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History of the Chance Vought F4U Corsair pg. 2 |
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History of the Chance Vought F4U Corsair pg. 2 |
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XF4U-1 |
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In early 1938 the USN distributed the requirements for a new ship-based fighter. Two proposals were conceived within Vought, the first, proposal V-166A, incorporated the P&W R-1340 radial engine. The second, proposal V-166B, was submitted to the Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) on April 8, 1938. Designated XF4U-1 by the USN, it described an all-metal low-wing fighter capable of speeds over 400mph, designed around the new 1800hp experimental P&W XR-2800-2 radial engine with a two-stage, two-speed supercharger. The aircraft was fitted with a 3-bladed 13ft 4in diameter propeller. The carburetor air, supercharger intercooler, and oil cooler air inlets were at the leading edge of the stub wings thus eliminating a separate drag producing scoop for each. The XF4U-1 was armed with a single .50 cal machine gun in each wing outward of the wing folding mechanism and a .30 cal and a .50 cal in the engine cowling firing through the upper propeller arc. The BuAer awarded Vought contract number 61544 for a single prototype XF4U-1 on June 11, 1938 The XF4U-1 was assigned BuNo. 1443. |
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F4U-1 final assembly |
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On April 18, 1941, Vought was given a second contract to build an additional 584 F4U-1s. The production F4U-1, Vought model V317, differed from the XF4U-1 in a number of ways. First, the engine was changed to the uprated P&W R-2800-8radial engine, which used a manual starter cartridge system. The cockpit was moved almost 3ft aft because the fuel tanks were moved from the XF4U-1's original placement in the wings to the F4U-1's large 237gal fuselage fuel tank, which was placed ahead of the cockpit and behind the engine accessory compartment. The armament was changed from the XF4U-1's to six .50cal machine guns, three in each outer wing panel. The F4U-1 featured armor plating in the cockpit and around the oil tank and a bulletproof windscreen. |
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F3A-1 |
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The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation joined the F4U-1 production team on 1 Nov 41. Brewster built a version of the F4U-1 with the designation of F3A-1 that was identical to its predecessor and maintained a high degree of interchangeability. In all Brewster would construct 735 Corsairs at its Johnsville, PA factory before being forced out of business by the USN. More than one-half of Brewster's production was delivered to the Royal Navy (RN) Fleet Air Arm(FAA). |
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Goodyear FG-1s |
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In Dec 41, Goodyear Aircraft Corporation was brought to the Corsair team. During the was years, Goodyear would construct 35 percent of all Corsairs at their Akron, OH facility. F4U-1s built by Goodyear were designated FG-1s. |
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Vought's Stratford assembly plant |
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Test pilot Boone T. Guyton flew the first production F4U-1 on 25 Jun 42. It produced a top speed of 415mph, a sea-level rate of climb of 3,120fpm, and a service ceiling of 37,000ft. BuNo. 02156, the fourth production F4U-1, was the first production Corsair delivered to the USN-at NAS New York on 15 Aug 42. |
