Corsair (?)'s
Thu Dec 02, 2004 4:47 pm
Were the F4U-1 and the FG-1 primarily the same aircraft?
Also, what would explain why a substantially larger amount of FG-1s survived compared to the F4U-1?
Also, what would explain why a substantially larger amount of FG-1s survived compared to the F4U-1?
Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:54 pm
The F4U-1, F3A-1 and FG-1 were essentially the same aircraft.
The reason that so many FG-1D aircraft survive as opposed to F4U-1D's is that F4U-1's saw front line use a good year before the FG's, and hence had higher time airframes by the end of the war. Because of their later production, FG's were also more likely to stay behind in the States as trainers, rather than head to front-line squadrons. Vought was building -4 corsairs by 1944, so most of their -1's had already seen considerable use, by the time that FG's and F3A's were arriving in squadron strength. After the war, the Navy/Marines kept the lower time airframes, which were the -4's, and the FG's. Some of the FG's made it into Navy reserve squadrons, and some were sold to other countries (most notably El Salvador). Most of the F4U-1's were too tired to be saved, and ended up reduced to spares or scrapped.
Navy Reserve use of the FG's delayed their demise just long enough for some of them to be picked up domestically by civilian operators, and the latin american users kept them into the seventies, by which time interest in them had risen considerably and nearly all of them were recovered by warbird enthusiasts, which explains why there are so many FG's relative to others of the breed.
Additionally, the majority of the small number of F3A-1's which were actually produced went to the Royal Navy, which scrapped or dumped all of the survivors by early 1947 at the latest. By the end of the war Brewster had such a bad name with the US Navy, and there were so many persistent rumors about poor workmanship, or even deliberate sabotage, that they scrapped all those remaining F3A's pretty quickly.
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Richard
The reason that so many FG-1D aircraft survive as opposed to F4U-1D's is that F4U-1's saw front line use a good year before the FG's, and hence had higher time airframes by the end of the war. Because of their later production, FG's were also more likely to stay behind in the States as trainers, rather than head to front-line squadrons. Vought was building -4 corsairs by 1944, so most of their -1's had already seen considerable use, by the time that FG's and F3A's were arriving in squadron strength. After the war, the Navy/Marines kept the lower time airframes, which were the -4's, and the FG's. Some of the FG's made it into Navy reserve squadrons, and some were sold to other countries (most notably El Salvador). Most of the F4U-1's were too tired to be saved, and ended up reduced to spares or scrapped.
Navy Reserve use of the FG's delayed their demise just long enough for some of them to be picked up domestically by civilian operators, and the latin american users kept them into the seventies, by which time interest in them had risen considerably and nearly all of them were recovered by warbird enthusiasts, which explains why there are so many FG's relative to others of the breed.
Additionally, the majority of the small number of F3A-1's which were actually produced went to the Royal Navy, which scrapped or dumped all of the survivors by early 1947 at the latest. By the end of the war Brewster had such a bad name with the US Navy, and there were so many persistent rumors about poor workmanship, or even deliberate sabotage, that they scrapped all those remaining F3A's pretty quickly.
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Richard
Thu Dec 02, 2004 6:05 pm
Thank you much 