Fighter Factory FG-1D

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2005 1:53 am

I've been trading a few emails with Jerry Yagen (nice guy BTW) and thought ya'll enjoy this shot he sent me of the cockpit of his FG-1D.

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:45 am

Nice picture. Thanks for sharing.

I am not a pilot. So when I looked at this shot, it gave me the impression that there is alot in that cockpit to keep a pilot busy. So here is is general questions. How did the cockpit of the Corsair compare to other fighters of a similar vintage? Was the Corsair cockpit effiently arranged so a pilot could concentrate on what was going on outside rather than inside? Or was the Corsair a little more work for the pilot?

Mike

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:47 am

One difference is that there's no floorboard until the -4 version. You drop it and it's gone. I've told one very bad thing that the handles for the CO2 system to blow the gear down is next to the one that fills the fuel system before combat. One VF-17 pilot was KIA when he blew his gear down by accident just before a combat with Zeros.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:19 pm

The Corsair's original instrument panel was not arranged very logically which made it a little more work for an unaccustomed pilot to glance down and quickly locate what he was looking for.

The panel in the above photo has been completely reengineered to resemble a more modern setup. It's also one of the few times I've seen the radios stacked as part of the panel rather than being integrated as part of the right side console.

Like any plane, I suppose once you get a feel for where everything is, it all becomes second nature. If you compare the placement of the early Corsair's instruments to that of say a Mustang, you'll see the difference in mindset between the various manufacturers.

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Fighter Factory FG-1D

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