Need help with Corsair ID.

RareBear · **Posted:** Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:42 pm

I visited the airport in Cheraw, SC, Friday, and in a hangar saw a Corsair, in overall natural metal finish, in sections. There did not appear to be any visible damage to any of the sections. Couldn't get any info on the aircraft. Does anyone know this aircraft, and know ID, Bu #, N-number, etc.?

Walt

RareBear · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:58 pm

Has no one heard of this Corsair?

Walt

RareBear · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:03 pm

I'm going to pass this in front of the group one more time, and then I'll leave it alone.

Walt

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:46 pm

RareBear wrote:

I'm going to pass this in front of the group one more time, and then I'll leave it alone.

Walt

Don't give up yet. Give it a couple more days - just bump it every once in a while. There are some of the folks on here who don't always check in every single day.

Ryan

retroaviation · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:15 pm

RyanShort1 wrote:

......There are some of the folks on here who don't always check in every single day.

Ryan

What?!?

What the heck is their problem??? :lol:

Gary

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:22 pm

retroaviation wrote:

RyanShort1 wrote:

......There are some of the folks on here who don't always check in every single day.

Ryan

What?!?

What the heck is their problem??? :lol:

Gary

I don't know. I think I heard someone else say something about being normal... I wish I didn't check in quite so often.

Ryan

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:44 pm

Wasn't the late Joe Tobul based around that part of the country?

T J

RareBear · **Posted:** Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:50 pm

Bump.

RareBear · **Posted:** Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:46 pm

Bump.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:46 pm

This one belongs to Barry Avent and it's FG-1D BuNo.88090. This is an important plane because it's one of only three surviving WWII-era Royal New Zealand Air Force Corsairs. The previous owner Ross Jowitt bought it directly from the salvage man in 1974 and has had it stored inside his hangar ever since. It's never been converted for civilian use so it's an extremely unique piece of kit. It was for sale for quite a few years before Avent brought it back to the States. I imagine very few people know about this one.

Here's how it looked for over 30 years inside Ross' quonset hangar in Wanaka...

RMAllnutt · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:09 pm

Rob Mears wrote:

This one belongs to Barry Avent and it's FG-1D BuNo.88090. This is an important plane because it's one of only three surviving WWII-era Royal New Zealand Air Force Corsairs. The previous owner Ross Jowitt bought it directly from the salvage man in 1974 and has had it stored inside his hangar ever since. It's never been converted for civilian use so it's an extremely unique piece of kit. It was for sale for quite a few years before Avent brought it back to the States. I imagine very few people know about this one.

Here's how it looked for over 30 years inside Ross' quonset hangar in Wanaka...

Hey Rob! Wow! I was under the impression that Ross couldn't get any export permits. When did this happen? Brilliant news if it's this aircraft!

Cheers,
Richard

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:09 pm

It looks to be 88090 for sure according to the airport manager there. Hoping to talk to Barry shortly to straighten out the details. His other "unidentified" F4U project came into the States back in 2002 as well.

BTW, the new owner's father is Henry E. "Bobby" Avent who apparently was a pilot with the Flying Tigers in the 14th Air Force during WWII.

RMAllnutt · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:56 pm

Rob Mears wrote:

It looks to be 88090 for sure according to the airport manager there. Hoping to talk to Barry shortly to straighten out the details. His other "unidentified" F4U project came into the States back in 2002 as well.

BTW, the new owner's father is Henry E. "Bobby" Avent who apparently was a pilot with the Flying Tigers in the 14th Air Force during WWII.

Curiouser and curiouser! Any idea about the non-id'd one?

Cheers,
Richard

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:19 pm

The other plane is the same one Jowitt was marketing all throughout the 1990's as "BuNo.50000". I had actually worked with him for some time around 1991-92 to try and identify the center section by cross referencing 'VS' (Vought Sikorsky) and 'WO' (Willis Overland) numbers found on the center section. In the end we weren't able to cross reference them with a Bureau Number, so it was a deadend.

He did have bits and parts from at least three different ex-RNZAF Corsairs that he had found scattered all over New Zealand and beyond, and those pieces included at least one marked component from the real BuNo.50000. I suppose that was the most identifiable piece he could find, so he used that to signify the plane's ID. My best guess is that it's in fact an F4U-1A center section.

RareBear · **Posted:** Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:34 pm

That's about what it looks like now, when I was there in April.

I found out about the owner a few days ago, and hadn't had time to put the info together for a post. I believe Barry Avent is the local Pepsi distributor in the area.

Walt

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