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Didn't the later Corsairs get an engine change? the F2G?Salim said:Anyhow, I got another question to ask. Since the F8F was powered by the Pratt Whitney R-2800-34W double wasp engine, and the final engine of the 'wasp' series was the R-4360 Major wasp engine, do you people think that the F8F could have been able to fit that engine? If it could, then I believe that it would give it substantially more performance than the F4U!
The current holder of the 3KM World Speed Record for piston powered propeller driven airplanes is 528 mph held by the F8F, though highly modified with a Wright R-3350. The Pratt&Whitney R-4360 was considered for this racer but was thought too long, heavy and complex for the task of 4000hp. In racing practice the Wright R-3350 makes 4000 plus hp and the P&W R-4360 makes about 4500hp for 5 minutes, then fails.
Don't forget that the Allies (except the Russians) not only had superior numbers, but had better quality pilots to boot.