F4U Folks:
Good day!
Perhaps it's time now to move on a bit fm the accident (s) chat and talk about the historical significance of this particular aircraft through the years. We have a family of fliers that against all odds keeps it flying so all of us aviation enthusiast & F4U buffs could hear the roar of the PW2800 as it goes through its paces in the skies above.
"You will see it in the F4U Corsair In Action Book" the late J. Tobul Sr once said to me over the phone. It survived the Korean conflict with diff Navy Sqs & ended up at Litchfield Park NAS in c. '55. Then the late Bob Bean picked it up, c. '56 gave it a tune-up & a face lift and sold it with other 8 samples S. The Border to the Honduras AF where briefly served as FAH 613.
It spent most of its FAH service life as a spare parts aircraft in a corner of one of the FAH hangars. It served as a decoy aircraft at the 01 EOR at Toncontin during the so called "100 Hrs War" c. Jul '69 & then was put to pasture at the FAH boneyard along with other cousins. A TWA Pilot named Ray Gentile bought in c.'77, sold to another fellow pilot near the Miami area, (Charlie T. Uncle?) then went to the E. coast for awhile & the Tobul's family acquired it in c. 1980s. They have been diligently at it ever since. Against all odds. So let's the healing begin in May 2014! We wish 'em all the best always!
p.s The latest comments fm a friend in FB mentions of plans of the aircraft being trucked to Colorado soon for maint & poss be ready to take to the skies again in the near future! Photo via AEC.
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