P-51 Mustang or F4U Corsair

elmilitaro · Apr 5, 2006

Hey guys, which would ypu argue as the better plane in your eyes.

lesofprimus · Apr 5, 2006

Gotta be more specific than that elmil....

But.........

In anything except escort duties, the Corsair is my choice, hands down, no questions asked....

wmaxt · Apr 5, 2006

Long range Escort P-51. Anything else F4U-4, the 1D model is about equal in some ways but with less speed, less load capacity and less range.

wmaxt

Aggie08 · Apr 5, 2006

Is both a good answer? I'd give the mustang the looks award and give the corsair the edge on performance.

syscom3 · Apr 5, 2006

The P51 had better pilot visibility.

R988 · Apr 6, 2006

syscom3 said:
The P51 had better pilot visibility.

F4U could pretty much open the throttle and no care who was behind

I think I'd take the F4U if it's my butt on the line, they are pretty tough, might be a tad tricky to fly though, landing one on a carrier would be 'interesting' to say the least!

Nonskimmer · Apr 6, 2006

Aggie08 said:
Is both a good answer? I'd give the mustang the looks award and give the corsair the edge on performance.

IMO, the Corsair takes the looks category and performance.
It was a tough mother that was as at home melting out hurt to Japanese ground troops as it was chopping up enemy fighters.

R988 said:
...might be a tad tricky to fly though, landing one on a carrier would be 'interesting' to say the least!

In the beginning it was, but this was eventually dealt with. Modifications to the landing gear and British carrier experience with the Corsair helped to ease the difficulty.

Wurger · Apr 6, 2006

Hi !!!

R988 said:
F4U could pretty much open the throttle and no care who was behind

It is not true.I agree with Syscom3.The pilot visibility during a dogfight has a significant meaning.We should remember that in WW2 fighter attacks were mostly carried out from the Sun and others unexpected directions.Therefore,a pilot who wanted to avoid an enemy attack, should notice it as much as possible using his own eyes.Besides,speed of a nose-diving plane increased, so a target could avoid an attack if it could be faster at once and in significant value.If not,the pilot of a target aircraft had to see in advance that he was attacked.Without a visibility it wasn't possible.

elmilitaro · Apr 6, 2006

True.

Wurger · Apr 6, 2006

So,why the fighter pilots in WW2 could have their collar uniforms opened at the neck ?

lesofprimus · Apr 6, 2006

I agree with NS here 100%....

davparlr · Apr 6, 2006

Two fine warbirds. My comment of interest which probably, has no significance to the argument, is that the P-51 and the F4U actually fought against each other in combat. In 1969, in the "World Cup War", El Salvador and Honduras used both P-51 (albeit, the Cavalier P-51s with jury rigged gunsights) and F4U in combat. It seems an F4U shot down a P-51, but the same pilot then went on and shot down two F4Us, which tells more about the pilot than the capibility of the aircraft. An F4U was shot down by a T-28, which says,..... what??

FLYBOYJ · Apr 6, 2006

davparlr said:
Two fine warbirds. My comment of interest which probably, has no significance to the argument, is that the P-51 and the F4U actually fought against each other in combat. In 1969, in the "World Cup War", El Salvador and Honduras used both P-51 (albeit, the Cavalier P-51s with jury rigged gunsights) and F4U in combat. It seems an F4U shot down a P-51, but the same pilot then went on and shot down two F4Us, which tells more about the pilot than the capibility of the aircraft. An F4U was shot down by a T-28, which says,..... what??

Col. Soto of the HAF got 3 aircraft.

My old neighbor gave him combat training, here's his plane...

Here's a Bio...http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/98bios/soto98.htm

Nonskimmer · Apr 6, 2006

Interesting stuff, Joe.

Twitch · Apr 6, 2006

Well at least this isn't the bogus "which one could 'out dogfight' the other?" sillyness I've seen people taking seriously around here. I like both these planes depending on the mood I'm in. I'd certinly defend either as excellent due to their combat histories. And as the Air Force and Navy have laid down the requirements that make sense I'd go with- The P-51 in combat over land masses and the F4U for use over water against any enemy of the era.

elmilitaro · Apr 6, 2006

Nice point twitch.

OrionIFT · Apr 6, 2006

I think the best looking would be a Mustang II in RAF Sea Grey/Green camouflage with a Malcolm hood.

While the F-4U is sweet, the lack of variation in color schemes is a little dull...

davparlr · Apr 6, 2006

FLYBOYJ said:
Col. Soto of the HAF got 3 aircraft.

My old neighbor gave him combat training, here's his plane...

Here's a Bio...http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/98bios/soto98.htm

That's the guy. Quite a pilot. The only person in the world to shoot down a P-51 and an F4U (two).

davparlr · Apr 6, 2006

Oops, forgot about the Korean War. Both birds flew there. Highly unlikely one person shot both down in that conflict, though.

Soren · Apr 6, 2006

F4U Corsair all the way.

P-51 Mustang or F4U Corsair

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