F4U's Of The 50s

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:13 pm

F4U-4 VF-24

F4U-5 VF-44

F4U-4 VMF-312 Korea

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:27 pm

Can you make out the Bureau Number on the VF-44 F4U-5 (2nd photo)? That could very well be The Lonestar Flight Museum's Corsair (121881) during November - December of 1951.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:39 pm

Quote:

Can you make out the Bureau Number on the VF-44 F4U-5 (

BuNo 121861 soooooo close

RareBear · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 5:56 pm

Originally thought it might be 121681, but Baugher's site lists that Bu # as a Bearcat. The 5th digit is definitely an 8, so that makes my guess 121881.

Bu # 121881 is listed as going to Argentina at some point, and being rescued and returned to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame as N43RW..

Baugher also lists the one at Lone Star as being 121823, with the same N number, and also as having come from Argentina.

If the one at Lone Star is indeed 121881, then this photo appears to be it.

Is the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame and the Lone Star Flight Museum the same place?

Walt

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:12 pm

Jack
Any shots of Corsairs for VF-63?

That Squadron later became VA-22 and then VFA-22 which I served in, I've seen very few shots other than A-4s and A-7s. But a Friend once showed me his 1957 Cruise book with them flying Cougers, which was very cool.

Tim

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:01 pm

just read about a slower ground attack version used in korea, the vought au-1. max speed 238 mph, cruise 184 mph.

RMAllnutt · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:57 pm

tom d. friedman wrote:

just read about a slower ground attack version used in korea, the vought au-1. max speed 238 mph, cruise 184 mph.

The AU-1 didn't have the blower for performance at high altitude, but I think that Max speed is a typo. I don't have the actual data in front of me, but I believe that the max speed was more like 438mph. It was armoured, and could carry a lot of ordanance, but a 200mph performance drop seems inconceivable to me. So sad that no AU-1's exist. Six or seven were lost over Viet Nam by the French... so maybe one will turn up some day. Here's hoping!

Cheers. Richard

jaldo · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:33 pm **Posts:** 175

F4U-5N BuNo.124493 at the Vought plant in Texas,1953.
Delivered to Honduras in 1956 and registered as FAH-608

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:40 pm

r.m. glad to see you say that in regard to max speed, i thought it might have been an error too, but couldn't say specifically, but it lead me to alot of speculation as to a typographical boo boo too. that low max speed just didn't make sense!! can anyone verify??

mike furline · **Joined:** Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm **Posts:** 2636

Everything I have read on the AU-1 shows 238mph. I thought it was a typo myself. It was armoured up and had a lot of drag hangin on the wings. My guess was 338mph with no blower?

Regards,
Mike

Mark Nankivil · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:38 am

I believe there's an AU-1 (or at least it's marked as such) at the USS Alabama museum in Mobile. Anyone know if that is correct?

Enjoy the Day! Mark

mike furline · **Joined:** Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm **Posts:** 2636

It's a F4U-7, the chin scoop gives it away. The AU-1 doesn't have any scoops.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 33704.html

Did the AU-1 engine cowling have cheek bulges like the F4U-5 or was it round like a F4U-1? The top pic looks bulged the lower pic looks round.

I've seen pics of AU-1's with 10 wing stations and pics with 6 wing stations.
Were some wing stations removed in the field or were they produced both ways.

Regards,
Mike

wwiiavfan · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:25 pm

mike furline wrote:

It's a F4U-7, the chin scoop gives it away. The AU-1 doesn't have any scoops.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 33704.html

Did the AU-1 engine cowling have cheek bulges like the F4U-5 or was it round like a F4U-1? The top pic looks bulged the lower pic looks round.

I've seen pics of AU-1's with 10 wing stations and pics with 6 wing stations.
Were some wing stations removed in the field or were they produced both ways.

Regards,
Mike

If you look at the station position related to the gun ports, it looks like they had to remove every other one to make room for those bombs in place of rockets...maybe?

jaldo · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2005 4:33 pm **Posts:** 175

mike furline wrote:

Did the AU-1 engine cowling have cheek bulges like the F4U-5 or was it round like a F4U-1?

The AU-1 had the cheek fairings but no scoop and also had 5 pylons under each wing.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:56 pm

I'm thinking the extra pylons were removed in the field to give the ground crews more room to operate while attaching those 500-pounders. Not sure about the bomb load off the top of my head, but your looking at a potential of 7000-lbs with all twelve racks filled. I'm figuring 5000-lbs may have been more than enough for a sortie, especially without a supercharger to help out.

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F4U's Of The 50s

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