Interesting F4U Corsairs!

[Snake45]

Back in the '90s (or maybe even the '80s), I was researching F4U-4s and discovered that the last 150 or so F4U-4Bs and Ps, which were built in 1947 and came down the line immediately ahead of the -5s (there might have even been some overlap), were built with the -5 (and subsequent) type raised canopy and "hump" on the fuselage. (This wasn't widely known at the time--I had NEVER seen it mentioned in any book, and only discovered it myself by looking at photos.) I started wondering if maybe those -4s had also been built with the later all-metal wings instead of the fabric panels, too. I had to look at a LOT of photos under an Optivisor before I found a few that told me that those late -4s did have the same fabric wings as all other -4s.

Later, I had the opportunity to photograph the outer wing panels on the late Joe Tobul's -4 to see what those panels really looked like. As you can see, there is virtually none of the "oil-canning" represented on many Corsair model kits, just a series of subtle lines where the ribs are. This is how I build my Corsair models now (-1 through -4s).

[zorro9]

S45:

Good day!

Interesting details of the CT Assy line! Will you plz post a pic of the F4U-4s with he "hump" at the aft canopy??

Tks

[Snake45]

S45:

Good day!

Interesting details of the CT Assy line! Will you plz post a pic of the F4U-4s with he "hump" at the aft canopy??

Tks

Here's a couple to get you started from right here at WIX. Once you know what you're looking for, you can find lots of them. BTW, any F4U-4B or -P with a BuNo starting with 6 has it.

[Marauderman26]

...do someone has more details about this F4U? Place Buno?? Photo via NARA.



p.s Tks in advance

Looks like a pretty standard, mill-run mid-production F4U-4.

I noticed in quoting the picture that it's tagged as an F4U-7, but it's not, it's a -4.

Ok, I may be way off here but is this not the Corsair out in front of the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico prior to the new building?

Sure looks like it (the building, Tank etc)

[zorro9]

S45/M26:

They sure do have a hump at the aft canopy area! Any idea of the switch/design of the "hump" on the -5s & now -4s??

p.s The "898" pic looks like a MCAS base. Poss Quantico area with old hangars. The Bunos shows this sample as F4U-1D type. Do you see an antenna missing before the V/stab area??

Last edited by zorro9 on Mon May 26, 2014 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Snake45]

They sure do have a hump at the aft canopy area! Any idea of the switch/design of the "hump" on the -5s & now -4s??

Yes, I do. For years I only had it pinned down within 10 BuNos (IIRC they were in the 97XXX range, and then ALL the 6XXXX airplanes had it), and then within the last six months a friend of mine uncovered the production/tech documents that had the exact BuNo changeover point. He sent me the document along with a LOT of other stuff--will take me a while to look through the HD to find it but if you're really interested, I can look for it.

BTW, if you didn't know this, the 6XXXX -4B/-4P Corsairs were the LAST -4s built, in 1946-47. Yes, they have BuNos thousands lower than any other -4 Corsairs, including the very first ones. They were obviously built using BuNos from some cancelled WWII contract but I've never been able to find out whose. My theory is there was some sort of postwar funding finagling going on--they had the money to build the airplanes (obviously, since they were built), but didn't have the go-ahead to procure any "new" -4s. New BuNos in sequence would have drawn attention so they just used some "old" cancelled Bu numbers. IIRC there were 143 or 144 or something like that of these. The -5s followed immediately down the line, starting in 1947. (The last -4s and first -5s might have even been on the line together, I don't know.) At least, that's my theory, and no one so far has come up with any other explanation, official or not.

Been a decade or more since I did all this research so this is all off the top of my head. I'll see if I can track down the exact BuNos and quantities if you're interested.

ETA: Just did a quick look on the Baugher list. First of the 6-series -4Bs was 62915 and the last was 63071. I'll see if I can find the rest.

Last edited by Snake45 on Mon May 26, 2014 5:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Marauderman26]

S45/M26:

They sure do have a hump at the aft canopy area! Any idea of the switch/design of the "hump" on the -5s & now -4s??

p.s The "898" pic looks like a MCAS base. Poss Quantico area with old hangars. The Bunos shows this sample as F4U-1D type. Do you an antenna missing before the V/stab area??

I need to dig but I have a couple of pictures of the Corsair out in front of the "shed" that was once the "Air" museum on base (Quantico). If memory serves a PBJ also was out front.
Inside was an SBD, A6M5 and a TBM in the back.

Anyone else remember this?

[zorro9]

M26/S45:

Tks for the info & data for now. Plz look for any other angles of "898" or others at Quantico if possible. The previous pic may be a factory fresh Buno 57898!

p.s There were lots of activity during the final days at the CT assy line while building the -5s & AU-1s & AU-7s. Some F4U-5s for instance were not finished at the Vought factory & were sent disassembled to O/R bases for temp storage i.e Jax NAS, Quonset PT NAs .

Last edited by zorro9 on Mon May 26, 2014 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Snake45]

The previous pic may be a factory fresh Buno 57898!

I doubt it. 57898 was a F4U-1D, not a mid-production (flat windscreen) -4.

[zorro9]

S45:

..I'm sure Mike can help us with a close-up of the V/stab.

p.s What was the purpose/design of the little "hump" aft of the canopy may I ask??

[Snake45]

p.s What was the purpose/design of the little "hump" aft of the canopy may I ask??[/color]

I believe the pilot's seat was raised a few inches for better visibility. If you look at the late model canopy, you can see that it doesn't drop down in the back as much as the -4 and earlier ones did. The fuselage hump was just to fair the taller, flatter canopy into the fuselage. I'm pretty sure there was no special equipment in there or anything of that nature.

BTW, the raised canopy/fuselage hump started on F4U-4B BuNo 97152. All hump-back -4s were -4Bs or 4x20mm-armed -4Ps, no 6x.50s, with the exception of one converted -4 prototype.

ETA: Stand fast on that 97152 number. It doesn't seem right and I'm attempting to confirm with my source.

[Snake45]

BTW, the raised canopy/fuselage hump started on F4U-4B BuNo 97152. All hump-back -4s were -4Bs or 4x20mm-armed -4Ps, no 6x.50s, with the exception of one converted -4 prototype.

ETA: Stand fast on that 97152 number. It doesn't seem right and I'm attempting to confirm with my source.

I was right, that didn't sound right . The changeover point was 97512, not 152.

[Snake45]

Here’s another Corsair mystery. While looking for something else in F4U-4/-4Bs BuNos in the Joe Baugher list, I came across the following notes:

97363 to French Navy. Noted dumped at Cuers AB late 1960s
97376 to French Navy. Noted dumped at Cuers AB late 1960s
97378 to French Navy. Noted dumped at Cuers AB late 1960s

97393 to French Navy. Noted dumped at Cuers AB late 1960s
97417 to French Navy. Noted dumped at Cuers AB late 1960s

The first three are -4s, the last two are -4Bs. I’ve never seen any evidence that the French ever operated anything but AU-1s and their own F4U-7s. Only explanation I can think of (assuming these notes are true/accurate) is that at some point, USN gave French Navy these -4 Corsairs for spare parts. Any other ideas?

[zorro9]

S45:

Good Day!

Tks again for the info & data on the canopy "hump' F4Us. On another subject:

p.s Do you have any data/info or any USMC POC on the VMF-111 "100 missions Corsair" #122?? This F4U made it back to Vought CT plant c. 1946 but then just disappeared. Any poss idea of its whereabouts?? Smithsonian Storage maybe??.. Poss Buno 17813 for now!

Last edited by zorro9 on Tue May 27, 2014 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[red two]

Question for the Corsair guru's. Could the Corsair cope well in the ETO? How would it compare to the Bf-109G? FW-190a8? FW-190D9? I know that a lot of the fighting was at higher altitude, but could she be suited for that type of combat scenario?