Warbird Information Exchange

Just thought some of you in the Northeast might be interested in this Corsair event on Jan. 16 at the New England Air Museum. Might be a nice "Winter WIX" gathering!
Jerry

An ASME Hartford Section Event

Title: Chance-Vought and the F4U Corsair
Date: Saturday, January 16th, 2010 (Snow Date: January 23rd 2010)
Time:10:30 Welcome, museum introduction
10:45 Presentations
I. Carl Stidsen: History of Chance-Vought and the F4U Corsair
II. Dr. Mark Josel: F4U and Naval Flight Experience
11:30 F4U Corsair Walk-around (after presentations)
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Tour museum at your leisure!

Cost: ASME Members and Families $10* per person
Non-Members $15*
ASME Student members: Free*
Lecture only: Free (public invited)
(*Museum admission and lunch included with paid registrations)

Registration: RSVP prior to January 12th 2010
Online at : http://sections.asme.org/Hartford/

or
ASME Telephone Hotline: (860) 722-5005
Dress: Casual
Place: New England Air Museum
36 Perimeter Road
Bradley International Airport
Windsor Locks, CT
Website: http://www.neam.org
Program
The Vought F4U Corsair – an Appreciation
The F4U was a unique aircraft. Conceived in the late 1930’s as the first fighter designed for a 2,000 horsepower engine, and arguably the first 400 MPH-capable US fighter, it had a protracted development period (by pre-war standards) before entering production. However, once in production and despite numerous modifications and model changes, over 11,000 were built by three different manufacturers in just over three years. During WWII, the F4U served with units of the Royal Navy (RN), the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. It enjoyed the longest production run of any US WWII fighter, was the only WWII-era fighter to remain in production following the War, and was the last WWII-era fighter in Squadron service in the US Military. It was still in service – and saw combat - with other countries an astounding 36 years after it had initially entered service! And it was the last Connecticut-built (airframe, engine, and propeller) fighter.
Speakers
Carlton A. Stidsen
Carl joined the New England Air Museum (NEAM) in 1979, and has been a member of the Ramsey Research Library at NEAM since 1998. He was appointed to the position of Research Librarian in 2007, following the passing of the previous Incumbent. Carl has been studying Aviation for over 55 years, and has a private library of over 3,000 aviation-related volumes.
Carl Graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1965, with a Bachelor of Arts in European History, and a specialty in Aviation History. His Bachelor Thesis was on the formation of the Royal Air Force, 1912-1922.
An AFROTC “Distinguished Cadet”, Carl was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in 1965, and while on Active Duty, served as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander (DMCCC), and later Missile Combat Crew Commander (MCCC) in the Titan II ICBM Weapons System at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ. He logged over 8,000 hours underground on Missile Launch Alert Duty during 1965- 1969. One of the Missile sites he served at has been preserved as the Titan Missile Museum, Green Valley, AZ. On many of his off-duty days, he was a volunteer Docent at the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC), i.e. “The Boneyard”, and was one of the first members of the Pima Air Museum. After leaving Active Duty, Carl served in the Air Force Reserve, retiring in 1990 as a Major, USAFR. He has been a member of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) for
42 years, and holds the rank of Lt. Colonel, CAP. He is a rated CAP Command Pilot and is presently the Inspector General of Connecticut Wing, CAP.
Carl has been an FAA-Certified Pilot for 44 years. He has held a Commercial Pilot Certificate since 1979. He has logged some 3,100 flight hours as Pilot in Command, primarily as an Emergency Services Mission Pilot for CAP. He also flew for Connecticut Parachutists, Inc. (CPI) as a Jump Pilot for several years.
Carl is a member of several Historical organizations, including the American Aviation Historical Society, the Association of Air Force Missileers, Friends of the Air Force Museum, the New England Air Museum and the National Air and Space Museum.
Carl is a Designated Certified Safety Professional (Retired), and spent some 28 years in the Industrial Safety/Industrial Hygiene field, working for a number of Companies before retiring in 1998. He has been married to the former Doris M. Anderson for the past 42 years.

Mark Josel, M.D.
Dr. Josel served as a flight surgeon and a Naval aviator during the Korean conflict. He will share his experience serving in VMO6 in Korea and VMF 452 at NAS Atsugi, Japan. He achieved the rank of LCDR, and has time in the F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, SNB Transport, SNJ Trainer, and the 9L Piper Grasshopper. Come and hear stories from his unique experiences, including the one about the F6F Hellcat he crashed during carrier landing qualifications. He currently has an internal medicine practice in Bloomfield, CT.

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."