F4U Chance Corporate Corsair!

[zorro9]

F4U Folks:

Good day!

Does anyone has other angles or stories about this "Chance-Vought Aircraft" once owned as a Corporate Corsair? Reg N63382. c.1954. Photo via Mark on a Navy NAS flight line poss E. Coast.

Tks in advance.

[John Dupre]

The FAA registry has N63382 still assigned to an FG-1D in Polk City, FL. Looks like Kermit Weeks owns it now.

[Mark Allen M]

You guys are killing me .... Actually to be fair I believe Mr. Zorro is looking for info and photos of it's life during the time of the photo he posted.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=51886

[zorro9]

F4U Folks/Mark:

Good day!

It's ok! Tks for pics & F4U data posted. I'll ck with the guys across the pond to see how their aircraft is coming along in Aussie Land!

p.s ...Most CEOs nowadays fly in Learjets or Grumman Biz jets but in c.1954 this Ukn Corporate pilot (for now) had an F4U Corsair for Biz trips. I think that was... unique for the era!! Tks again.

[JimH]

Only the center section is in Australia, I took these a few days ago at FOF. There is no rush to get it done either.

jim

[J. Thompson]

I believe the photo was taken at Bridgeport, when owned by Vought.

See my written history:

Type: FG-1D
Name: “JOE”
Registration: NX63382
BuNo: 88086
Race: #90
Pilot: Thomas Call, Frank P. Whitton

Purchased by Dave Weyler in the summer of 1946, “JOE” became prepped for the '46 Bendix
Trophy race, a cross country event from Van Nuys, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. Weyler hired
Thomas Call to pilot the bird, and a race strategy of heavily leaning the fuel mixture in efforts to
fly non-stop the 2,048 miles to Cleveland. Unfortunately Call was forced to land prematurely in
Toledo, with very dry tanks. By the time he made it to Cleveland he was an hour and a half
behind the winner, Paul Mantz, who flew his P-51C at incredible speeds. Call would finish 15th
out of 23 who started. His average speed was just over 325mph.
In 1947 Weyler again decided to enter “JOE” in the Bendix race, but now hired pilot Frank P.
Whitton, and changed the number to 99. The number 90 would be worn in '47 by Call's slick
black P-51D named “Magic Town”, and flown by Joe DeBona. For the '47 Bendix it is unsure
if Whitton was forced to make any stops. He only managed to get 7th place. His final time was
even slower than Call's the year before. This would be the end of the cross country racing career
of NX63382.After the 'Cleveland era' of air racing, this aircraft made it's way into the hands of
Vought Company, Bridgeport, CT. The 'x' was dropped from civil registration, and it now wore
a red and white paint scheme. Many details on the history of the aircraft are unclear, however it
eventually was sold to none other than Paul Mantz, and was stationed at Orange County. Later
transferred to Tallmantz Aviation/International Flight & Space Museum, Santa Ana, CA, then
to. Jack M. Spanich, Detroit, MI, 1969-1980. Finally, and for the benefit of all, the aircraft was
purchased by Kermit Weeks/Weeks Air Museum, Polk City, FL. This Corsair is currently
undergoing a ground up restoration in Australia, and will be returned to flight worthy.

There's another photo circulating, showing the aircraft in the orange/white, when owned by Paul Mantz, and the photo was taken at Orange County airport.

There are already too many 'blue' Corsairs among us. I believe this particular airplane would bring back much more historical flavor and accuracy if it was again painted as 'Joe'.

- Joseph

[zorro9]

J.T:

Good day!

Tks for the info & data about the other pics & schemes of good old "JOE." I'm with you about seeing it emerging from the deep as "JOE 90" sometime in the future!

p.s Where does the name "JOE" come from may I ask??

[whistlingdeath77]

Photo was probably taken in dallas, tx. Vought moved from Stratford,ct after the war. Looking at the cutlass next to it indicates to me that this is from the plant at Texas. The cutlass was never made in Stratford

[Jerry O'Neill]

By the time the Cleveland Air Races ended, Vought had already made the move fully to Dallas, amazingly in the same plant that used to make Mustangs in WWII! This puts that photo squarely in the Dallas years.
Jerry

[shrike]

"Joe 90" would be an ... interesting ...choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_90

[bdk]

By the time the Cleveland Air Races ended, Vought had already made the move fully to Dallas, amazingly in the same plant that used to make Mustangs in WWII! This puts that photo squarely in the Dallas years.
Jerry

Vought is just moving out of that plant now to a new location a few miles away.

[zorro9]

Jim H:

Good day!

..just out of curiosity what are the Bunos on the ID plates on the wings of "JOE"?

Tks in advance!