Looking for Info on this Rare Corsair

[kennsmithf2g]

Here is another photo of Lucky Gallon before she was painted, from the Gillig collection that I purchased off e-bay.

The Cleveland Press Libraries and Collections at The Cleveland State University Library has a picture of Lucky Gallon being painted next to the grandstand. I would post it here but it has an Acme Press copywrite.

Kenn

[Wildchild]

You know if Walter Soplata got it, something tells me that the rear half and wings are still in existence...

In a conversation I had with Walter at a model airplane swap-shop, he said that he sold for scrap the wings and rear half.

Kenn

Yes he did sell the rear half (of another plane with wings) but he did say to me that the major parts he still had on the property

Even if he did, it's not impossible to replicate the rear half

[Steve T]

Certainly; in fact one of the Corsairs currently being restored in Australia is being brought back to complete state (albeit for static display) from just about the same state as "Lucky Gallon" is reportedly in. It'd be grand to see #92 return from oblivion.

The F2G fin and rudder installed on the FG-1 after she was grounded came off #74; 74 ran using the "normal" height fin, presumably the one from "Lucky Gallon" swapped on, and I don't think Bob Odegaard returned the fin to stock F2G configuration during the rebuild of #74. (#57, conversely, was always a more stock airframe, having been built up quickly using a spare-parts F2G Cleland had obtained...57 replaced #84 which crashed in the '48 race, at one point taking on 84's BuNo for registration purposes, and besides the stock fin also retained the stock wing root intakes, et cetera.)

S.

[rwright142]

Very cool, nice reading the history of his beautiful bird...

[kennsmithf2g]

Certainly; in fact one of the Corsairs currently being restored in Australia is being brought back to complete state (albeit for static display) from just about the same state as "Lucky Gallon" is reportedly in. It'd be grand to see #92 return from oblivion.

The F2G fin and rudder installed on the FG-1 after she was grounded came off #74; 74 ran using the "normal" height fin, presumably the one from "Lucky Gallon" swapped on, and I don't think Bob Odegaard returned the fin to stock F2G configuration during the rebuild of #74. (#57, conversely, was always a more stock airframe, having been built up quickly using a spare-parts F2G Cleland had obtained...57 replaced #84 which crashed in the '48 race, at one point taking on 84's BuNo for registration purposes, and besides the stock fin also retained the stock wing root intakes, et cetera.)

S.

Cook did not have the funds or time to modify #84. #84 had to be repaired due to a belly landing accident when Becker ran out of fuel delivering her to Vought to be modified so #94 was substituted to be modified and #84 was repaired to airworthy and flown back to Cook's field for finishing of repaired (with parts supplied by Vought. Cook also managed to wrangle a new propeller)

The rebuild of #74 by Bob Odegaard did not have the sub-rudder installed. It was restored as raced in 1949 by Becker.

Cook used "all the parts" of his "spare parts" plane without disassembling a single piece to "rebuild" #84, truly a data plate swap in all sense of the word. Technically, #57 "belonged" to McKillian for the race, Cook "sold" it to McKillian and already having a signed bill of sale "selling" #57 back to him after the race. Cook actually had to "steal" it back and when McKillian showed-up with the sheriff, Cook produced the second bill of sale, at least that's the way the story was told. McKillian refused to make any changes from the stock F2G. The intake extension that was borrowed by Cook for #74 in 1947 came already on #57 when acquired by Cook. Cook offered him the special "high speed" prop off #74 when the reduction gears broke, but McKillian would not use it.

Kenn