Warbird Information Exchange

F4U/APS19 Folks:

Good day!

Does anyone has pics/close-ups about the removal/installation of this radome on a F4U-5N/L aircraft?

Most of all, what's really inside the white radome?? Do the current restored F4U-5N/Ls carry all the parts inside??

The picture included shows it just installed on F4U-45N Buno 124447 at Liberal Kansas Museum c. 2010. BTW, that was a fine restoration job! Photo via AEC.

A radome is an aerodynamic shield around an antenna. Probably some kind of dish type antenna goes inside.

I have some illustrations that are from a manual if that would help.

ACarey:

Good day!

Plz do! If you have the APS 6 type that would be great also. Tks

Source F4U-5N/NL E/M Manual

ECarey:

Good day!

Tks for the info & data. If you have drawings/photos of the APS-19 assembly removal & installation plz post'em also.

Tks for now!

I'll check and see.

A Carey:

Good Day!

Plz post again in higher resolution your pic of F4U-5N (Nite Cats & Corsairs) on bottom pg 137. Do you have other angles of this bird?? Does it show the radome installed on the R/wing? It can be Tail code LK or EK c. 1950s.

Tks in advance!

I have no certain knowledge, but I'd tend to doubt it. If I were operating one of those airplanes today, that thing would make a pretty handy baggage compartment for my suitcase.

I find it interesting that the radar equipment in the fuselage appears to be in the same place as the UHF/VHF & APX/IFF system. Granted I am referencing a FG1D but wouldn't it be similar on the -4/-5?

_________________
Andrew King
Air Museum Director with no Museum to Direct
Open to Suggestions

Radome Folks:

Good day!

One interesting pic about the origins of the AN/APS-19 on F4U Corsairs. They were made of wood as prototypes on the F4U-2 samples. c. May 1942. Photo Vought Corsair via Mark Allen/Wix.






p.s Someone in the CT area may still have it at home. Pretty good design if you ask me about it!! -)

F4U-5N APS19A Story:

The below is from a guestbook entry. It's really interesting to hear from someone


who actually used the APS-19


Very interesting. I used the APS 19 in both the F4U 5N & the F2H 2N. Compared to later intercept radars it was pretty primitive, but it was a good radar. It probable saved me from a night bail out of a Corsair in 1952 because of it's ability to pick up & home in on ground radar beacons. I was in the middle of a nest of large thunderstorms one night in central Georgia and couldn't use any of my normal navigation aids. Frankly I had no idea where I was except somewhere in the southeastern part of the USA. The ground people couldn't pick me up on radar, and all my instruments were going crazy. The only piece of equipment that was usable was my APS 19, and it finally picked up a radar beacon located on the South Carolina coast. I identified the location & headed straight for it, and I finally got out of the thunderstorms so I could continue on with the normal old fashioned A's & N;s airways. I was headed for Atlantic City at the time, and had planned to go nonstop, but with my time in the thunderstorms, and total disorientation, I had to stop in Patuxent River Naval Station & refuel prior to proceeding to Atlantic City.


Cody Sherar

F4U-5N Radome Questions for the New Smyrna Folks in Fla & The Aero-Traders Restorations shop of S. Calf:

1. How did you go about actually restoring the radome & nacelle assy??

2. Did any of your shops receive a partial nacelle/radome from the Hollywood Wings folks in Calif? c. 80s or did you have to start fm scratch??

p.s Pictured below is the fine restoration job done at Aerotraders for Glenn Hyde c. '86 for F4U-5N Buno 124447. It was 1st painted a gull grey scheme then painted again at LIberal Kansas Museum?? The New Smyrna folks did also a fine job. Tks in advance.





The radome detail c. 1986 on Buno 124447. Aero-Traders Calif. Photo via AEC.