Stratford Corsairs History Reveled during paint removal

[Jerry O'Neill]

I thought some of you might like to see what's showing up under FG-1D Corsair Bu 92460's paint.
Many layers and, believe it or not, none were ever stripped. We have it's entire history from the late 1940's star and bar through the FAS service as #207 and then several repaints.
Check out my pics on Flickr to see the progression. The first three photos are of the process.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11465521@N ... 956720231/

Also, the Dec. 2009 Issue of Aircraft Magazine has an article about the Soccer War entitled "Pitch Battle". In it is a color photo of what the author claims is FAS #207 (92460) with repairs made during the fighting. I'm not 100% sure this is the same aircraft, since 92460 arrived with the number 217 on it's vertical fin. When found by Nick Mainiero back in 1971, it may have been put together with parts of different birds, so time will hopefully tell. But you can even match up the old US Star in the coolor photo with the revealed star that has shown up and they match perfectly!
Blue skies,
Jerry

[Pat Carry]

Thanks for the update Jerry. Neat history there.

[Holedigger]

Very cool. It is important to record that stuff as repairs and stripping is done, once gone it is GONE. I know the guys doing the work usually just want to get the work done, but this IS History!

[Warbird Kid]

Hey I did that! Ended up with just peeling a small piece off and then I just kept going and going. Clearly you can see I got alot done. I started to realize what I was looking at after I took the paint off. Ill get back on that task soon enough. If anyone has any suggestions in how to remove the paint layer by layer Id love to hear it.

[k5083]

Maybe call the NASM. They did this with their Fw 190 and made up a great display board showing profile artwork of all of the paint schemes they uncovered during the progressive stripping; there were about 6 of them as I recall. Be great if you could do that for the Corsair.

August

[Jerry O'Neill]

Chris,
Just make sure you take good pics and reference measurements at every stage. Before you know it, someone will come along when you're not there and suddenly that paint is gone!
Jerry

[mustangdriver]

Chris,
I can see what the NMUSAF uses. It is a pink solution that takes layer by layer off.

[Marco Lavagnino]

Dear Jerry:
the story of this ex FAS FG-1D is very interesting. BuNr 92460, according to available pictures / registers, was actually FAS 217, derelict at Ilopango Airport, San Salvador, since the early 60s (I am surprised to read that you found a "207" below the paint layers (picture?), when the pictures showing the same aircraft still in FAS scheme arriving to the US shows a "217"?). It never fought during the El Salvador-Honduras War (July 14-18, 1969). I don´t have a record of the exact date in which it was "donated" and later installed at the Sikorsky Memorial, in a newspaper picture it says only "1969". The FAS paint scheme you correctly describe under several coats of painting, is the 1957-1961 scheme, so you can say with some certainty that this FG-1D did not operatte beyond 1961. There are several pictures of FAS 217 in the process of transportation from El Salvador to Bridgeport, "217" tail number in white clearly visible.
On the other hand, FAS 207 (Bunr92690), which is the one that for sure was shown in Aircraft Magazine, is actually the last FG-1D that FAS owned, selling it in 1992 (Dan Wirth, Daron Yegani / registered N6143C). I was lucky enough to see this a/c during paint stripping days before being transported out of my country. FAS 207 had been derelict at Ilopango at least since the mid-60s, missing several parts, was put together during 1969 with parts from FAS 209 (a white-colored FG-1D grounded after a landing accident in 1968), burt not being able to fly. The 1957 vintage blue paint scheme with giant "FAS" lettering was stil in place, and it seems this a/c was used as decoy at Ilopango during the war. There are several pictures of FAS 207 after 1969. In the early 80s it was "donated" to a local park, got a new blue paint coat and sharkmouth. After some years, it brought back to Ilopango airport (around 1986), where it got the spurious number "FAS 220" and markings ("FAES" instead of "FAS"). So it is pretty sure that FAS 207 stayed in El Salvador. As I said, FAS 207 wasn´t operational either during the war (Only operational FG-1D were FAS 202, 204, 215, 219 and 220, all of them camouflaged; blue and grey schemes cited in many articles had not existed for more than half a decade).
Hope this helps to complete the picture, I would really be interested in the number that was found on the tail, and, I wonder if the arrival date of this Corsair to Bridgeport is available...

Marco

[Jerry O'Neill]

Thanks for the info.
We haven't found the number 207 on the airframe and have not worked on the vertical fin yet.

I was referring to the article in Aircraft Magazine stating that 207 was the aircraft on display in Stratford, CT.
That made me think that perhaps, it might be 207 with the vertical replaced by the one from 217. I have many photos of when it arrived and 217 is clearly visible. Sounds like the Stratford airframe might misidentified in the photo in the magazine.

The Corsair arrived in Connecticut in 1971.

An interesting story, none the less.
Jerry

[Rob Mears]

I'll be very interested to see what markings (specifically the fuselage number) were carried on the plane during its final service with the US Naval Reserve before it was handed over to the FAS. The photo below shows the insignia configuration that BuNo.92460 should have worn. Chances are the engine cowlings were swapped more than a few times between the various FAS Corsairs during their service in Central America, so the odds of determining the cowling number may be slim to none. I believe the same number was carried on the dive brake (landing gear) fairings as well, so you have four possible locations you can investigate for matching numbers. If you find two or more that match, I figure you'll probably have the authentic number worn by BuNo.92460 during its last year and a half in US service (October 10, 1953 - March 29, 1955).

Now, what would be super cool is finding even older markings under the NAS Columbus insignia! BuNo.92460 also served at NAS Atlanta, with VMF-314 (at MCAS Cherry Point & NAS Miami), and at NAS Akron.

[zorro7]

Jerry:

Great find indeed!

Would you mind posting some of the pics of Buno 92460 when it arrived c. 1971? The B/ws previously posted are of poor resolution but one picture shows clearly "217" on the vertical stab and another fuzzy number on the rudder. We are doing some deep excavation on the subject matter. Tks

[Jerry O'Neill]

Zorro;
I can post a few of the arrival pics tomorrow, as I have to scan them.

Rob;
I can't wait to see what shows up under that paint!
The gear doors are all gone. They were thrown out and sheet metaled over, so any info that was on them is non-existent. Perhaps the cowl panels and vertical will yield some info. The star in your posted photo is right where the original star has shown up. Unless it was stripped and repainted during it's Navy service, there should be something under there that might help.
Jerry

[zorro7]

Jerry:

Also, I'm curious to know the Bunos found on the wings mod plates. (Both wings). Tks

[Jerry O'Neill]

Jerry:

Also, I'm curious to know the Bunos found on the wings mod plates. (Both wings). Tks

Don't have those as of yet, but the wings may be from different airframes.
The center section was built by Willys-Overland in Toledo, OH.
Jerry

[Marco Lavagnino]

Thank you, Jerry, it will be great to discover the markings below the paint layers. It was funny to see a spanish character painted on the instrument panel, "canario" (canary) together with some kind of cartoon, who knows if this one dates back from FAS service.
I still have doubts about the year that FAS 217 was donated, I know that the Memorial was built around July 1971, but the a/c was donated back in 1969, any register about this?

Marco