Warbird Information Exchange

I was recently given a dvd copy of, "The Flyers" which I have not seen since being a kid. In it I remember the corsair "crashing" on the carrier but didn't know there was another plus an avenger. My Q. is who owned those airplane's then, & are they still around? Plus if anyone has background to the film it would be interesting to hear story's!
T.I.A.

I was always curious how they did the corsair crash sequence too... I seem to remember that it looked very realistic! The plot was pretty cheesy of course, but I did love that scene with them going through the mountains with the corsair strapped to the back of the low-loader... what a fantastic sight! It strikes me that there must have been at least three corsairs involved in the shoot (the unrestored one, and the two on the carrier). Anyone know?

Cheers,
Richard

The unrestored plane was F4U-5N BuNo.124447, then owned by Richard Vartanian, and later purchased, restored, and flown by Glen Hyde of Dallas, Texas (then donated to the USMC Museum ). At the time it was in storage with Wally McDonell at Aero Sport in Chino.

The flyer was F4U-4 BuNo.97286 "Angel of Okinawa" with a temporary paint job.

If I recall correctly, the Corsair used on the carrier deck was also "Angel of Okinawa". A type of cart was fabricated on which the plane was placed with its landing gear retracted. This allowed it to be pulled across the deck to simulate the crash landing.

I used to have a crude copy of that that I only had the chance to watch about twice. If anyone knows where to find it, I'd love to get a decent copy!

_________________
Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Hi Rob.... thanks for the information, it was very interesting. I picked up a copy of the film on VHS about 9 years ago from the NASM shop. The film was pan and scan unfortunately though, so you lost some of the magesty of the cinematography.... which was pretty impressive, especially during the grand canyon shoot, when the guy fell off the wing and was "caught" by the other aircraft.... that was some of the most electrifying air-to-air I have ever seen! Anyway, if you would like, I can check out the store next time I'm there and send a copy off to you... let me know.

Cheers,
Richard

That would be great Richard If you find one, drop me an e-mail at SkyChrgr1@aol.com and let me know. I'll send you a check to coverthe cost. Thanks!

_________________
Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com