.
Realising that performance, load-carrying capability and range were essential ingredients of
a carrier-based fighter, Vought set about designing the smallest possible airframe around the most powerful engine then available. The selection of a four-blade propeller meant that the front fuselage had to be kept well clear of the ground. This dictated a tall, stalky landing gear which would be completely unsuitable for carrier landings. The solution to this problem provided the F4U (as designated by the Navy) with a recognition feature - an inverted gull wing. By mounting the main landing gear at the crank of the wing, it was possible to use compact and robust main struts.
Testing of the XF4U-1 prototype soon demonstrated that the Navy had available a fighter faster than anything else in service with the armed forces. On 30 June 1941 the Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division of UAC (as the company was then reformed) received a contract for 584 aircraft under the designation F4U-1. What had by then become an honoured name - Corsair - was to be bestowed on this new aircraft, one which was to prove itself the finest carrier-based fighter of World War II.
F4U-1 began to enter service in October 1942, but in order to provide increased fuel capacity the cockpit had been moved further aft to make room for a fuselage fuel tank. When first tested by the Navy it was believed that this adversely affected the pilot's view, to the extent that the Corsair was considered doubtful for carrier operation. Production aircraft were delivered instead to the US Marine Corps for operation from land bases. It was not until 1944, when Corsairs supplied to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease were being used effectively from carriers, that the US Navy made a serious reappraisal of their suitability for this role. Shortly after, Navy squadrons were given approval to use the Corsair for the task for which it had been designed.
The Corsair was built also by Brewster Aeronautical Corporation and Goodyear Aircraft Corporation to cope with the high production required, under the initial designations of F3A-1 and FG-1 respectively. Both Vought and Goodyear built a number of variants, the last being the F4U-7, of which 90 were built for supply through MAP to the French Aeronavale. By the time that production ended in December 1952 more than 11,000 had been built; of these 2,012 had been supplied to Britain and 370 to the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
As I understand it, the US Navy had a difficult time landing the Corsair on carriers because it was impossible to have a forward view as they were landing. The Corsair became a land based aircraft until the Brits perfected spotting the deck from an angle and then landing (basically blind) rather than flying straight in as the US flyers had tried to do.
I'm privlidged to know many of the great pilots of VMF-221 including, Lt. Col. Duncan Cameron, Jim Swett Medal of Honor recipient, Col.Dean Caswell, who became my CO in VMF-513 while in Korea with both F4U-5N and F3D-2s later on, Maj. George Johns, Col. Glendenon and many more. Flying the F4U and the F3D-2 was fabulous, and certain a pain in the A of the North Koreans, Chinese, and Russians during the early fifties in Korea. Great Squadron, great Marines and a supurb fighting force. Semper Fi to you all!!!
I was privileged to fly this great airplane IN WWll off the Carrier Bunker Hill while a pilot in VMF-221's Fighting Falcons, and in Korea. Received many, many holes, shot down some planes, dropped tons of bombs and never got hurt. The armor was superior as well as the armament. It WAS the best.
My favorite of all time,faster than the F6-F,just as sturdy,could climb to 35,000,steady as a rock in a carrier landing,and that P&W engine never seem to fail.
That inverted Gull wing also made for a solid landing platform in an emergency. I was flying a F4U-4 at NAS Cecil Field, FL in early 1947 and had a total engine failure immediately south of the field at about 700 Feet altitude. Had just enough airspeed to make a 270 degree turn to port - not quite enough to line up with the runway so I elected to make a cross field wheels up landing. Minimal damage to the aircraft -- it was flying in less than a week with an engine-prop change and sheet metal work on the rocket launchers and the underside.
There are interesting stories about most airplanes. The people that conceived, designed, built, tended and operated the F4U Corsair have generated many. I'd like to share several rolled into one. By 1935 all metal monoplanes like the Northrop Alpha express plane, Boeing 247airliner and Martin B-10 bomber had proven successful. It was obvious it was time for combat aircraft to not only catch up but take the lead in all metal monoplane development. The U. S. Navy seemed to be lagging behind the U. S . Army in that respect. That would never do. What could they expect to get? How much more should they ask for as a challenge to America's aviation industry? The admirals wasted suggestions and there were many navy airmen eagerly waiting to be asked.
One man started his letter: Requirements for a USN all metal monoplane fighter: 1. Speed. 2. Speed. 3. Speed. 4. Speed. 5. Ability to operate from existing USN aircraft carriers. 6. Four machineguns. Ect.
People reading it were amused so the story was told and retold spreading through the aviation community, especially aircraft producing companies. First they had to prove they could build carrier compatible all metal monoplanes then they could take on other requirements.
Vought had done well selling observation, utility and scouting planes to the navy but never won a worthwhile fighter competition. It was time to change that and everybody at Vought was eager to do his / her part to make it happen. United Aviation Corp. was the parent company for Vought, Sikorasky Aircraft, P&W Aircraft Engine Company and Hamilton Standard Propeller Company among others. All would contribute to the F4U project. First they tried for an army fighter contract and lost out to the Seversky P-35 then the Curtiss P-36 Hawk got the consolation prize. At the same time they were winning with a navy dive-bomber, the SB2U, the company's first low-wing monoplane. That plane was not a great success as a war bird. It was an important advance in aero technology. 1938 was time for the navy to ask for the imposable and see what the industry would offer. At Vought Rex Beisel was handed the challenge. He had full support from all of United Aviation. Hamilton Propeller had made great strides while Pratt and Whitteny was sweating over time trying to make the R-2800 engine happen. None of the three had anything ready to fly at the time so it become an in house race. Anybody that didn't remember was reminded the first four requirements were Speed, Speed, Speed and Speed. They were going to try for the smallest airplane that could fly with the largest engine and propeller they could hope for when they were ready. With the big propeller and landing gear to keep it from hitting the ground the wing was going to be too long to fold up and fit aircraft carrier hanger decks. Using an inverted gull wing offered three advantages. The wing would fit the round fuselage in away to avoid streamlining fillets. Fillets took time to make and fit, they also added weight. The "cranked," wing would reduce the length of main landing gear struts and lower the wing folding hinge points there fore lowering the wingtips when folded. The fourth blessing was not a big item but putting the wing farther down improved visibility for the pilot. At the time the people at Vought liked to claim the P&W R-2800 engine was made for the Corsair. P&W claimed nobody had an airplane that could take the power of their new engine so Vought had to build the Corsair for it. Hamilton engineers smiled and replied, "Without our propeller both of you would still be in he hanger." All of them had plenty to be proud of. Rex never attempted to take full credit for the Corsair, eager to share praise with everybody at United. Several times he made a point of stating "Mister Igor Sikorasky deserves a fair share of the credit." A point of interest. The British were the first to routinely operate Corsairs from carriers and had to cut several inches off the wing tips to fit hanger decks. If you notice a Corsair with squared off wing tips it might be an ex Fleet Air Arm warrior or maybe just the wing panels. That little item had me digging for a long time before there was a web to help. Call it Corsair, Beisel's Bird, Ensign Eliminator, Hose Nose or Bent Wing Bastard or you can spell it, C,h,a,m,p,i,o,n. - TJD
The Corsair was originally built with a huge THREE bladed prop which resulted in the strut-shortening wing design. Later models were equipped with a four bladed prop of narrower diameter which allowed for the extension of the tail wheel strut resulting in better visibility over the nose while taxiing.
There was an earlier Vought Corsair, the V-93S from about 1934. The last survivor is in the Royal Thai Air Force Museum at Don Muang Airport, Bangkok, Thailand. www.rtaf.mi.th /museum /BLDG2-2.HTM
