Scooby Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Mk I Corsairs did not have clipped wings. But I loved the build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stevehnz Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Mk I Corsairs did not have clipped wings. But I loved the build. Everything I've read on the Mk Is that remained Stateside leads me to believe you're probably correct but I wouldn't discount exceptions & as you say, its a superb build, one I could only hope to emulate in my wildest dreams (fantasies? :lol: ) Steve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Everything I've read on the Mk Is that remained Stateside leads me to believe you're probably correct but I wouldn't discount exceptions & as you say, its a superb build, one I could only hope to emulate in my wildest dreams (fantasies? :lol: ) Steve. There are plenty of images of the Mk Is showing that they didn't have the clipped wings. One of the reasons the Mk Is were not kept is they would not fit into the British carriers. And the Corsairs for the British were not built yet so they had to use Mk Is for training. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 David Rapasi's Corsair is STUNNING...MY favorite Bird. :wub: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Rapasi Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Mk I Corsairs did not have clipped wings. But I loved the build. The third, fifth, and sixth are F4U-1s. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stevehnz Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 In the book "Carrier Pilot" by Norman Hanson, he describes swapping Mk I Corsairs for later mark machines with domed canopies while his ship HMS Illustious was passing by, I think, Ceylon in 1944. If they were operational in Illustrious they would have had clipped wing tips to fit in the hangers. I don't know what unit the machines in Davids photo are from or from what carrier but they sure as heck have got clipped wing tips. Conventional wisdom says that initial modifications to these was made upon receipt in the UK on early deliveries. I believe later ones may have come from the factory like this. I think it is this that has lead to the belief that all Mk Is retained in the states for training probably had full span wings. As I said above though, there may well have been exceptions to this. Do you have any photo references for this particular machine David? Steve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Rapasi Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 By their markings, the six Corsairs are a training flight from an British carrier. The clipped wing US Corsair is an early F4U-1 pulled from the production line and used as a prototype test bed. It tested the blistered front canopy pane, the removal of the center cowl flaps, the right wing stall plate, the removal of the lower window, and the clipped wings for the FAA, plus numerous internal changes. It is my understanding all of the Mark I and Mark II Corsairs left the factory with elliptical wingtips and were replace at a Naval repair facility as needed. Because of the very different handling conditions of the clipped wing Corsair, especially the higher sink rate for carrier landings, all of the serviceable training aircraft eventually had their wing tips replaced. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stevehnz Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Hi David, not sure where your info re Corsair #8 came from but in fact it is an FG-1D, originally operated during WW2 by the RNZAF in the Pacific. It went from NZ via a circuitous route to the UK where it was opertaed for a time in the Breitling Fighters collection by Ray Hanna's Old Flying Machine Company. The story is here, a picture as it was with the the OFMC here It is now back in new Zealand & operated by the Old Stick & Rudder Company out of Masterton in the lower North Island. A vid of a display sequence flown by Keith Skilling . I've seen him put this machine through its paces, Fabulous. I've walked around it, stroked (fondled? :lol: )it & still don't know why it has the FAA type clipped wing tips. One day I'll find out why 'cause to the best of my knowledge they're wrong for it. Maybe it got some non original outer wings during the resto process.Steve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 By their markings, the six Corsairs are a training flight from an British carrier. The clipped wing US Corsair is an early F4U-1 pulled from the production line and used as a prototype test bed. It tested the blistered front canopy pane, the removal of the center cowl flaps, the right wing stall plate, the removal of the lower window, and the clipped wings for the FAA, plus numerous internal changes. It is my understanding all of the Mark I and Mark II Corsairs left the factory with elliptical wingtips and were replace at a Naval repair facility as needed. Because of the very different handling conditions of the clipped wing Corsair, especially the higher sink rate for carrier landings, all of the serviceable training aircraft eventually had their wing tips replaced. Dave Thanks for posting this David, I thought I was correct on my British Corsair info. You learn something everyday. I alwasy enjoy your builds. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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