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I'm not totally sure how to post photos on this site, but if someone will send me their email address, I could email THEM some newer photos of the V-173...F4U...Pirate, etc. that I took a couple of weeks ago while visiting the retiree restoration area.
The V-173 is in MUCH better shape than when I visited it at the Garber facility of the NASM a few years ago, when all the fabric covering was in HORRIBLE condition, and was literally hanging off the airframe.
I have new photos of all the restored parts, airframe. even the engines, if anybody is interested. Believe it or not, this huge aircraft was powered by just two Continental 80hp engines!!! Talk about underpowered...but it flew!
The current plan is NOT to send it back to the NASM, but to put it on display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas-Love, for an indefinite
period. That also is a really nice museum, if you'd like photos of that, too. That museum has a brand-new hanger...a few of the Vought-restored airframes...plus the only remaining and ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE SR-71 simulator WITH RSO cockpit sim next to it! They hope to shortly have it up and running, and it is gorgeous!!
Yes, the Corsair uses at least 7 different types in it's rebuild, including the left wing of the Corsair Ladd Doctor flew into the Bearcats sitting on the runway at Oshkosh a few years ago. Not much was left, but they did a decent job of making it all look pretty good. Yes, the cowling is from an FG-1D...yes, the left wing is mostly fiberglass...and yes, it's really hard to say what type of Corsair it really is, but HEY! It's a static, and they did a pretty decent job of putting something together for a museum that would LOVE to have a full-sized Corsair, but can't afford one!
The F6U Pirate is also coming along nicely, especially for what they began with. The cockpit is virtually gutted, and they had no wings with it.
It came from that gunnery range, but even so they don't seem to have gotten all the parts from there, which included some of the wing, and a second cockpit section.
Again, email if you want any new photos.
Dan S.
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