Corsair on display at Wings Over the Rockies?

famvburg · **Joined:** Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:41 am **Posts:** 540

I saw these pics at another forum, then went to their site, but there's no info about this specific Corsair. It looks like a racer or intended as one, but I don't recall ever seeing it, not that I'm an expert or anything, but there are or were so few racing Corsairs, I figure I'd have seen it. Anyone know anything? Thanks. http://www.wingsmuseum.org/exhibit_corsair.asp

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:35 pm

I think that plane sat for years at BJC now Metro airport in nw Denver. I think it belonged to a man who owned either the hngar or an avionics shop there. I never saw it fly. He was a large guy, may have had a problem with his knee or leg, I think, can't recall his name.

For years there was an Mustang, rough , but intact that sat outside, never flew and the owner a Frontier ? pilot just let it decay, would neither fix it or sell it. Finally it disappeared.

I virtually never go to Wings Over Rockies. They have some nice stuff,but it is all dead and silent,despite the runways there on site. It is like seeing an eagle in a cage or a whales washed up on the beach.

mike furline · **Joined:** Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm **Posts:** 2632

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 92050.html

corsair166b · **Posted:** Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:57 pm

Wait till the newly revised and updated www.F4UCorsair.com website gets up and running again, we'll have all the relevant info on it you would need, complete with photos...or check it now for the old version...but a major overhaul of the site is underway and we'll have plenty of photos of it and all other Corsairs....if you check it now, look under 'living legends' for the current (read old) version...

Mark

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

Did we ever settle the debate over whether this aircraft has an R-2800 or a Wright R-3350 presently installed?

corsair166b · **Posted:** Tue Sep 21, 2010 3:18 pm

Reviewing the issue lately with Rob Mears we never found any evidence of a 3350 being installed, so don't know where that came from, we even revised our website to mention we don't know how that rumor got started....on my recent visit to the bird in Denver I scrutinized the engine and there was NO WAY that the CURRENT engine is a 3350.

Mark

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:06 pm

The engine on the plane now has been reported as a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB77W, and also as a -CB4. I believe both were basically much more powerful and advanced post-war iterations of the R-2800 engine. It was rumored that Bob Mitchum had contemplated adding an R-4360 at one point but it never happened. I think maybe the cowling modifications might have been misconstrued as an upgrade to the R-3350. Not sure though.

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:00 pm

I do now remember that Bob Mitchum was the owner I knew,nice guy. I don't really know about the engine, but I do have some faint memory of something about a larger engine.

T J Johansen · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 3:34 am

Bill Greenwood wrote:

I think that plane sat for years at BJC now Metro airport in nw Denver. I think it belonged to a man who owned either the hngar or an avionics shop there. I never saw it fly. He was a large guy, may have had a problem with his knee or leg, I think, can't recall his name.

For years there was an Mustang, rough , but intact that sat outside, never flew and the owner a Frontier ? pilot just let it decay, would neither fix it or sell it. Finally it disappeared.

I virtually never go to Wings Over Rockies. They have some nice stuff,but it is all dead and silent,despite the runways there on site. It is like seeing an eagle in a cage or a whales washed up on the beach.

The Corsair was bought from Mitchem by Bob Axtell. I met him at the airport in 1992, looking over the FG-1D. It definately had an R-2800 up front at the time.

As for the Mustang, I imagine you are talking about Dave Norland's maroon racer N5466V "No Name Dame". He was a Frontier pilot (later Continental). The aircraft was stored for years before it moved to Florida. Later sold to Jack Rousch and currently "Gentleman Jim". Photos past and present here:

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/su ... 4230.shtml

Did you ever know Norland's friend and Frontier colleague John Deahl? He owned a P-38 and a P-51 project. He was killed in the crash of the 38 in Salt Lake City in 1981.

T J

corsair166b · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 8:35 am

Tried to track John Deahl (Diehl?) down one day, apparently after the P-38 crash and after he had departed this earth, wound up talking to one of his neighbors....guess the P-38 was one of the two used in an episode of 'Black Sheep Squadron'...as I recall the P-38 crashed in Utah at an airshow there....most unfortunate as he would've been interesting to talk to...

Mark

Bluedharma · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 7:12 pm

Here are a few photos at this link...
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photos/N194G;1.html

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:27 pm

That's an interesting dataplate. "Race 94" is an interesting aircraft. I always wondered what it would fly like because from the information I had, it never actually flew as "Race 94". The information I was given was that they wanted it to be the next "Super Corsair", but I never heard whether it ever really got "wrung out".

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

Well, the wings look like they were clipped in the same place as the Super Corsair raced years ago at Reno only the wingtips are different. Probably down on power though with that little engine.

Bluedharma · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:00 pm

This is what is on the display in front of the aircraft.

Quote:

FG-1D (F4U)
Corsair
Goodyear, Vought, Brewster

This aircraft was manufactured by Goodyear as an FG-1D, BU #92050. It has been modified as an unlimited racer. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R2800 CB77W, with 2800 cu inches of displacement which supplied 2500 HP.

First accepted by the N.A.S. San Diego 22 May 1945, transferred to Ferry Command 8 Aug 1945, to N.A.S. Pearl Harbor 1 Jul 1946, returned to N.A.S. San Diego 21 Jan 1946. Final transfer was to NARTU Seattle 29 May 1946.

Flown around the US from Seattle to Jacksonville, FL during April 1947, then transferred to Minneapolis, MN 31 May 1948.

Purchased by Jim Colbern and then by Bob Mitchem. Bob Mitchem raced the airplane in 1971 at the Harrah's Unlimited, placing 7th @ 362.989 mph & 4th in heat 1-A @ 344.401 mph. Aircraft was purchased by James (Bob) Axtell in 1977 and has been in storage since then. The airplane is on loan to WINGS.

Specifications
Wing Span: 40 feet 11.726 inches
Wing Area: 302.7 feet
Length: 33 feet 4.688 inches
Height: 15 feet 3.775 inches

Note: These are as built specifications not as modified for racing.

Performance
Cruise Speed: 182 mph (159 kts)
Max Speed: 417 mph (364 kts)
@ 19,900 feet
316 mph (279 kts) @ Sea level
Climb Rate: 3120 feet/minute
Ceiling: 36,900 feet
Range: 1015 miles
Weight empty: 8,982 lbs
Max Takeoff Weight: 14,000 lbs
Armament: 6 each .50 cal

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:35 pm

That's a seriously questionable account of the plane's military history. :shock:

I'd love to have a look at those log books!

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Corsair on display at Wings Over the Rockies?

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