Brewster Aeronautical Corp. - Corsairs-Photo

[a4gturn]

Here's for for you guys. Photo has the official "Brewster" stamp on the back. Johnsville is written in pencil.
Notice the U.S. Navy marking and the RAF markings. Props turning on some of them. What's the story with Brewster and the Corsair?

[mustangdriver]

Didn't they build alot of the early versions?

[paulmcmillan]

What's the story with Brewster and the Corsair?

A story of mismanagment!!!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_A ... orporation

[tom d. friedman]

brewster was rife with corporate corruption, government investigations, slow contract aircraft delivery, & shoddy workmanship.

[RMAllnutt]

This is a fascinating photograph... please keep them coming. Brewster made 735 corsairs, and most went to Britain's Royal Navy. This is the first time I've seen any confirmed Brewster built corsair III's though. What is the serial number on the closest plane (JS???)? I was in communication with a Brewster test pilot named Ralph Romaine. He told me that, while the management had some serious problems, the quality of production was no poorer than Goodyear's. The navy would never have accepted the aircraft if they weren't fit for service either. He also told me that some of the serious political problems that they had with congress stemmed from the then secretary of the navy (Dulles) having had a beef with them. Brewster apparently rebuffed his private syndicate's pre-war take-over attempt of the company, and Dulles never forgave them.

Yes, Brewster did make a few birdcage corsairs, but most of them were F3A-1A's... I believe that they were just starting to produce F3A-1D's when they were shut down by the Navy. Brewster's story is a fascinating one, and I'd love to see more of these photos.... keep 'em coming!

Cheers,
Richard

[Dan K]

brewster was rife with...shoddy workmanship.

That was certainly a common thought of the day, but I've also read pilot excerpts of those who, once having flown an F3A, discovered that it was a superior aircraft and became a personal favorite.

[Nathan]

I live in Pennsylvania and once heard there was a Brewster plant in Pa. Anyone know more about this? If so that would be pretty cool since my state during WWII did not see a lot of aviation related things. At lest not to my knowledge. Except Piper and the Naval Aircraft Factory.

[JDK]

I believe the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum's Corsair has one Brewster tailplane on one side (horizontal stab...) although it's a Goodyear built aircraft. IIRC, the theory could be that Brewster parts were passed onto Goodyear after production at Brewster was shut down.

[RMAllnutt]

I live in Pennsylvania and once heard there was a Brewster plant in Pa. Anyone know more about this? If so that would be pretty cool since my state during WWII did not see a lot of aviation related things. At lest not to my knowledge. Except Piper and the Naval Aircraft Factory.

Hi Nathan.... Brewster had a plant at Johnsville, PA, near Warminster. They built F3A's there, and also SB2A's as well. The plant was taken over by the Naval Aircraft Factory towards the very end of the company's existence. Apparently, when the Naval Air Station shut down there a few years ago, you could see the original Brewster Factory logo on the factory wall after the Navy removed theirs. Does anyone have a photo of this? I have heard that it's all scheduled to be torn down (may already be so). I know when I googled the location I could see some demolition going on in the airfield perimeter... kinda sad really...

Cheers,
Richard

[RMAllnutt]

I believe the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum's Corsair has one Brewster tailplane on one side (horizontal stab...) although it's a Goodyear built aircraft. IIRC, the theory could be that Brewster parts were passed onto Goodyear after production at Brewster was shut down.

Yes, I had heard this too... it is a Goodyear built aircraft, as you said, too. They originially thought that it was an FG-1D, but it's only got the FG-1A mods (ie. no wing hardpoints for fuel tanks, internal fuel tanks in wings, early style rudder, and canopy with reinforcing bar etc.)... so now they realize that it is the earlier version. Incidentally the late Joe Tobul had some Brewster-made landing flaps on his F4U-4... they even had the data plates on them (which I photographed). I still miss Joe and his beautiful corsair....

Richard

[F3A-1]

MORE, MORE, MORE! ...........PLEASE!

I still do not have any photos of Bu. No. 04634 prior to my recovery from the swamp.
I was at the Kalamazo auction a few years ago when Jim Tobul bought a Brewster built flap. I have not been able to get him to part with it so the quality must not be that bad!

Pirate Lex

http://www.BrewsterCorsair.com

[Dan K]

I live in Pennsylvania and once heard there was a Brewster plant in Pa. Anyone know more about this? If so that would be pretty cool since my state during WWII did not see a lot of aviation related things. At lest not to my knowledge. Except Piper and the Naval Aircraft Factory.

Bite your tongue, Nathan!

Along with what Richard posted about Brewster and NAF, Consolidated-Vultee converted a Mack Truck plant in Allentown to produce the mighty TBY-2 Sea Wolf. Before production began on the TBY, I believe that certain modification work on SB2C's was also carried out in Allentown (to give the employees there some experience with aircraft assembly). 180 TBY's were built before the end of hostilities--A number which may seem small, but I believe exceeds the total number of TBD's built.

[Forgotten Field]

Kellet- Philadelphia built autogiros

Jacobs Aircraft Engine company Pottstown Pennsylvania. With L4 and L6 production engines, and also set up to license build Wright engines for the B-29- my aunt worked there during that time.

PK- Frank Piasecki's original company, built rotary wing aircraft

Fleetwings- built many subassemblies, including stainless steel components. Also built components for the TBY and did rotor wing stuff.

G&A Was a descendent of Pitcairn, built autogiros, and had a large number of patents for rotary wing technology which was the reason it was purchased by Firestone in 1943. Also built 750 CG-4A's

Budd Company. Built lots of stainless steel components (read, lots of firewalls- most of them were stainless steel). Also built the C-76 Conestoga.

While you won't see it said anywhere, the majority of big steel tubing mills were in Pennsylvania prior to WWII. Pennsylvania plants, because of their rail systems and steel technology and proximity of iron ore and coal deposits, were heavily involved in producing large castings and forgings of steel and iron. The Baldwin Locomotive plant in Philadelphia built M3 Lee and Grant Tanks, Sherman Hulls, and other later hull castings for late-war tanks. Most of the structural steel that went into plants built during WWII came from Pennsylvania. Don't forget that Philadelphia and Chester Pennsylvania, and Wilmington Delaware were big ship yards, and built large numbers of transport craft during WWII plus jeep carriers.

Don't feel undereducated. Most of this stuff is not well known to most Pennsylvanians. Go see the National Helicopter Museum at Brandywine airport. Great displays, including a combat history R-4 and an early Pitcairn Autogiro. Southeastern PA was really the first center of rotor wing development in the US.

[gilt]

Where do we start/end with PA contributions to the war effort.

Lycoming in Williamsport, PV Engineering Forum (the original Piasecki firm), Platt-LePage, H J Heintz in Pittsburgh made wings, ACF in Danville made tanks (the test track in now a park along the river), Birdsboro made tank hull castings. The Bethlehem plant of BethSteel made 80% of the aircraft cylinder barrels (and 10-12-16" guns, shells, armour plat, etc), Fleetwings made BT-12's and a number of interesting prototypes.

It would take a effort to list all the products produced in most industrial states during WWII.

Tom-

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

The original Brewster office building and plant are still there. The demolition was of about half of the runway and the 3 hangars that dated from 42. It is located on the corner of Street Road and Jacksonville Rd in Warminster, Bucks county PA. The name of Brewster was visible a few years ago when the took down the new sign tha had been covering it for decades. They covered it over whenthey re stuccoed the building a few years ago as it was being turned into the North American Technology Center.

I have a picture of that Brewster name some where in the Kodak box but I have not scanned it yet. The picture in this thread is one from the flight line on Jacksonville rd.The planes are lined up North to South in it. The offices and plant is directly across the street.

RM , If you are still in touch with Ralph Romaine please contact me by PM . He was a friend of my mother's.

Thank you

Last edited by Jiggersfromsphilly on Wed May 09, 2007 12:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.