We can't let Doug J have all the fun here, I'll throw a few cents worth in the discussion.
I have flown the -4, -5, & F-2G. The -4 and -5 are nearly identical, and the F-2G is a different animal.
The Super has a huge propellor with very little ground clearance and the prop low pitch stops are set very low. Because of the ground clearance, I land the Super in a very tail low attitude (read blind), and when the tail is low and throttle is closed with the flaps down, this combination blanks out the tail. There is a short period when you feel more like a passenger than a pilot. This would not be so bad were it not for the brakes. The brake chambers on the wheels are very large and it takes lots of pedal travel to snub up the brakes. When you are doing this in a hurry because the airplane is headed for the plowing, when the chamber fills up the brakes come on quickly. This can be the beginnings of a snake dance......
Bob O. lands the airplane on the wheels and then retracts the flaps to let some air over the tail and rush the tail down before the struts collapse, but I am not that brave. On the way to Reno 2 yrs ago the airplane tried to bite me at Elko NV. Gusty winds, one runway and some mechanical turbulence made for some fancy footwork.
T/O in the Super is a breeze. You have to put the flaps down to 30 deg get the Aux rudder deployed and with flaps 30, you pull the stick back, push the noise lever forward and before you could reach the edge of the runway, you're flying! Raise the gear and Flaps and pull the power back before you run out of fuel. I don't remember the T/O fuel flow, but it is a huge number. Bob O. does Wheel T/O too, but again, I'm a chicken $h1t.
The "normal" Corsairs have the same brakes and so they present the same challenge, but the rudder is much more effective through the landing in them. Wheel landings in the Corsairs are wonderful and uneventful. 3-points work fine too, but the visibility and the long struts that collapse like a whoopie cushion make nearly every wheel landing a greaser are so much more fun I seldom 3-point.
T/O in the normal Corsair is way different than in the Super and while most people don't use them, some flap make them easier. The flaps preselect on the Corsair (not sure about the FG-1D) only controls one flap and they are not mechanically interconnected. Selecting Flaps 10 can give you 10 deg on one side and anywhere from nothing to 50 on the other. This alarms wingman when you are waiting for T/O with a big split flap condition. As soon as the power comes up they balance hydraulically and you are good to go. Using Flaps brings the tail up quickly and shortens ground run dramatically. Directional control on T/O is no problem in the Corsair, unlike the Mustang where raising the tail early can mean a trip to the weeds. Without flaps you drive along ways with the tail down and no visibility. While I don't need to see on T/O, I like it.
I wrote an article a while back for Kitplanes that compared the Corsair to the RV-4. The similarities are remarkable. They both share a 23000 series airfoil. Great visibility in flight and marginal on the ground. Feather light flight controls. Very little stall warning with a clean break. Both airplanes will make you feel like a better pilot than you are.
In that article I also compared the Corsair to the -90 King Air. It too shares the 23000 series airfoil and has a similar weight and wing area, The Corsair has the stable and secure feel of the King Air, with twice as much horsepower and the RV's control forces and manuverability.
With the exception of landing the Super, and getting used to the brakes, I believe the Corsairs are pretty easy to fly. The rudder forces at high power are heavy but manageable. In any other regime, all controls are feather light.
Gerry Beck's -4 was the first fighter that I flew. When I landed, after everyone had congratulated me, I went inside and Beck asked what I thought about it. I told him it was really cool, but the flying was "no big deal."
He said, "If it was a big deal, you shouldn't be flying it."
Wise Words
Tailwinds,
Doug Rozendaal
from Balmy North Iowa, -18 deg F tonite Burrrrrr!
Last edited by
DougR on Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:31 am, edited 1 time in total.