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The Contra-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:07 am

An Experimental Chance Vought F4U-1A Corsair at Rentschler Field in East Hartford with a contra-rotating Hamilton Standard prop on the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 to be exact.

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A relatively recent photo of the P&W Hangar and Tower Rentschler Airport below.

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Last edited by Mark Allen M on Sun Nov 22, 2015 9:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:34 am

Looks to me like someone having a laugh with photoshop.
Until I am proved wrong?

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:51 am

No photoshop ...

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-4 as well

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:55 am

Plenty of efforts on several types way back when ...

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675 ... -in-flight

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:08 am

Thanks Mark, I learn't somthing new.
Question did it fly or was it just a ground test airframe.???

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:10 am

I believe Rentschler is now a football stadium (UConn)

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 11:40 am

tom roberts wrote:I believe Rentschler is now a football stadium (UConn)

I believe you are correct. And I should have probably typed "Contra-Rotating" instead of "Counter-Rotating" ... there's a difference. Thx to another poster for pointing that error out.

M

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 1:03 pm

I was thinking about this the other day.
I can't think of a single American production aircraft that had that feature.
It showed up on prototypes....the Lockheed and Convair tail-sitters, the Douglas Skyshark....

A few English ones...the Shackleton and Gannet come to mind, plus the Russian TU-95..plus Kamov did the same with helicopters (Kaman came close but the rotors aren't vertically stacked), probably a few French as well.

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 1:09 pm

Thanks Mark, best images I have seen of the whole aircraft.
Normally you only see the nose shot.

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 1:36 pm

These two come to mind ...

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Boeing fighter XF8B-1

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Westland Wyvern

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 2:53 pm

JohnB wrote:I was thinking about this the other day.
I can't think of a single American production aircraft that had that feature.
It showed up on prototypes....the Lockheed and Convair tail-sitters, the Douglas Skyshark....

A few English ones...the Shackleton and Gannet come to mind, plus the Russian TU-95..plus Kamov did the same with helicopters (Kaman came close but the rotors aren't vertically stacked), probably a few French as well.

Convair Tradewind, if you consider 13 aircraft "production"?
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Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 6:09 pm

Pretty sure the Fisher XP-75 made it to production status as the P-75A, but also a very small production batch.

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 6:14 pm

Did the Tradewind or XP-75 ever achieve IOC..or just test status? I'm 99.9 % sure the Fisher did not.

But with 13, I don't think I'd consider it a production type...more like a service test quantity.

BTW: The Navy did pi$$ away a lot of money in the late 40s-50s (by that I mean it seems they had more unsuccessful types than the AF) Cutlass, Demon (some built were never flown because of bad engines), Tiger and Guardian (maybe not a bad planes but few built with a short service life), Tradewind, Seamaster, Bell HSL and probably a few more .

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:37 pm

Mark Allen M wrote:And I should have probably typed "Contra-Rotating" instead of "Counter-Rotating" ... there's a difference.

Okay, I'll ask: what's the diff? geek

Re: The Counter-Rotating Corsair ...

Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:59 pm

Pogo wrote:
Mark Allen M wrote:And I should have probably typed "Contra-Rotating" instead of "Counter-Rotating" ... there's a difference.

Okay, I'll ask: what's the diff? geek


"Counter-rotating" is the term used when two propellers are rotating in opposite directions, but not on the same axis (IE: P-38).

"Contra-rotating" is the term used when two propellers are rotating in opposite directions, on the *same* axis.
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