F4U Corsair (History)

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Development

Origin

In 1938 the Navy wanted to find a design for a carrier-based fighter with more performance than the Brewster F2A and Grumman F4F. The design contract was given to Vought, based on their proposal, which featured a plane dependent on the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. The design included an inverted gull wing shape. This was necessary because the engine required a large propeller, which needed a large ground clearance. This would require very long landing gear, except the inverted gull wing shape allowed shorter landing gear, while maintaining the necessary ground clearance. The prototype, named XF4U-1 was armed with 4 machine guns, two .50 caliber machine guns in the wings and 2 .30 caliber machine guns on the engine cowling. The XF4U-1 first flew on May 29, 1940, and became the first single engine plane to fly over 400 mph. Before Vought was allowed to produce the plane though, they had to increase its armament, as it was deemed insufficient based on data from Europe. Its armament was changed to six .50 machine guns, and it was ordered into production. A self-sealing fuel tank in the fuselage above the wings caused the cockpit to be moved aft as well. The Navy ordered 584 F4U-1's on April 2, 1941.

Design

Powerplant

The F4U was powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-2800-8W radial engine. This was the most powerful and largest engine available when the F4U was being developed. An engine that powerful required a large propeller, 13 feet and 4 inches in diameter. The propeller was 3 bladed.

Wings and Landing Gear

Since the F4U was designed as a carrier-based fighter, the wings needed to be foldable, so the plane would take up less room on an aircraft carrier. In order to allow for the aircraft's wings to fold, the landing gear could not fold into the wings like many aircraft of the day, but would instead need to fold rearward. Unfortunately, due to the humongous 13-foot Hamilton Standard four-bladed propeller, the rearward folding landing gear would need itself to be extremely long in order to maintain propeller arc clearance, threatening the structural stability of the landing gear. To solve all of these problems, the aircraft's wing design was given inverted gull wings, which allowed the length of the landing gear to be reduced.

The F4U was very aerodynamic for its time. It utilized spot welding instead of rivets to decrease drag. It was also the first U.S. Navy aircraft to have landing gear that retracted into a fully enclosed wheel well, and the supercharger air intakes were located in the wings, instead of using scoops that protrude from the aircraft. The Corsair also used fabric to cover the parts of the wing aft of the main spar, the ailerons, rudder, and elevators. All of these factors significantly reduced drag, increasing the aerodynamics of the aircraft. Despite this, when using the flaps, the Corsair could still perform carrier landings, as the flaps could be angled at 60° to decrease speed and still maintain enough lift to properly land.

Technical Issues

The F4U was not without its problems. Many of the issues it faced were related to its ability to be used on aircraft carriers such as having an aft placed cockpit and long "nose" at the front of the aircraft. This configuration reduced the pilot's visibility, which was important during carrier landings. In fact, the pilot could not see the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) for much of the landing approach. In addition, the hydraulically powered cowl flaps could potentially splatter hydraulic fluid onto the windscreen, limiting visibility even further. To prevent fluid splattering the solution was to affix the cowl flaps down permanently. The low visibility upon landing was later solved by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy.

In addition to the visibility issues, there were other issues involved with landing on a carrier. During a carrier landing, the right-wing would unexpectedly stall and send the aircraft into a spin. When the throttle was quickly turned up the left-wing would drop very quickly, also causing a spin or causing the pilot to lose control. This issue was fixed by adding a stall strip to the right-wing just outboard of the main armament. This strip was added to the leading edge of the wing and allowed the right-wing to stall at the same point as the left-wing. The hydraulic landing gear would also tend to bounce upon landing. This was solved by adding a "bleeder valve" that released hydraulic pressure gradually, allowing the landing gear to absorb some of the contact with the runway and to prevent bouncing upon landing.

Aces

US Navy

Ira C. Kepford

A member of the famed VF-17 "Jolly Rogers" squadron, Kepford achieved a total of 16 confirmed kills in his F4U-1A.

Roger R. Hedrick

A member of VF-17, and later the Commanding Officer of VF-84, he got 12 confirmed kills in an F4U-1A and F4U-1D.

John T. Blackburn

He was the first Commanding Officer of VF-17, credited with 11 kills in his F4U-1A.

Thomas H. Reidy

A member of VBF-83, he was credited with 10 kills.

US Marine Corps

Gregory "Pappy" Boyington

The Marine Corp's top scoring ace, achieving 22 confirmed kills in an F4U-1A as part of VMF-214.

Kenneth A. Walsh

He had 21 confirmed kills in an F4U-1 and F4U-4, as part of VMF-124. He later was the Operations Officer of VMF-222.

James E. Swett

Serving in VMF-221 he was credited with 8.5 kills in an F4U, sharing one A6M "Zero" kill with another pilot. Before he flew the F4U he became an ace in a day by shooting down 7 planes in one action.

Archie Donahue

He is credited with 12 kills in an F4U while serving in VMF-112.

Notable Squadrons

US Marine Corps

VF-12

VF-17

US Navy

VMF-124

VMF-214

Variants

F4U-1 (Corsair Mk I)

First production version of the Corsair.

F4U-1A (Corsair Mk II)

Had a simplified canopy, along with other minor improvements that allowed for easier carrier landings.

F3A-1 (Corsair Mk III)

F4U-1 license-built by Brewster. Poor quality caused the contract to be terminated by the Navy.

F3A-1D (Corsair Mk III)

F4U-1A license-built by Brewster. Poor quality caused the contract to be terminated by the Navy.

FG-1A (Corsair Mk IV)

F4U-1 license-built by Goodyear.

FG-1D (Corsair Mk IV)

F4U-1A license-built by Goodyear.

F4U-1B

Post-war designation (unofficial) for F4U-1's modified for Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy) service.

F4U-1C

An F4U-1D with four 20 mm cannons replacing the six .50 calibre machine guns.

F4U-1D (Corsair Mk II)

Had a new R-2800-8W engine, which was more powerful, allowing for more payload and performance.

F4U-1P

Photo reconnaissance variant.

XF4U-2

Night fighter variant with two auxiliary fuel tanks.

F4U-2

Experimental night fighter based on the F4U-1. The outer right machine gun was removed, so it had a total of five. An airborne intercept (AI) radar was equipped on the outer starboard wing.

XF4U-3

A variant designed for the testing of different engines in the F4U airframe.

FG-3

XF4U-3 license-built by Goodyear.

XF4U-3B

XF4U-3 with slight modifications, built for the FAA.

XF4U-4

A variant with a new engine and cowling.

F4U-4

Variant with a new 2100 hp dual-stage-supercharged 18-W engine, a four-bladed propeller, and other minor improvements.

F4U-4B

F4U-4's with four 20mm cannons instead of machine guns.

F4U-4E

Night fighter variant with the APS-4 search radar on the right wingtip. It had four 20 mm cannons instead of machine guns.

F4U-4N

Night fighter variant with the APS-6 search radar on the right wingtip. It had four 20 mm cannons instead of machine guns.

F4U-4K

Experimental drone variant.

F4U-4P

Photo reconnaissance variant of the F4U-4.

XF4U-5

A variant with a new engine cowling and other improvements.

F4U-5

F4U-4 with a more powerful Pratt and Whitney R-2800-32(E) engine. Other improvements included all-metal wings, a modernized cockpit, and a fully retractable tail wheel.

F4U-5N

A variant of the F4U-5 with a radar.

F4U-5NL

F4U-5N's equipped with rubber de-icing boots on the leading wing edge and leading tail edge. Made for cold temperatures of winter.

F4U-5P

Long-range photo-reconnaissance variant of the F4U-5.

F4U-6

A variant made for the Marine Corps with extra armour and oil coolers. It was designed for ground attack.

AU-1

Later redesignation of the F4U-6.

F4U-7

AU-1 in French service.

FG-1E

A Goodyear FG-1 with radar equipment.

FG-1K

Drone variant of the Goodyear FG-1.

FG-3

Turbo supercharged variant of the FG-1D.

FG-4

Goodyear produced F4U-4. It was never delivered.

F2G-1

Goodyear modified F4U-1 with a Pratt and Whitney R-4360, Wasp Major 4-row 28-cylinder radial engine. It had manual-folding wings. Never entered service.

F2G-2

F2G-1 with hydraulically folding wings and a tailhook for carrier landings. Never entered service.

Specifications (F4U-4)

General

• Crew: One
• Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.26)
• Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m)
• Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)
• Wing Area: 314 sq ft (29.17 m²)

• Empty Weight: 9,205 lb (4,238 kg)
• Max. Takeoff Weight: 14,533 lb (6,592 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt and Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, 2,380 hp (1,770 kw)
• Propeller(s):
  • 3 or 4-bladed
  • 13 ft 4 in. diameter

Performance

• Maximum Speed: 446 mph (718 km/h, 388 kn)
• Stall Speed: 89 mph (143 km/h, 77 kn)
• Range: 1,005 mi (1,617 km, 873 nmi)
• Combat Range: 328 mi (528 km, 285 nmi)
• Service Ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,600 m)
• Rate of Climb: 4,360 ft/min (22.1 m/s)

Armament

• Guns:
  • 6 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 400 rounds per gun or
  • 4 × .79 in (20 mm) AN/M3 cannons, 231 rounds per gun
• Bombs: Up to 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) and/or
• Rockets: 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets (HVAR)

Operators

Argentina

F4U Corsair Operators

Argentine Navy operated 26 F4U-5/5N/5NL Corsairs from 1956 to 1968

Brazil

Brazilian Navy operated 30 F4U-1D from 1950 to 1976

Canada

Royal Canadian Navy operated 130 F4U-1D from 1948 to 1960

Chile

Chilean Navy operated 30 F4U-1D and 20 F4U-4 from 1953 to 1978

El Salvador

Air Force of El Salvador operated 25 F4U/FG-1D from 1957 to 1976

France

French Navy operated 69 AU-1 and 94 F4U-7 from 1954 to 1964

Honduras

Honduran Air Force operated 19 from 1956 to 1979

Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Navy operated 35 F4U-1D from 1943 to 1956

New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force operated 368 F4U-1 and 60 FG-1D from 1944 to 1949

United Kingdom

Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm operated 2,012 Corsairs of all types during World War 2, including 95 Corsair I (F4U-1), 510 Corsair II (F4U-1A), 430 Corsair III (F3A-1D), and 977 Corsair IV (FG-1D)

United States

United States Navy and Marine Corps operated Corsairs of all production variants from 1942 to 1953