“Super Corsair” - The Goodyear F2G

The F4U is one of the most successful naval fighter-bombers in history. But you might not know about Goodyear's attempts to build the ultimate variant of the aircraft - the F2G "Super Corsair".
Sources for this video can be found at the relevant article on:
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[@mtkoslowski]

Do you know Ed, one of the things I like about you and in particular about the series that you produce is that you present it in a manner that is that of the common man, easy to understand yet complex enough to inform and entertain.

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

Thank you!

[@khalilslimi8251]

@@EdNashsMilitaryMatters Ed do you think they will be a war with russia .

[@DavidBrown-cp2vm]

Seconded.

[@orwellboy1958]

Ere, mush,who you callin common?😉😆

[@markmaki4460]

Yes, and you don't overproduce or employ anachronistic or other irrelevant photos (how many of us are still purging images of Essex class carriers from memories of pre-1943 set war movies from our minds?), and you address many largely humble and forgotten aircraft that were nevertheless important at least locally, or even had lasting effects on future development and/or tactics far beyond their historical lives as it were. Thank you!

[@ozzieanglin262]

I have been an admirer of the Corsair all my life. My Dad flew it against the Japanese in the Pacific in WW2. He was with VMF-113 and until last year was one of the few surviving pilots of this incredible aircraft. I once told him that if I had the money I would find one and learn to fly it. His comment was "When you hit the lottery buy a jet--much simpler to fly". He flew the F-4 in Viet-Nam and the F9F in Korea! Over 400 combat missions over a 28 year career in the USMC.

[@SoloRenegade]

I got to see that Super Corsair fly at Oshkosh before it's tragic accident. Absolutely stunning performance. Came down the runway fast and went straight vertical. Never seen a WW2 plane climb like that before.

[@Slaktrax]

The F8F Bearcat was able to do a square loop straight off the runway. (According to Eric Brown)

[@SoloRenegade]

@@SlaktraxWith it's record setting and legendary climb rate, I'm not surprised.

[@68Boca]

I did a double take at the photo of the Airship construction at 0:45 😮 Can you imagine working up those ladders?? I feel I've seen the photo before, but just never really took much notice. Another super interesting video Ed!

[@imadrifter]

Imagine dropping a spanner off the top and having to climb allll the way down, then allll the way back up

[@kurgisempyrion6125]

Haha yeah I had a slight vertigo hit just looking at that part :)

[@kristopherdetar4346]

Workers were recruited from big city steel structure construction. Balls of steel required to climb, work, and descend from those crazy tall ladders. They would never pass OSHA regs these days. LOL !!

[@mpetersen6]

@@imadrifter Plus having to fix the crater in the floor. Or if it hits somebody. 💀💀

[@daneaxe6465]

@@imadrifter Helmet use by floor crews skyrocketed.

[@leno4920]

No frills, no gimmicks, no fancy intros, Ed gives us just what we want....... Bite sized nuggets of rare military aviation history.

[@donklesa6040]

My grandfather helped build Goodyear's rigid airships and my dad helped to build Corsairs during the war.

[@AndrewGraziani-k7d]

Go Akron?

[@The1trueJester]

I play war thunder alot with my friends and was seeing alot of F2Gs in our matches. This video has very serendipitous timing and was fantastically done

[@NOOBSLAYER-cw3gd]

this thing is a beast to fight at 5.7, especially when your team spams JU288s

[@The1trueJester]

@@NOOBSLAYER-cw3gd 288s are all I ever see at that rank with a 109 here or there

[@chunkblaster]

Hey Ed, I can tell you Racer 57 still flying! The Waltons (owners of Wal-Mart) currently own her and she resides down to the airfield in Bentonville Arkansas, I used to work less than a mile from there. Caught it flying several times. I don't know if they raced her last year but im going to the Reno air races this year in September so hopefully I'll get to see her racing there!

[@jaybee9269]

It would be supremely cool to see a Super Corsair race! (Which is not to say that the tricked-out Mustangs, Sea Furies and Rare Bear aren’t cool…)

[@stephenmurphy3828]

Can confirm chunkblaster's statement. I live under the flight path for Bentonville's municipal airport and it does come out several times a year. I do get the pleasure of two Mustangs and a Griffon powered Spitfire as well. However, you know when the Super Corsair is up cause my house rattles when it cruises over. Amazing plane.

[@Wombatmetal]

It should be noted that the British were using Corsairs on carriers before the Americans, and showed them how. It came down to poor vision, due to oil on the canopy and forward placement of the wings. . To deal with the oil, the British wired the flaps on the engine cowling in front of the canopy down on the F4U-1, this was rectified at the factory in the F4U-4. The awkard placement of the wings was dealt with by performing a shallow turn on approach instead of head on from the rear. Which turns out is a much better method, and is still done.

[@paoloviti6156]

It must be said that the Brits were flying the much more difficult to land Spitfires with its narrow legs so flying the Corsair was "easier" to land in the way you described and with important improvements. A characteristic US Navy didn't like is that the Corsair's left wing could stall and drop rapidly often without warning during slow carrier landings. A dangerous issue 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. The other issue was the undercarriage oleo struts had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce down the carrier deck and took ⏲ 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. Doesn't matter that the Brits and the Marines were happy and already flying for a long while....!

[@Mishn0]

The constant turn carrier approach was around long before the Corsair. The Grumman F3F biplane also had poor vision forward and used that approach in the '30s. The big problem with the Corsair at first was the stiff suspension of the main gear struts caused them to bounce over the arresting gear. VF-17 figured it out fairly early on but at that point the Hellcat was in full production and having a single fighter type on all fleet carriers was logistically a good idea and the Hellcat was FAR cheaper than the Corsair so that's what the Navy picked. When the Kamikaze threat was introduced, more fighters, whatever the type, were needed and the Corsair went back aboard US carriers.

[@mattjacomos2795]

Some US Corsairs had white tape placed on top of the fuselage cowling to combat the oil problem too. You can see this on some period images, especially of Gregory Boyington's Corsair.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@mattjacomos2795 yes, there are various photos showing the white tape on top to combat the leaky oil..

[@Idahoguy10157]

IIRC the RN FAA wanted to order Grumman Hellcats. The USN carrier force were getting them first. So the FAA chose Corsairs over their other option, the Wildcat/Martlet. At that point the FAA had to develop a method for landing Corsairs on their carriers. Which the USN later adopted from the FAA

[@sonnyburnett8725]

Last I heard, Larry Perkins was the pilot of the last flying super Corsair in Chandler Az. but that was a few years back. What a piece of history.

[@brandonnolker5965]

It now flies regularly at Bentonville AR. I’m the mechanic. She’s beautiful as ever.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

True Story: a Corsair put a 1,000 pound bomb through the bow of Yamato during Operation Ten-Go in 1945. At that point in the war, Corsair pilots were very good with bombs and rockets.

[@dr.ryttmastarecctm6595]

I'm a Navy brat and was raised on the Pacific War of WW2. I've always found the Corsair to be a fascinating aircraft. _"Whistling Death"_ at its finest.

[@johnreep263]

William Green and Gordon Swanborough were two of my favorite authors as a kid.

[@aaronlopez3585]

Ed you said it best, the ”F-2G Super Corsair was a monster. Great video.

[@NickThePilotUSA]

I don't play props in WT but WT was the first thing that came to mind seeing the F2G in the title

[@deaks25]

I always have to "oof" whenever the Wasp Major comes up. That must be an absolute monster of an engine!

[@mikepette4422]

just look at the cowling its very long so yeah I agree

[@bigblue6917]

As the M4 Sherman used aircraft engines you have to wonder what the Wasp Major would have done with it. June 6th 1944. Lands on the beach at Normandy. June 7th 1944 takes Berlin. They would have arrived sooner but the driver likes to get his seven hours sleep or he gets really cranky.

[@monsieurcommissaire1628]

It was an absolute beast. It made a lot of power, but with 4 rows of air-cooled cylinders, It had some major cooling problems, and apparently had to have cylinders frequently replaced as they got fried. Still, it got a fair amount of use postwar until turboprops and jets took over.

[@jimsmith7212]

Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose had/has 8 of them.

[@clintfalk]

Thanks for sharing this. Back in the late 50's, my father served in the USMC as a mechanic for these planes (which were still in service with the Marines). I will share this video with him. He has a copy of one of the photos you have used here, sitting on his desk.

[@Metrallaroja]

late 50's? As far as Im aware USMC tested them ultil 1949, making several modifications. In fact the most advanced F2G modified by the Navy was the one at 4:12 on which you can see late 47 markings because of the USAF insignia and this same plane is race 57 at 10:01, it is said that race 57 raced stock. Would like to hear what your father has to say about the modifications USMC did to the F2G, from longer carburetor scoop to maybe water injection and higher octane fuel?

[@Nghilifa]

@@Metrallaroja Maybe he was referring to the F4U-5s or AU-1's?

[@Metrallaroja]

@@Nghilifa most likely yes, that would make sense

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Maybe he was talking to himself one more time again.

[@tomsmith2209]

Love the Corsair never heard of this variant. Excellent video, thanks.

[@rinkadink66]

watched most of your videos about aircraft in the first half of the 20th century..all excellent 👏 cheers 🍻

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

Cheers to you! :)

[@markbattista6857]

Great job , I just read William Greens Famous fighters of the second World War vol. one or two I forget but the point being that I believe the English language was spoken & written a little different back in 1959 when those books were published and that might explain the discrepancy over the total ordinance the F2G carried. Thanks , Mark Battista

[@keiranallcott1515]

It should be worth mentioning that Goodyear worked alongside the zeppelin company in the 1920s and 1930s, it became the zeppelin Goodyear corporation and built uss Macon for example

[@christopherandersch1299]

Didn’t have a great career in the navy or marines, but did have a almost legendary career in racing, as a side note imagine changing all of those spark plugs,as each cylinder had 2 .

[@loddude5706]

Leak-down tests must be fun . . . 'how many apprentices can you fling through the hangar roof on a good day'? : )

[@brandonnolker5965]

@@loddude5706 It actually moves pretty slow a few degrees until a valve opens. I’ve done it by myself. Worst part is going up and down ladders and stands. Hello from Bentonville.

[@ericawollmuth5055]

56 plugs, spent quite a while changing them on a KC97.

[@LarryPeteet]

Came here after hearing about the Biggest Production Propeller Engine made which the Badazz Super Corsair had as mentioned here. Thank you for posting and well done.

[@robertsullivan4773]

The Corsair is my favorite piston driven fighter so thanks for this I didn't know much of this variat

[@Me2Lancer]

In the late 1940s and early 1950s I lived about 5 miles north of Naval Air Station, Dallas. During that period Corsairs were the most commonly seen aircraft flying there.

[@Onirot69]

As a kid I swooned over this plane I’m the dos flight sim “Fighter Duel” on my moms pentium 486. Awesome video!

[@mikepette4422]

All I have to say is wow what a beauty. This is the plane that should have rolled off the factory floor in late 1942. That bubble canopy gives it a whole new look and a much better streamlined appearance which I guess must translate into much less drag.

[@michaelmagill189]

Not too sure about the drag. In most cases the aircraft with bubbles were slower due to loss of the streamlining effect of the raised turtledeck. Also the loss of fuselage side area played havoc with directional stability. The big benefit of the bubble was visibility. So much so that the changes required to make them work and the minor speed loss were considered worthwhile. Sure looks good though

[@mattw785]

Great vid. Clearly spoken and good research

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

Another winner Ed! Many thanx 👍👍😉

[@Elementnz]

amazing thanks for clearing up the myths

[@larsrons7937]

Thanks for sharing and with so many details. The Corsair was always one of my favorite fighter of WWII but I never knew of this "super Corsair". What an awesome machine.

[@radiosnail]

I remember an article in Aircraft illustrated in the 1980s of modified Corsair with a 4000 HP engine that was being considered for the piston engined speed record. . I beleive the canopy was modified. From memory it looked like a bubble canopy, so was perhaps a Super Corsair. I don't think anything came of it though. I do remember that from the article, they said that everytime they started her up, a small crowd would gather.

[@mpetersen6]

The idea people have about the Super Corsair being proposed because of the Kamikaze threat can also be found in the Bearcat. Greg's channel had a nice video on that. Two of the US super props used or would have used the R-4360. The Corsair and the ultimate development of the P-47. The XP-73. I know P-47s were catapulted off of US carriers when being delivered at times in the Pacific. But I wonder if the P-47 was e er considered for naval service.

[@sr7129]

God what an absolutely sick aircraft. Great vid Ed.

[@kevkfz5226]

Brilliant video Ed. I thought I knew a bit but your videos always educate. I had no idea on this one.

[@brianjschumer]

One thing that wasnt mentioned, after the battle of Leyte Gulf and Japans carrier fleet lost, Japan's General's knew the war was inevitability lost, whereas the US thought that the supply of Japanese planes had dwindled due to the fact of raids on island airbases, carriers and less opposition in the air..They assumed Japan was down to about 2500 planes and figured that was generous. Boy where they wrong, Japan was preparing for a home island attack which thankfully never came, and to the astonishment of the Americans who went thru japans bases after the war, Japan had in fact 12,500 planes left, all where hidden to deceive the US, and Japan had been saving them to do a full on Kamikaze attack to the men, ships and landing craft if a home invasion took place. The Super Corsair and Bearcat would have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Thankfully that never happened.

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

Most of those 12,500 planes had no fuel to fly.

[@adrianotero7963]

Thanks to President Truman.

[@TheJimmer]

I saw Odegaard's blue Super Corsair in the Fargo air museum two weeks before the fatal crash. Beautiful plane he'd spent years restoring, it was only flight worthy for a short time until it crashed.

[@PaulMcCartGuitarTracks]

This was my dad's first job, building Corsairs for Goodyear.. He later became director of the lighter than air program in the 80s.

[@echodelta2172]

My best friend in high school had a grandfather who worked on this plane. He had models of them all over the place.

[@coiledspringofapathy]

Great vid, thanks Ed! Goodyear also tried to combine it's inflatable products with aircraft. The Inflatoplane! Might be worth a vid?? Thanks again!

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

Yes, I'm thinking about doing the inflatoplane :)

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Thank you for this video! I've been a fan of the Corsairs since I first saw them on TV in the show "Baa, Baa, Blacksheep. I've often wondered how the Super Corsairs would have performed in Korea.

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

You should have commented on the effects the reduction of fuselage keel area, due to the adoption of the bubble canopy, affected the stability of this fighter. Also, I've often wondered as to the differences in 'bounce' between the USN wooden decks and the British decks. At any rate, the USN had two great fighters to choose from for their carriers (F6 and F4U) and the Corsair was a better interceptor and ground attack plane. It best served the Marines, and served them well. BTW, William Green's 'Famous Fighters of the Second World War", is one of my favorites, as is "Famous Bombers...etc." Bed stand book.

[@marthakrumboltz2710]

If you have ever hit a railroad tie with a sledgehammer, you would not need to ask the question.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

Super Corsair was awesome, but I like Goodyear's "Inflato-Plane".........

[@raypurchase801]

I'd love a video about the 1980s proposed propjet version of the Mustang.

[@dannycork423]

I think he's already done a video about that

[@chuckp8705]

What has always impressed me about the Super Corsair was it's rate of climb. It was almost double the original Corsair.

[@alanrogers7090]

I have visited the Museum Of Flight in Seattle several times, as I live in Portland, Oregon and am an aviation enthusiast. I wish all historic aircraft were on static display, as, you mentioned, there are those occasional crashes, fatal or not, that destroy these classic, and sometimes, irreplaceable aircraft. Just a few years ago, after years of restoration to flight worthiness, the last Northrop flying wing testbed was lost in a fatal crash. Such waste of both man and machine. Now, no one can see this airplane except as a pile of scraps. A hint from a guy that really likes his airplanes: Fix them up and leave them inside a museum for others to see and appreciate.

[@ashermil]

Super interesting, as always!

[@timgosling6189]

I wasn't aware of this niche in history, so thank you! I love your discussion of the discrepancies in sources. It's so refreshing when someone actually looks at these things critically, the diametric opposite of certain 'less well lit' channels which go as far as reading a wiki page and clearly even then don't understand what they're saying.

[@oldgary57]

The main thing to remember about early US fighters of WWII is the F4F wildcat had an agonizing slow rate of climb. We had lost a aircraft carrier because by the time we had 2 F4F's to altitude the damage was done (Lexington or Hornet).. Don't think for a moment this did not effect aircraft design from then on.

[@alessiodecarolis]

I didn't know about this Corsair's variant, pity that didn't entered in action, looking how widespread was the original model it could've been exported in the after war market as a CO-In fighter.

[@coryclemett5569]

At Last, An Aircraft I know at least about! Keep it Going!

[@normmcrae1140]

Goodyear still produces Aircraft braking systems. The US Navy HATED the Corsair because the long nose made it difficult to land on a Carrier - so they were relegated to the USMC, and the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy were the ones who showed the American HOW TO LAND on a carrier.

[@2lotusman851]

So why was the Royal Navy using a Corsair?

[@normmcrae1140]

@@2lotusman851 Because the US Navy DIDN'T WANT THEM! - and the RN NEEDED PLANES. The Royal Navy also had experience landing long-nosed planes on carriers - since they already had been using Seafires and had developed the techniques.

[@Parktonman]

My grandmother built Goodyear Corsairs in Akron Ohio during WW2

[@californiadreamin8423]

I’ve only visited the USA once…..and that was to Akron, in the 80’s, the rubber capital of the world, as I was told by the family I was visiting. I did see the airship shed/ hangar shown at the beginning of the video. My memory be be wrong, but I seem to remember being told that the shed had 7 floors, dedicated to Corsair production. My next door neighbour when I was a boy, served in the Fleet Air Arm carriers in the Far East , and talked a lot about the Corsair. He said the oleos in the undercarriage were modified to prevent the recoil which caused so many bounces and crashes on landing. As an aside, there was a Zepplin shed at Frankfurt airport, supported on a circular rail track, so that the airships could face into wind in order to leave the shed safely. It was demolished during the war by the Germans because it was too large a landmark.

[@Parktonman]

@@californiadreamin8423 Yea I grew up just west of Akron. Been past the blimp hanger as it was called, many times. Also had a great uncle who served on blimps during the war patrolling for U-Boats and then was on an Escort Carrier, the USS Nassau in the Pacific, which was hit by a kamikaze.

[@californiadreamin8423]

@@Parktonman I had a great 2 week stay in Akron.

[@dannynye1731]

Marine flyers of MAG 3, escorting B24s over Japan. Were getting 3000 hp our of their R2800s because the had a surplus of engines ans a C2 offshore with a rebuilding shop aboard.

[@heydonray]

Great info with one MISTAKE at 2:50, as “engine torque” is NOT corrected with rudder. P-factor and slipstream effect, yes. Torque no. Torque is a rolling issue and the rudder is a yaw device.

[@adrianrutterford762]

Time for an early coffee break. Excellent!

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

Lol, glad to oblige :D

[@andrewpease3688]

Almost certainly a civil"servant "

[@adrianrutterford762]

@@andrewpease3688 I wish!

[@paulkirkland3263]

As with the B-54, another variant I never knew about. I particularly like the examination of the conflicting evidence and records - very healthy in this age of 'I did my research, I watched KZbin' ! Well done Ed.

[@alancranford3398]

As a fan of the F4U Corsair, I'm familiar with the FG-2 and I've been lucky enough to see one or two at the Reno Air Races. I was born after the Corsair left naval service, but there's still a few around flying and many more in museums.

[@McRocket]

It is SO refreshing how you end your videos, Edward. No big ending. No 'don't forget to like, subscribe and support me on patreon, buy some merchandise and send me a sperm sample.' Just...the end of the script. REFRESHING!!! ☮

[@toddsimpson2351]

For what its worth, the huge hanger in your pictures is where the USS Aron and USS Macon were built. It still exists in Akron Ohio and is one VERY impressive building. It was built to house 2 "Zeppelins" at once. Also of note, The Graf Zeppelin made a visit to it at one point. Since you cant drive up to it, about the only way to truly appreciate its size is if there is someone walking around outside. As for Corsair production, the "Airdock" was used only for blimp production and not Corsairs.

[@lonzo61]

I've flown into that airport a couple times. Indeed, it's a huge structure!

[@nathanfoskett357]

In my opinion this is by far the coolest fighter of WW2 I'm 28 and scared of flying but since I've discovered this plain and learned more about it I am desperate to fly for my 1st time however I want that flight in a Corsair before I die I will fly in that plane

[@conservativemike3768]

The F4U quirky tail definitely needed improvement, but that monster engine… holy fk.

[@keithnoneya]

Ah someone who doesn't just go with the crowd but actually does their homework. Very nicely done sir. Thumbs up! Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@Tidebo1]

Congrats on passing 50k!

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

Thanks! Have to get on with the 50k special :)

[@dogeness]

The top speed of a water injection-equipped F2G with 3650hp of 450mph may seem not that impressive compared to the top speeds of contemporary late-war aircraft but one must keep in mind that this speed would have been achieved at around 10,000 feet. It would have been one of if not the fastest prop fighter at low altitudes.

[@dphalanx7465]

I don't know about that--450mph is impressive at any altitude. Among its "end of war" contemporaries--only the Spitfire XXI, Typhoon II, or Ta -152C could match it. Only the P-47M or Ta-152H could beat it. The number of fighters that could keep up with it at Sea Level (400mph!), you can count on the fingers of one hand...

[@danpatterson8009]

I visited the Museum of Flight in Seattle in October of 2021 and the F2G is unfortunately no longer in that sunny location- according to the museum's website it is located in their restoration center / reserve collection, which is currently closed.

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

:(

[@jz422]

I've seen it there many times when we were working on the building.

[@jonsouth1545]

Yet another amazing prop that never really got a chance due to the advent of the Jet Engine.

[@moss8448]

What a beast the F2G was.

[@OffendingTheOffendable]

I miss Blimpie sub sandwiches

[@20july1944]

I don't know why you're speculating about Goodyear's specific motives. I'd say they saw other fighters being improved (e.g. bubble canopy, bigger tail, best engine, water-injection) and made the obvious modifications and offered it to the Navy. I don't see any need to dig deeper and specific speculations are just as likely to be wrong and create new false narratives.

[@Ford_Raptor_R_720hp_V8]

*At the end of the War* *Republic had Plans on the Drawing Board for 4,000 hp Thunderbolts with a Top Speed of 540 mph*

[@basty_gaming5750]

Hi, my suggestion for obscure aircraft is the Ki-51 for the Japanese Air force

[@festol1]

Thanks for metrics.

[@johnreed9435]

I live 20 minutes away from the Seattle based plane. Well worth the visit to see it, but more so to see the entire collection. A concorde? Yep. SR-71? Yep.

[@trob1173]

Wife and daughter "kidnapped" me and took me there for my 50th birthday. Being an airplane nerd and veteran, I loved it! Sat in the SR-71's cockpit. That alone was awesome!

[@charlesphillips8635]

Whistling Death written by Vought test pilot Boone Guyton is a superb treatise on all marks of the Corsair. Admittedly I picked the book up while on holiday in America so quite how widely available it is I know not.

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

Those airship hangers are really incredible… I was stationed at NAS Lakehurst and they had converted one into a scale Carrier flight Deck, for training flight deck personal.. was the Corsair’s duralumin armor the same material pioneered by the German Zeppelin program ..?

[@zachboyd4749]

I help take care of Race 57 today! I clean her off after every flight! She is well taken care of and flies quite often! Here’s a recent video I took of her flying with a P-51! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWHHeqSwd76Hd7c

[@michaelmagill189]

Are there any thoughts of racing it ever again?

[@zachboyd4749]

@@michaelmagill189 Not as of yet

[@EdNashsMilitaryMatters]

I'll admit to being a little jealous :D

[@mrjockt]

A good reference book for U.S. fighters I’ve found is “The American Fighter” by Enzo Angelucci with Peter Bowers, this book also lists the bomb load of the F2G-2 as 3,600lbs.

[@Republic_ofTexas]

Love all your subjects. They are things I am interested in, but would not research myself. Keep the good content coming !!!!!!!!!!

[@68orangecrate26]

One note: The US NAVY initially rejected the Corsair for carrier use and the early models were "handed down" to the MARINES for land based operations. This was due to the lack of visibility afforded the carrier pilot due to the F4U's long nose. It took the British to devise an "elliptical" approach to the carrier which allowed the pilot to maintain visual contact until the round out and trap. An improved tailwheel assembly was also fitted.

[@patr6838]

Many years ago I was lucky enough to see one fly at the Reno Air races. It was orange and white with three prop blades painted black with the last one white. You could track the blade as it did high speed passes. That was a hell-uv-a plane!!! Sounded like a pack of Harleys when it went past!! Photos on request.

[@williamroberts8470]

The Bud Light ship had a raised rear fuselage interestingly enough.

[@rojaunjames747]

Ed amazing video has usually. Can you do a video on the Sea Mosquitoes TR 33 and 34

[@dougsteel7414]

'king hell that's an engine!

[@SoloRenegade]

the F2G sounds like a better choice than the F8F to me. More HP, useful bomb load, fast, longer range than the F8F I suspect. and proven design. Not a one-trick-pony like the F8F.

[@thefolder69]

heavier with lower climb rate and worse turn rate, though. different planes with different strengths.

[@SoloRenegade]

@@thefolder69 but more balanced and useful, as proven by history. But the F8F's low G-load limits (6-7G max allowed) seriously hurt it's turning and maneuvering potential. Though the F8F could have operated from the escort carriers. But with Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and 16 fleet carriers (with more on the way like the Midway and remaining Essex class), the escorts were becoming less important. Turn rate was less important in WW2 than most people realize. Speed, and boom and zoom tactics dominated. P-38 vs Zero, Me262 vs Mustang, and many other matchups prove this. Doesn't hurt to have maneuverability as well, but speed and altitude became more important.

[@neilturner6749]

@@SoloRenegadeF8F was far cheaper and quicker to construct, and hence buy $$

[@SoloRenegade]

@@neilturner6749 But the F4U was already in service, more versatile, pilots already familiar with it, and it had far more usefulness due to range, payload, and more. Notice how I am proven right by the fact the US phased out the F8F before phasing out the F4U and A-1.

[@RBond-vv5rf]

A very clean looking aircraft to bad more weren't built

[@mcqueenfanman]

I wonder what the performance of a land only based Corsair would be. Would have been a good universal fighter bomber.

[@none941]

An interesting footnote to the career of an amazing plane. Cheers!

[@mbryson2899]

Mr. Nash, I particularly appreciate the way to dig into sources and evaluate their accuracy using logic and crossreferencing.

[@McRocket]

Very interesting. Thank you, Ed. Two thoughts. 1) is there a WW2 fighter whose looks were not MASSIVELY improved by the addition of a bubble canopy? 2) this demonstrates well how piston-engined fighters were reaching the end of their potential. This 'super' corsair has over 50% more power than the 'regular' Corsair. Yet it gained less than 10%, higher top speed. ☮

[@rosiehawtrey]

I would imagine that top speed was taken at altitude. The mechanics is quite complicated when it comes to power & performance of a given engine at a given height. That's why engines that should have theoretically been great - turn into physical five alarm dumpster fires aka the Napier Sabre amongst others.. Later ones actually had a daisychain coolant port so you could connect one running engine to several others to keep them nice and toasty - so when you started them they didn't turn into a ton of shrapnel; in a box. They got the internal clearances utterly wrong - and a cold soaked Sabre was effectively a large lump of slightly flexible metal. If it was too cold, it would smash itself to smithereens. My grandfather hated them with a passion.

[@hertzair1186]

0:36…who the hell would climb those ladders? I presume they had safety lines, but even so……….🙅🏻‍♂️

[@ButtersTheGreat1]

My mom used to work at a museum "Champlain Fighter Aircraft Museum" that had one of these her boss sadly sold most his planes to the Museum of Flight

[@Mishn0]

Small correction, that was the "Champlin" museum, not "Champlain".

[@tomvanbaren7747]

As I understand the F2G that was at the Champlain Museum in Mesa, Arizona is the aircraft that is now at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. I have been fortunate having seen that Corsair in both museums. The Champlain Museum was an amazing collection of WW2 fighter planes until it was sold off a number of years ago.

[@ButtersTheGreat1]

@@tomvanbaren7747 I always miss it. Was a great place to go into while growing up. Their P38 and Fokker Tri Plane were always my favorites

[@N7BLW]

I think Paul Allen bought most of the Champ[in planes. His museum in Everett, WA has been closed since the beginning of Covid 19 was detected. I've heard the planes are being sold off, a terribly sad situation. It held the only FW 190-13 remaining in the world. A JU 87 was about 90% restored before everything shut down.

[@thurin84]

i suspect they were designed as an interceptor of targets at altitude be it bomber, fighter, or whatever.

[@williama.walker2287]

Were there any substantive differences between Vought and Goodyear Corsairs(or other Navy aircraft built by multiple manufacturers)? The US Navy system of aircraft designation never really made much sense to me(the F4F and the FM were both Wildcats, but the F4U was the Corsair), so I was wondering if the different designations for aircraft built by different companies alerted maintenance and supply units to differences, or was the Navy just being difficult?

[@4shink]

I am aware that the Grumman Avenger dive/torpedo bomber had two different identification codes TBF for those made by Grumman and TBM for those produced at General Motors...I am sure there are other instances as well

[@jamesbugbee6812]

It was a good enuff system 4 the Japanese 2 copy it; I suspect deferent birds, by different builders, had some differences.

[@dawnsparrow4477]

Too nice video about good year F4 G corsair aircraft which participated in 2WW...against Japanese aircraft carriers thanks for sharing...First time I heard about ( Good year) aviation company in USA 🇺🇸

[@barryervin8536]

Goodyear built Corsairs were FGs, not F4Gs

[@clayz1]

The Bearcat is just so well put together, design-wise. So is the F2G Super Corsair. They look ready to fight and I would not want to be in their gunsights.

[@burtbacarach5034]

"Why spend money on the Super Corsair when it wasn't really needed?" Come on Ed!This is the United States Navy we're talking about!The US military is VERY good at wasting money!

[@rotorheadv8]

Sometimes a difference of a couple of knots speed makes a huge difference. Doubling the rate of climb is way past amazing. All can be the difference between wining and losing.

[@ronjon7942]

Snap, I didn’t realize it used the r4360; I thought it was the 3350. Maybe I’m thinking of a Reno racer.

[@Liddledriver]

We can thank the FAA for showing the US how to use the Corsair properly off of aircraft carriers. They also never got credit for their substantial help in building the Top Gun program.

[@patwilson2546]

The exhausts look like they were borrowed from an FW 190

[@K7AAY]

Fictionalized in 1947 combat in THE BIG ONE by Stuart Slade.