Combat Vet Corsairs?

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 6:59 pm

Just wondering if there are any combat flown corsairs out there flying today?

I know there's a few in museum's, but what's the count on the flying ones?
Jerry

Ryan Harris · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:13 pm

You can count the Collings Foundation -5NL in that list. I don't have the service card in front of me, but if I remember right, she was on the Essex during one of the Korean cruises. She was later on the Boxer during the conflict, but that was a Med cruise.

k5083 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:23 pm

Aeroplane did a feature in 2005 listing each of the documented WWII combat vet warbirds then flying. It was fairly complete as of that date, although a few more have since taken to the air.

There were no Corsairs on the list. It only included WWII vets, so Corsairs that are vets of later wars would not have been on it.

POF claims WWII combat vet status for their F4U-1, but from what I have read, that is just based on assignment to a particular ship or unit at a particular time. That is not really positive evidence that the aircraft actually flew combat sorties. But it may have.

August

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:27 pm

I thought Walter Soplata's FG-1D that's in California now was a WWII Vet.

corsair166b · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:45 pm

It ain't around anymore (that I know of) but Tobul's old -4 was a combat vet min Korea as I recall..

Mark

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:53 pm

What about the F4U-1 Bird Cage in Brazil? Wasn't that RNZAF?

hairy · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:23 am

Warbird Kid wrote:

What about the F4U-1 Bird Cage in Brazil? Wasn't that RNZAF?

A popular misconception, Bu/No.17995 was never in the RNZAF, it was only painted in RNZAF colours after it was bought by Tim Wallis in 1990 and shipped to NZ and flown as ZK-FUI with the Alpine Fighter Collection between 1990 and 1999.

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 8:55 am

corsair166b wrote:

It ain't around anymore (that I know of) but Tobul's old -4 was a combat vet min Korea as I recall..

Mark

What do you mean?
Did the new owner scrap it or something?
It was my understanding that he bought it and put it in storage with a lot of other warbirds he's been buying.
Jerry

corsair166b · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:35 am

What I mean is I did'nt know that the wreck of Tobul's Corsair HAD a new owner, so that is news to me....as I said, I did'nt know if it was still around or not, so apparently it is. Good to know. Who is he and what does he plan to do with it?

Mark

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 12:30 pm

hairy wrote:

Warbird Kid wrote:

What about the F4U-1 Bird Cage in Brazil? Wasn't that RNZAF?

A popular misconception, Bu/No.17995 was never in the RNZAF, it was only painted in RNZAF colours after it was bought by Tim Wallis in 1990 and shipped to NZ and flown as ZK-FUI with the Alpine Fighter Collection between 1990 and 1999.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. But still the question remains: could this one have been a combat vet with the US Navy or Marines?

mlenoch · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 12:55 pm

Jim Tobul is rebuilding his Dad's Corsair as we speak.
May return to the air in about a year.
VL

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:05 pm

vlado wrote:

Jim Tobul is rebuilding his Dad's Corsair as we speak.
May return to the air in about a year.
VL

Wow. Thats great news!

All the best to his son. I'm sure he'll make his dad proud.

corsair166b · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:17 pm

Fantastic...that IS good news...met him at OSH one time and talked briefly with Jim, seemed a nice guy....hope the Corsair returns to the skies soon.

Mark

DaveM2 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:00 pm

Warbird Kid wrote:

hairy wrote:

Warbird Kid wrote:

What about the F4U-1 Bird Cage in Brazil? Wasn't that RNZAF?

A popular misconception, Bu/No.17995 was never in the RNZAF, it was only painted in RNZAF colours after it was bought by Tim Wallis in 1990 and shipped to NZ and flown as ZK-FUI with the Alpine Fighter Collection between 1990 and 1999.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. But still the question remains: could this one have been a combat vet with the US Navy or Marines?

It never left the US during the war AFAIK.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 4:07 pm

Are there any in the Navy's Cold storage facility (Lake Michigan) that were Vets? It is outstanding with the SBD recovery, but how about Corsairs?

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