Ralph Harvey

Developing the Gull-winged F4u Corsair - and Taking It to Sea Ralph Harvey

The late-1930s marked the end of the biplane era, and the U. S. Navy needed a new fighter. The Vought F4U Corsair was the winning design, but the service?s first 400 m.p.h. warplane came with more than just blistering speed. This aerial hot-rod had some very poor flight characteristics and came to be known as the ?Ensign Eliminator.? Even after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Navy decided that the Corsair was unsuitable for shipboard use. Yet the Corsair eventually did operate from aircraft carriers, and the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps ? along with the Royal Navy?s Fleet Air Arm and the Royal New Zealand Air Force ? all used the F4U with great success. This book tells that story. As a guide to readers, Developing the Gull-WInged F4U Corsair ? And Taking It To Sea does not focus on individual pilots, squadrons or dogfights, but compliments existing texts with over 40 images and information that pilots and non-pilots will appreciate. In particular, this book looks at the development of leading World War Two fighters, including the F4U; the expansion of the Vought-Sikorsky factory during mobilization; the F4U?s limitations, and why techniques for a navalized version of the British Spitfire could also be used in the Corsair; a broad overview of the F4U?s operational history, and the 1948-9 relocation of the Vought factory from Connecticut to Dallas. It is a history and remembrance of all who designed, built and test flew F4U Corsair, and those who served in uniform.