Two-Seater Corsairs

[Fairfax Ghost]

I was told that the F2G does have a back seat. the roll bar and rear deck area can be removed with much work. Would n't that be fun??

[Stoney]

The ones I've seen, the pilot had to get out first, that don't look safe to me, plus no stick.

[6trn4brn]

Kinda funny (to me only, maybe). I sat and talked to Mr Odegaard for the better part of an hour at Cleveland a few years back (two North Dakota boys chit-chatting ). I noticed that he had a camera mounted behind the pilot's seat on what appeared to be a rotating pedestal. Upon seeing that, I told him that it would be much better to have a person sitting back there running that camera for him when he did the "race" passes and I knew a guy who was perfect for the "job" Almost talked him into it...almost Heckuva nice guy that Mr Odegaard!!!

[famvburg]

I don't know if it's one already mentioned, but the F4U-1 or FG-1 that Junior Burchinal had back in the late '70s had a back seat. He stopped here at VKS for fuel in the Summer of '78. It was a pretty crude mod with I think only one side of the fuselage cut away with a piece of floppy Plexi that folded down & latched. I think it only had a seat & flight & engine controls in the back.

[Chad Veich]

I don't know if it's one already mentioned, but the F4U-1 or FG-1 that Junior Burchinal had back in the late '70s had a back seat. He stopped here at VKS for fuel in the Summer of '78. It was a pretty crude mod with I think only one side of the fuselage cut away with a piece of floppy Plexi that folded down & latched. I think it only had a seat & flight & engine controls in the back.

Although many restored Corsairs fly with a second seat I think Junior's was the only one that was dual control.

[Towpilot]

I don't know if it's one already mentioned, but the F4U-1 or FG-1 that Junior Burchinal had back in the late '70s had a back seat. He stopped here at VKS for fuel in the Summer of '78. It was a pretty crude mod with I think only one side of the fuselage cut away with a piece of floppy Plexi that folded down & latched. I think it only had a seat & flight & engine controls in the back.

Although many restored Corsairs fly with a second seat I think Junior's was the only one that was dual control.

Is that the one that eventually was destroyed in a hangar fire?

[astixjr]

Evergreen's (ex-Pardue) has a back seat. I sat back there for some low passes at King Field in 90 or 91. I thought it might be my one and only chance to ride in a Corsair and since one of the Sanders boys was flying it, I felt safe. He did a great job and it was fun but I would never do it again. It's just not a safe way to travel. As we touched down, one of the racing P-51s that was landing behind us got caught in the wake of Cottonmouth's (R-3350 Sea Fury) who had touched down just in front of him. Nobody was hurt but the -51 departed the runway and was damaged. After that, I decided not to fly in "death trap" jumpseats anymore.

[jaybird]

Yes, there's a jump seat in #57 (peek behind the pilot's seat)

[Shay]

Here's this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVMZHOmdg40&mode=related&search=

Shay
_____________
Semper Fortis

[mgeorge51]

I do not have a back seat in my -5 and I feel it is a bad idea.
First, there is absolutely no way out if there is a need to get out quickly.
Second, you have to cut out the rollover structure to get access for the back seat passenger.
Third, the production break is right behind the pilot. If you see the natural break up of a Corsair in an accident you will notice that the aircraft breaks up almost everytime at that spot. The rear seat passenger would be subjected to all of the accident forces with no protection whatsoever.

As Al has said there may be several reasons to get out quickly besides an engine failure.

If you decide to go for a ride in the back seat just be sure you understand the consequences of an accident

Much safer in a Mustang, Spitfire, Sea Fury etc.

[F4U-7]

Two seat Corsairs.....not as much fun as you might expect.

Bob Guilford's Blue Max had a jump seat (unfortunately, in the airplanes demise) installed at Unlimited in Chino back in '83. My recollection of riding back there is of claustrophobia to an extreme, hot w/ little ventilation, limited visibility, a rudimentary seat that offered no adjustment and ingress/egress via the access door to the rear fuselage. There was also an ax attached to the door so you could hack your way out !!!

In '85 Bob was flying off to an airshow with a lady friend in the back. After taking off from SMO, the attachment bolt between the hydraulic actuator and the landing gear sheared off leaving one of the legs dangling. Not good, especially w/ a passenger in the back. Belly landing, while an option, could have made it difficult to get the passenger out of the back quickly. Having plenty of gas, he headed off to Chino to sort things out. The tower called Gordon Beeson over at Unlimited, he got a hold of Steve Hinton at the museum and Steve hopped into a '51 to get airborne and investigate from close proximity. After much maneuvering, including negative G's and extreme yawing...and hoping...the gear swung forward and locked fully down. Landing was uneventful and he taxied up to Unlimited and shut down. The gal in the back made a B-line for the bathroom at the shop and 20 minutes later, a taxi came and picked her up. That was the last we saw of her....

Bob got Blue Max fixed rather quickly. A new girlfriend took a little more time.

[marine air]

Many years ago I got a ride in the back of the F4U-4 that was owned and flown by Howard Pardue. He asked me several times "YOu aren't going to get sick on me are you", "Everyone does" . It was an a.m. flight and he was going to practice his routine that he was doing that afternoon at the Oshkosh airshow.
They told me that the smoke gets in the rear cockpit area particularly when he uses the smoke oil. The flight was about an hour. He got bounced by some Mustangs doing a photo flight and Dr. Bill Harrison in a blue Skyraider. The back seat was hot and smoky during the aerobatics. I had assured him that I wouldn't get sick and kept my word but I was kinda glad to get on the ground.
His seat , IIRC had two clecos pins like a Cavalier Mustang that you pull and it would lean forward. He didn't have a headrest.
The only thing I could see during the flight from the back seat was his helmet and the outermost area of the wingtips. YOu could see a little more by looking at the cockpit mirrors. I got some great photos by holding the camera over his shoulder, and really appreciated that he gave me the chance to go up.

[famvburg]

Almost forgot. Not that it's what you're after, but Vought did have a 2 seat prototype late WWII or maybe even early Post WWII. It was a true 2 seat trainer proposed. A couple of the better Corsair books have pics of it. Best I recall, the canopies make me think of those on T-34s.

Anyone know of any Corsairs modified with a back seat added?

I remember years ago at a south west indiana airshow seeing one with heavly tinted windows aft of the canopy.

Anyone have pictures of this?


Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[RATMANUSN]

Marines Dream (Tom Duffy's) Corsair has a jump seat as well as the Corsair at Indiane Military Aviation Museum in Valparasio (sp?) Indiana. I spoke with someone connected with the Indiane Military Aviation Museum who said he preferred riding the jump seat in the Cosair than in the 2 seat Mustang that they have. I believe it was Mr Duffy's F4U that the dark windows behind the cockpit can be easily punched out from the inside in an emergency.

The Indiana Museum used to sell a ride in the F4U or the P51 for $1000 but when I went to the web site just now those 2 are no longer on the list of planes to buy a ride on. Just the same, the web site is:
http://www.in-am.org/

RATMAN

[mustangpilot]

Where is Brad? Who is your Daddy? Brad was the last man to ever ride as a passenger in my Corsair. I seem to remember a certain picture after that flight???????