This a test post of some old photos taken before the digital age. I lit up the interior of the cowling with a flash so I could see the detail better in the photo.

You would have to hold a gun to my head to get me back in a round engine Ag plane but oh what I would do to fly one of those!!

Guy flies an A1 low and fast banked over my office every few months. The sound is surreal.

I love to hear them started.
When I first got out of college I lived near an airport. Several times I heard the distinctive radial growl and ran out side to see a F4F Wildcat pass over.

...big radials do indeed "Growl"
The F4U had an R-2800
The A1 a R-3350
The F4F a R-1820

All of which turn old dead fossils into wonderful noise!

Couple Cessna 195's here too that fly low enough for me to see the pilots face.

Another view of the checkered nose #13 chick magnet. The lady walked up as I was about to take the photo. When she saw me with the camera she posed like she knew who I was.

Can you imagine being one of the younger 18 to 20 year old pilots that rode one of these 2000 HP monsters into the blue....400 mph and 6 .50 cal BMGs driven by a teenager with someone else paying for the gas and ammo.

I've got thousands of hours behind round engines mostly doing ag work and always wanted to fly a F4U but never got the chance. So, I just have to settle for the erection I get when I see one fly.........

Had a Sunday School teacher once that flew one of these things as a 19 YO Ensign, and he had some really good stories -'Yarns', as he called them - about flying them. How it would kill you on take off if you inadvertently poured it on the big old radial would roll the A/C over and you would crash. Hard to believe that sort of power waiting for you to turn it on. He also said it never stopped amazing him how it would literally ‘stop’ when he pulled the triggers for all those big fifties, and just what damage they would do, chewing up anything he pointed them at. Also, I think this thing flew - at least, in tests, with the R2800, the R3350 and the R4360 [F2G-2 'Super Corsair'?]!
My own personal experience with the F4 was this being the only A/C we could not have shot down with a missile, circa 1963 or so! The French were still flying them and the pilots had an attack technique wherein they would come over the horizon very low - I mean, right on the water - and fly up the wake of the ship, only pulling up to clear the superstructure. We could not pick them out of the sea return enough to get range lock and resolution for the shot. Now, the 5"/38’s would have made hash out of him but I always wondered if they could have done so soon enough? I'm just glad we were not fighting them!

If you look at enough photos you will eventually find a carrier take off of an F4U and the rudder is full left.

Is this the same A/C as in your photos?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW4t-03_2Y&feature=related

Can't see enough of the numbers to be sure?

...Not the same A/C. Look closly, the u-tube version has a four blade prop.

Mine is marked 13.

quote:

Originally posted by ireload2:
If you look at enough photos you will eventually find a carrier take off of an F4U and the rudder is full left.

Should be right rudder I reckon.

F4U training film

Long, but enjoyable! Nice to see these old films still around!

quote:

Originally posted by tsibindi:
...big radials do indeed "Growl"
The F4U had an R-2800
The A1 a R-3350
The F4F a R-1820

All of which turn old dead fossils into wonderful noise!

A sweeter sound was never created. And the F6F had a 2800, as well.

1830's, 2000's and 985's are why I wear two high-tech hearing aids.

Years ago, buddy of mine bought me a CD of round engine sounds. When I'm in a sentimental mood, I pull it out and crank it up.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:

quote:

Originally posted by ireload2:
If you look at enough photos you will eventually find a carrier take off of an F4U and the rudder is full left.

Should be right rudder I reckon.

Yep.

OK, here tis - sure looks 'cranked over' to me!

Caprion says: "F4U starting takeoff roll."

And here she is airborne!




Thanks to Adam Lewis, whomever he may be - 'Good Job!'

Note the prop contrails...and the photos are of two different F4Us

I can't figure out what carrier that is?
The CV-7 Wasp was sunk in 1942.

...my guess is, CV-37 "PRINCETON" Corsairs flew from this carrier during the Korean War.

quote:

Originally posted by tsibindi:
...my guess is, CV-37 "PRINCETON" Corsairs flew from this carrier during the Korean War.

Sharp, sharp eyes - but you're wrong!
The carrier is the USS Gilbert Islands [CVE-107] and the photos were shot in 1953. Supposedly, these carriers were too short at 557' for the F4U to get airborne with engine power alone so every launch was a cat shot and another adventure. And they are pics of two different aircraft, tail IDs are R42 and R54, , I do not know what squadron they are from.

quote:

Originally posted by TrapperP:

quote:

Originally posted by tsibindi:
...my guess is, CV-37 "PRINCETON" Corsairs flew from this carrier during the Korean War.

Sharp, sharp eyes - but you're wrong!
The carrier is the USS Gilbert Islands [CVE-107] and the photos were shot in 1953. Supposedly, these carriers were too short at 557' for the F4U to get airborne with engine power alone so every launch was a cat shot and another adventure. And they are pics of two different aircraft, tail IDs are R42 and R54, , I do not know what squadron they are from.

But there doe not appear to be a catapult track?

I jut gotta say that damn those are some big flaps in that second picture!

Here is a better pic of the forward elevator and the catapult track:



Better pic of the approach end of the deck: