Its gull-wing shape made it instantly recognizable. Its characteristic sound while in an attack dive led the Japanese to call it "The Whistling Death." Combined with its high speed, agility and toughness, the Vought F4U Corsair was one of the finest fighters ever built. Originally thought to be too powerful to fly from a carrier, the Corsair weaved a path of destruction in battle after battle during WWII, totally outclassing the much-feared Zero. The last of the great piston-engine fighters, the Corsair went on to become an important component of the US naval air power during the Korean War. Even while it was being replaced by jet aircraft, pilots flying this tough warbird were credited with downing a few MiG-15 jet fighters.

In part because of its advances in technology and a top speed greater than existing Navy aircraft, numerous technical problems had to be solved before the Corsair entered service. Carrier suitability was a major development issue, prompting changes to the main landing gear, tail wheel, and tail hook. Early F4U-1s had difficulty recovering from developed spins, since the inverted gull wing's shape interfered with elevator authority. It was also found where the Corsair's left wing could stall and drop rapidly and without warning during slow carrier landings. In addition, if the throttle were suddenly advanced (for example, during an aborted landing) the left wing could stall and drop so quickly that the fighter could flip over with the rapid increase in power. These potentially lethal characteristics were later solved through the addition of a small, 6 in (150 mm)-long stall strip to the leading edge of the outer right wing, just outboard of the gun ports. This allowed the right wing to stall at the same time as the left.

Other problems were encountered during early carrier trials. The combination of an aft cockpit and the Corsair's long nose made landings hazardous for newly trained pilots. During landing approaches, it was found that oil from the opened hydraulically-powered cowl flaps could spatter onto the windscreen, severely reducing visibility, and the undercarriage oleo struts had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce down the carrier deck. The first problem was solved by locking the top cowl flaps in front of the windscreen down permanently, then replacing them with a fixed panel. The undercarriage bounce took more time to solve, but eventually a "bleed valve" incorporated in the legs allowed the hydraulic pressure to be released gradually as the aircraft landed. The Corsair was not considered fit for carrier use until the wing stall problems and the deck bounce could be solved.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Navy F4U-1A Corsair fighter attached to VF-17 "Jolly Rogers", which was flown by Lt. Cdr. Roger R. Hedrick during his tour at Bougainville in March 1944. Comes with decorative display base and numbered certificate of authenticity. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/2-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: June 2005

Historical Account: "Swashbucklers" - In January 1944, VF-17 "Jolly Rogers" were moved to Piva on Bougainville, where they took part in the reduction of the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul. They were subsequently dis-established on April 10th, 1944, although Lieutenant Commander Roger Hedrick, the former XO of VF-17, carried over the name and tradition of the Jolly Rogers when he was assigned to lead the newly-formed squadron VF-84 that same year. VF-17 was reformed at Alameda, CA in April 1944, under Lt. Commander M. U. Beebe. Aboard the carrier Hornet, VF-17 took part in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In fighter sweeps from March 18th to April 17th, 1945, the pilots of VF-17 downed a total of 146.5 Japanese planes.

In their five months of action in the Solomons, the Jolly Rogers shot down eight Japanese planes for every Corsair lost. They flew 8,577 combat hours, destroyed 156 planes and 5 ships, while losing only 12 pilots. The squadron had 12 aces, more than any other naval unit participating in the War in the Pacific.