Red Bull F4U-?

[Supercharged]

Hello Guys,
yesterday i was visiting Airpower 2024 where i got the opportunity having a closer look to Red Bulls Vought F4U. The Aircraft is officially declared as F4U-4 SER# 96995 built in 1945 and the original -18 or -42 Double Wasp was replaced by single stage - single speed CB3, for economical reasons i guess, as usual.
Now see the picture.....

You may noted the abnormity??

yellow arrow is where the oil cooler intake should be located
black arrow is the normal & auxiliary air & intercooler intake (with -18 or -42 Double Wasp) - used for induction air only with the current CB3 installation, probably

red arrow points to the oil cooler...???...
- F4U-1 -2 -3 & -5 having the oil cooler located at the wing leading edge intake
- F4U-6 having them more deeper located in the fuselage, but not visible from outside
- F4U-4 & 7 using the chin cowl , without oil cooler in the wings

Why do they relocated the oil cooler? Which type of Corsair is this aircraft representing? Was Ser. No. 96995 built as -4 ?

 

[John10]

Hello Guys,
yesterday i was visiting Airpower 2024 where i got the opportunity having a closer look to Red Bulls Vought F4U. The Aircraft is officially declared as F4U-4 SER# 96995 built in 1945 and the original -18 or -42 Double Wasp was replaced by single stage - single speed CB3, for economical reasons i guess, as usual.
Now see the picture.....

View attachment 795922
You may noted the abnormity??

yellow arrow is where the oil cooler intake should be located
black arrow is the normal & auxiliary air & intercooler intake (with -18 or -42 Double Wasp) - used for induction air only with the current CB3 installation, probably

red arrow points to the oil cooler...???...
- F4U-1 -2 -3 & -5 having the oil cooler located at the wing leading edge intake
- F4U-6 having them more deeper located in the fuselage, but not visible from outside
- F4U-4 & 7 using the chin cowl , without oil cooler in the wings

Why do they relocated the oil cooler? Which type of Corsair is this aircraft representing? Was Ser. No. 96995 built as -4 ?

The cowling "chin" scoop on all Vought F4U-4 Corsair variants, is the direct air intake for the carburetor, not for cooling the oil. The oil coolers are still located inside the inner wing root vents.
Source, Jim Tobul, pilot of an F4U-4 Corsair.

 

[mjfur]

You will notice 995 on the ramp prior to delivery winter 45/46.

 

[SaparotRob]

You will notice 995 on the ramp prior to delivery winter 45/46.

View attachment 795998

Wow. I never would have spotted that. Do have a picture with a shot of the nose?

 

[John10]

Hello Guys,
yesterday i was visiting Airpower 2024 where i got the opportunity having a closer look to Red Bulls Vought F4U. The Aircraft is officially declared as F4U-4 SER# 96995 built in 1945 and the original -18 or -42 Double Wasp was replaced by single stage - single speed CB3, for economical reasons i guess, as usual.
Now see the picture.....

View attachment 795922
You may noted the abnormity??

yellow arrow is where the oil cooler intake should be located
black arrow is the normal & auxiliary air & intercooler intake (with -18 or -42 Double Wasp) - used for induction air only with the current CB3 installation, probably

red arrow points to the oil cooler...???...
- F4U-1 -2 -3 & -5 having the oil cooler located at the wing leading edge intake
- F4U-6 having them more deeper located in the fuselage, but not visible from outside
- F4U-4 & 7 using the chin cowl , without oil cooler in the wings

Why do they relocated the oil cooler? Which type of Corsair is this aircraft representing? Was Ser. No. 96995 built as -4 ?

Apparently you didn't believe me, so here is a cut away view of a Vought F4U-4 Corsair.
NOTE:
Number 3 = CARBURETOR AIR INTAKE.
Number 13 = OIL COOLER.

 

[Supercharged]

Apparently you didn't believe me, so here is a cut away view of a Vought F4U-4 Corsair.

Has nothing to do with my misbelief in you, i just run in trouble about my sources. I prefer to read Graham Whites great Book about the R2800(https://www.amazon.com/2800-Pratt-Whitneys-Dependable-Masterpiece/dp/0768002729). I dont know if you have access to this book, but you will find the following in there:

Page 435 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-4 - point 31 shows the single ventral oil cooler
Page 438 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-7 - point 29 shows the single ventral oil cooler
Page 441 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-4 - shows single ventral oil cooler
Page 447 - Statement to F4U-7 engine installation
"Similar to the F4U-4, the F4U-7 was ....using an AU-1(F4U-6) airframe...A single elliptical oil cooler replaced the F4U-4's pair of wing root mounted circular coolers"

New question: Is it possible that some F4U-4's were equipped with dual wing mounted oil coolers and some other production batches received, similar to the F4U-7, a single elliptical ventral oil cooler??

 

[John10]

Has nothing to do with my misbelief in you, i just run in trouble about my sources. I prefer to read Graham Whites great Book about the R2800(Amazon.com). I dont know if you have access to this book, but you will find the following in there:

Page 435 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-4 - point 31 shows the single ventral oil cooler
Page 438 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-7 - point 29 shows the single ventral oil cooler
Page 441 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-4 - shows single ventral oil cooler
Page 447 - Statement to F4U-7 engine installation
"Similar to the F4U-4, the F4U-7 was ....using an AU-1(F4U-6) airframe...A single elliptical oil cooler replaced the F4U-4's pair of wing root mounted circular coolers"

New question: Is it possible that some F4U-4's were equipped with dual wing mounted oil coolers and some other production batches received, similar to the F4U-7, a single elliptical ventral oil cooler??

No, I'm not familiar with Graham White's book, but maybe I should read it.

I'm not an expert on Corsairs, but have done a lot of research and have quite a bit of knowledge about them, however not familiar with the oil cooling systems on all variants.
I do know, according to all my sources, including Jim Tobul, giving an extensive details about his Vought F4U-4 Corsair, all describing the cowling chin air scoops on the F4U-4, F4U-4B, F4U-4C, F4U-4E, F4U-4N and F4U-4P variants, were for the direct air intakes for the carburetor and the oil coolers were still inside the inner wing root intakes as the earlier variants.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[mjfur]

Has nothing to do with my misbelief in you, i just run in trouble about my sources. I prefer to read Graham Whites great Book about the R2800(Amazon.com). I dont know if you have access to this book, but you will find the following in there:

Page 435 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-4 - point 31 shows the single ventral oil cooler
Page 438 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-7 - point 29 shows the single ventral oil cooler
Page 441 - illustration from maintenance instructions for F4U-4 - shows single ventral oil cooler
Page 447 - Statement to F4U-7 engine installation
"Similar to the F4U-4, the F4U-7 was ....using an AU-1(F4U-6) airframe...A single elliptical oil cooler replaced the F4U-4's pair of wing root mounted circular coolers"

New question: Is it possible that some F4U-4's were equipped with dual wing mounted oil coolers and some other production batches received, similar to the F4U-7, a single elliptical ventral oil cooler??

As stated by John10 the -4 oil coolers were in the wing. The Graham White book is most likely a misprint/error.

This, "Similar to the F4U-4, the F4U-7 was ....using an AU-1(F4U-6) airframe...A single elliptical oil cooler replaced the F4U-4's pair of wing root mounted circular coolers"
or more likely should have been "The F4U-7 was ....using an AU-1(F4U-6) airframe...A single elliptical oil cooler replaced the F4U-4's pair of wing root mounted circular coolers"

This will explain a lot of the details, The Last Propeller-Pulled Corsairs: F4U-5/AU-1/F4U-7

Corsair

 

[Supercharged]

The Graham White book is most likely a misprint/error.

I need to check Graham's references, because he used cuttings from original manuals nothing created by his own. But on the other hand i can not find any source which supports this manuals regarding the oil cooler locations.
But one thing seems to be save, F4U-7 corsairs changed to the single oil cooler layout. And as a side note, isn't it quite tricky to find some good F4U-7 photographs?

 

[CATCH 22]

....But on the other hand i can not find any source which supports this manuals regarding the oil cooler locations.

Check the attached document - this is an original, not a modern book or interpretation. The answers to your questions are on pages 4 and 13: