Its gull-wing shape made it instantly recognizable. Its characteristic sound while in an attack dive led the Japanese to call it "The Whistling Death." Combined with its high speed, agility and toughness, the Vought F4U Corsair was one of the finest fighters ever built. Originally thought to be too powerful to fly from a carrier, the Corsair weaved a path of destruction in battle after battle during WWII, totally outclassing the much-feared Zero. The last of the great piston-engine fighters, the Corsair went on to become an important component of the US naval air power during the Korean War. Even while it was being replaced by jet aircraft, pilots flying this tough warbird were credited with downing a few MiG-15 jet fighters.

In part because of its advances in technology and a top speed greater than existing Navy aircraft, numerous technical problems had to be solved before the Corsair entered service. Carrier suitability was a major development issue, prompting changes to the main landing gear, tail wheel, and tail hook. Early F4U-1s had difficulty recovering from developed spins, since the inverted gull wing's shape interfered with elevator authority. It was also found where the Corsair's left wing could stall and drop rapidly and without warning during slow carrier landings. In addition, if the throttle were suddenly advanced (for example, during an aborted landing) the left wing could stall and drop so quickly that the fighter could flip over with the rapid increase in power. These potentially lethal characteristics were later solved through the addition of a small, 6 in (150 mm)-long stall strip to the leading edge of the outer right wing, just outboard of the gun ports. This allowed the right wing to stall at the same time as the left.

Other problems were encountered during early carrier trials. The combination of an aft cockpit and the Corsair's long nose made landings hazardous for newly trained pilots. During landing approaches, it was found that oil from the opened hydraulically-powered cowl flaps could spatter onto the windscreen, severely reducing visibility, and the undercarriage oleo struts had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce down the carrier deck. The first problem was solved by locking the top cowl flaps in front of the windscreen down permanently, then replacing them with a fixed panel. The undercarriage bounce took more time to solve, but eventually a "bleed valve" incorporated in the legs allowed the hydraulic pressure to be released gradually as the aircraft landed. The Corsair was not considered fit for carrier use until the wing stall problems and the deck bounce could be solved.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a RAF Chance-Vought F4U Corsair fighter that was flown by Sub Lt Donald J Sheppard, then embarked upon the HMS Victorious (R38) . Pre-order! Ship Date: 2025.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-3/4-inches
Length: 5-1/2-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Sheppard's Pie" - Applying to join the Fleet Air Arm at just 18 years old, Canadian pilot Donald Sheppard made his first operational sorties in support of Britain's attempts to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz at the end of March 1944. He was aboard his home carrier HMS Victorious as she later traded the icy waters of the North Sea for a new assignment in the Far East, where the Indian Ocean saw Sheppard develop from a talented novice pilot into an air ace, one of only two Canadian Navy aces and the Fleet Air Arm's only Corsair ace of the Second World War.

During a hectic period of combat flying in the Indian Ocean, Sheppard was credited with at least four aerial victories, plus a couple more claimed as damaged, shared or probable. One of these victories saw him engaged in a lengthy combat with a Japanese fighter, which saw him giving chase to the enemy aircraft for over 20 miles at 20,000 feet. Once in shooting range, he fired on the enemy aircraft which almost immediately exploded in a ball of flame. However, Sheppard was flying so fast that he didn't have time to take evasive action and his Corsair flew through the flaming debris, burning his aircraft's tail and elevators. Thankfully, he managed to nurse his fighter back to HMS Victorious without further incident.