Rookie on the tarmac...

[VMF-214]

Hello Everyone,

As you can tell, I'm sure, I'm one of the newest rookies here. I stumbled across this forum just doing some warbird research. I'm very happy to see you all here and can't thank you enough for having such a forum.

I live about 10 minutes south of Cincinnati, Ohio - on the Kentucky side. I love all of the warbirds but have a deeper love for the Corsair F4U (and related). I'm always on the lookout for any operating F4U's in the area but sadly I haven't seen one in the two years I've been looking. I know they are quite rare - especially operating fully in warbird and air shows.

Enough about me and many thanks again to not only the Administrators and Moderators but also to all of you who make this such a great place for any and all interested in warbirds and the like!

 

[lesofprimus]

My Grandfather was a member of the Black Sheep... Welcome...

 

[Thorlifter]

Les, I didn't know that! Very cool.

VMF-214 - Since you like the Corsair, you must be a very cool, swave, sophisticated, worldly person. So WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME.

 

[VMF-214]

Many thanks for the warm welcome Les and Thorlifter! Wonderful to hear that your Grandfather served in the VMF-214, Les. Do you have an photos you could share? And no, nothing but an average bloke here, Thorlifter, that knows a great thing when he sees it!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[mkloby]

Welcome aboard.

 

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the site.

 

[Bf109_g]

Welcome to the site!!

 

[Njaco]

Hello from the Right Coast!

 

[Wurger]

Hallo from Poland !Nice to read you there.

 

[DOUGRD]

VMF-214 Welcome from the landlocked middle of the continent! I'm originally from the East coast. Any man who likes the F4U can't be all bad. So let's start the fur flying..What do you know about a two seater F4U-1?

 

[VMF-214]

Many thanks for the warm welcome everyone! It's great to be here!

Thanks as well to DOUGRD for the quiz on the two seater F4U-1. I don't know much at all about it DOUGRD. But thanks to your question you got me doing some research. This is what I found...

"The Vought FU was a biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in service duing the late 1920s.

Pleased with the company's VE-7, in 1926 the Navy gave Vought a $459,709 contract for convertible land/sea 20 fighters. Vought already had a two-seat observation plane, the UO-1, basically a VE with additional fuselage streamlining and a Wright J-3 radial engine. This was made into a fighter simply by covering over the front cockpit of the observation plane, mounting machine guns in that area, and upgrading to a 220 hp Wright R-1790 Whirlwind with a supercharger. With the help of the supercharger, the newly-designated FU-1 was able to reach a speed of 147 mp at 13,000 ft.

The FU-1s were delivered to VF-2B based in San Diego, California. With their float gear mounted, one was assigned to each of the battleships of the Pacific Fleet, where they were launched from catapults. They spent 8 months in this role, but as the squadron went to aircraft carrier operations, the further-aft cockpit proved to a visibility problem when maneuvering around a carrier deck. In response, the forward cockpit was re-opened, the result being designated FU-2.

By this time they were no longer state-of-the-art, and the two-seaters primarily served as trainers and utility aircraft."

There is a photo of what appears to be a two-seater F4U-1 at this link. Just click through the three photos - it is the third.

Aircraft: Vought FU-1

I would be most interested in further info on this rare bird if you have it DOUGRD.

 

[VMF-214]

Perhaps more info - but no mention or photos of a two-seater.
Aircraft: Vought F4U-1 Corsair

 

[lesofprimus]

Hey, what is an FU-1???

 

[VMF-214]

It's Vought's bi-plane, Les. The link has some photos.
Aircraft: Vought FU-1

 

[Heinz]

G'day mate welcome!

 

[DOUGRD]

VMF-214: Good research effort, I like that site you referred to. Now the question was about an F4U Corsair two seater. I have found only one reference to it and that was in an early 1970's edition of the Vought-Chance company newspaper. I was stationed at the Naval Air Test Center at Pax River MD. and I had to go down to the Strike Directorate hangar for whatever but while I was there I walked by the Vought-Chance tech reps desk and there was a clipping from the newspaper that showed three different experimental versions of the F4U Corsair. The one version that really caught my eye was the two seater. I asked where the tech rep was and I was told he had been transferred out and no one replaced him. I asked if I could have the clipping and I was told to help myself. Further research and correspondence with Mr. Art Schonei ( I think that's misspelled) who was the unofficial historian for Vought-Chance. He had actually taken the photo I asked about and he sent me a 3X5 copy of it from the original negative. I had asked him about a dozen os so questions about the plane but he had few answers. But he did say that it was offered to the Navy as a trainer in late '42 or so and the Navy refused it so it was converted back to a single seater and I believe shipped out with the next patch. I have found no other reference to it not even in the "Oddballs" .