WIX Archives

Re: New -4 Corsair

Posted by Rob Mears on Sat May 10, 2003 02:42:39 AM

In reply top New -4 Corsair posted by Ryan Harris on Sat May 10, 2003 01:47:07 AM

: I sure hope its not that airplane. If it is, I think Rob i
: s going to have a fit.

Heheh :) I've actually heard an opinion here and there recently that the buildup of this particular "composite" Corsair was not all it was cracked up to be. It's been questioned whether it would even pass muster as a flyer with the fabrication work that's been completed so far. I can't personally attest to these opinions, so take them as just that - opinions.

I would certainly LOVE to see this plane eventually fly because it would finally prove the success of the first scratch-built F4U main spar. In the end though, this never was an "existing airframe" so to speak. The remains of the center section were enough for the basis of a data plate restoration I suppose, but the US Navy assigned the wrong identity to the recovered bits following their recovery in the early 1990s (the remains were F4U-4, and the oficial identity granted by the Navy to the recoverer was for an FG-1D). Theresr fuselage was made from a collection of bulkheads, and each outer wing panel was scavenged from various parts sources (though one is a rebuilt Brewster wing pulled from a Florida bog).

I look at it this way, If this one airframe helps put the ex-Pardue AND ex-Cavenaugh Corsairs back into the air, I'm more than happy to see that happen - I loved both of those planes! With luck there will be enough of of the donor plane left over to once again support its own restoration another 10-15 years down the road by a new owner. The fact that the vast majority of this "composite" project was scratch built to begin with means that in the future, having to once again scratch build the same parts over again for its next attempt at glory won't be such a travesty...just somebody's pain in the butt ;)

It sure did look sweet sitting on its gear in the Courtesy website pictures though!! I'd like to hear a few more opinions on the quality of its decade-long refabrication from folks who were intimate with that particular refab process.

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