Product Description

[F4U Corsair]
The F4U Corsair was developed in 1938 as a successor to aircraft such as the Buffalo-based fighter, as requested by the U.S. Navy.
Chance Vought proposed a design incorporating a 2,000-horsepower engine and placed an order for a prototype.
To make the most of this immense horsepower, the propeller was made approximately 4 meters in diameter, and an inverted gull wing design was adopted for the main wing to prevent the propeller from hitting the ground.
Its maiden flight took place in May 1940, and in October, it set a record as the first American fighter plane to exceed 400 mph (643 km/h) in level flight.
However, carrier landing tests in September 1942 revealed extremely poor visibility during landings, leading to the conclusion that it was unsuitable for carrier operations.
For this reason, most of the early production models were deployed to the Marine Corps.
Its use as a carrier-based aircraft was delayed until November 1943, when the F4U-1A was introduced and put into service aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill.
Incidentally, in the records of Japanese Navy pilots during the war, the Corsair was sometimes referred to as the Sikorsky.

[F4U-1D]
The F4U-1D was created by modifying the canopy and propeller of the F4U-1A, which was used as a carrier-based fighter aircraft.
The aircraft was equipped with R-2800-8W engines with water injection systems, and the main landing gear was also improved to facilitate carrier landings.
Furthermore, its payload capacity has been increased, making it possible to mount 5-inch rockets.
In April 1944, it was officially adopted as a carrier-based aircraft and participated in combat attacks against the Philippines and mainland Japan.

Product Specifications

Country

USA

Item code

VICMAG5006

Purchase Information