Antrvm Ratvs - Walkaround - Chance Vought F4U-1A Corsair Bu.17995

Walkaround - Chance Vought F4U-1A Corsair Bu.17995

What:	Chance Vought F4U-1A Corsair c/n 4078 Bu.17995
Where:	Museu Asas de um Sonho (Wings of a Dream Museum) at São Carlos, Brazil.
When:	June 2nd, 2007.

Your editor (kneeling, left side) and the Southern Modelers Express Machine

Here is a walkaround I promised a long time ago. This is the Corsair on display at Asas de um Sonho museum, near São Carlos in Brazil. The museum belongs to TAM airlines which has an ever growing fine collection of airplanes on display, including Spitfire, Messerschmitt, Thunderbolt and this Corsair, to name a few favorites of mine. But before proceeding to the photos, let me make straight some facts about this particular warbird.

This is a Chance Vought F4U-1A Corsair c/n 4078 Bu.17995. Therefore, it is not a Goodyear of a Brewster as published elsewhere. Now if you check the bureau number, you will see that it should really be a dash-A, and not a birdcage Corsair.

This aircraft served during the war in VMF-441 and crashed on March 26 1944 (pilot: Capt. L. E. Midkiff). The aircraft was displayed as a war memorial in Provo, UT during 1944-1950, and remained as a derelict in a railroad yard in that town until 1967. Jim Sullivan, famous author and Corsair fan, found some photos of 17995 during its rest at Provo in October 1967. The photos were taken by M/Sgt Walter F. Gemeinhardt USMC (Ret.), and Jim digitalized and corrected the originals. Thanks Jim and Walter. You rock!

As you can see, the retro-conversion was not yet done (there's no rear windows), but the greenhouse canopy is just resting in place so someone already had the idea.

It then was owned by Harry S. Doan, Daytona Beach, FL, circa 1967-1982 and by Doan Helicopters, Daytona Beach, FL, during 1982-1989.

The aircraft was registered as N90285 and extensively rebuilt from 1965-1982. It has its first flight on March 1982, at Daytona Beach, FL and later suffered a forced landing in mudflats, New Smyrna Beach, FL, on May 8, 1983. Then another rebuilt during 1984-1989, New Smyrna Beach, FL and another first flight on March 11, 1989. After the third rebuilt it was owned by Roy M. Stafford, Jacksonville, FL during 1989 and by Don Knapp/D.K. Precision, Fort Lauderdale, FL, during 1989-1990.

I cannot, however, tell when this Corsair had its birdcage canopy adapted. It could be during its two recent overhauls or even right after the crash in 1944 (any information on this matter would be greatly appreciated). Jim Sullivan told me that he also doesn't know when the retro conversion was made, but he has 'a strong suspicion that it happened while in the possession of Harry Doan (sic)'. To prove his point, Jim provided another important link of the history - the photo below shows the 17995 in Harry Doan's hangar in March 1988:

The aircraft was then handed to Tim Wallis from the Alpine Fighter Collection, Wanaka, New Zealand where it starred during 1990-1999. It was registered as ZK-FUI and flew for the first time in NZ, on October 20, 1991, as RNZAF/NZ5201:

The aircraft was acquired by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Stratford, CT, in 1999 and repainted in the colors of VF-17's 17-F-13 during its 1943 shakedown cruise onboard USS Bunker Hill (CV-17). Strangely, the bureau number painted on the fin (56432) is also of a F4U-1A. Finally, it was negotiated with TAM afterwards and brought to Brazil in 1999, being on display on Wings of Dream Museum since 2004.

Therefore, two indisputable facts about this warbird:

The original airframe belongs to a F4U-1A.
Its bureau number reveals that this Corsair belongs to the first batch of F4U-1As produced by Vought at Stratford, CT, during 1943. Therefore, this particular aircraft shared the production line at Vought with the first F4U-1As used by VF-17.

But it remains to be explained:

When the conversion to the birdcage configuration took place, and why.
It is really the oldest flying Corsair? It is possible, given the bureau number. In addition, no Goodyear's or Brewster's Corsairs were in production at the time.

Well, besides the wrong canopy, this aircraft carries the wrong post-war main wheel, wrong tail wheel yoke, and wrong propeler. The arresting hook is missing. The cockpit interior is painted in light gray and the walk-on stripes are not painted in the correct place. These are smaller details restoration-related. This is a fine and rare bird...

General views:

Main landing gear:

Propulsion, cowling and radiators:

Wings and control surfaces:

Tail unit:

Canopy & cockpit:
(sorry for these crappy photos - I was shaking like a leaf on tree...)

I hope you find these photos useful to your next modeling project. If you have any interesting information about the history of this aircraft, please drop me a line.

Your editor with his favorite all time aircraft.