Vought Corsair I – Vought F4U-1D – Vought F4U-7
The Curator’s Choice 65
One of the most distinctive shapes of all World War 2 aircraft is the bent wing of the Vought F4U Corsair naval fighter. It came from the desire to fit the most powerful piston engine possible to a fighter to give it outstanding performance. Such a large engine needed a large propellor to use all the engine’s power and that large propellor needed a lot of ground clearance. To provide that clearance the aircraft would need very long undercarriage which would create problems of stowing in when retracted and making it strong enough for heavy landings on the decks of aircraft carriers. The other solution was the bend the wings so they were closer to the deck where the undercarriage extended from them. It was an excellent solution and created one of the great fighters of World War 2 and beyond. Let’s look at three which cover the span of this aircraft’s operational life across two decades.
Leigh Edmonds little box of stuff 