F4U-1 Manufacturing Views

Here are some great drawings of the F4U-1 Corsair in pieces!

First up is the primary fuselage structure

Here is the primary structure with the addition of the center wing assembly

Here are the Major Assemblies

Sub-Contractor Break Down View

I really appreciate the talents of the Draftsmen in creating these views! 

(All from my scans of VAHF material)

New Birdcage Corsair Reference Book!

Aircraft Pictorial #7 F4U-1 Corsair Volume 1 by Dana Bell has been published!

Before I write further, I corresponded with Dana during some of the research on this book. I do not have anything to gain from the success of this fine volume. It will do well without my help!

Dana has produced a volume for those of us interested in the technical details of the aircraft. I personally enjoy reading about and seeing the mechanical details of aircraft. How the Engineers innovated new ways to advance the technology and the modifications required have always been of interest to me.

This is not a rehash of the famous stories and myths about the Corsair. This slim volume of 72 pages is packed with information both textually and visually appealing to those interested in the air frame, it's modifications and the colors it wore. Where else do you get to see Vought supplied work stands, stall strips and flap gap doors? Even better a Corsair with outer wing panel drop tanks, now that's something new to see!

This volume fits well with the Kingfisher and Vindicator books already published in this series. If you are looking for another combat history of the F4U this is not your book. If you are looking to learn some details about the Corsair that you didn't know, this is the ticket!

I am looking forward to the "raised seat version" of the F4U-1 that will be the companion volume to this one. For the time being, I am going to dig out my 1/32 scale Birdcage Corsair for a closer look.

V-354 Two PlaceTrainer

     In late 1945, the concept of a Two Place Trainer version of the F4U was in discussion between Vought and the Bureau of Aeronautics. The potential program was given a Vought number of V-354.

The trainer is a conversion of the F4U-1D from a single place to two place aircraft. The airframes converted would be from surplus US Navy stocks, there would be no new build airframes. By late January 1946 the Navy had ordered 50 F4U-1Ds held for possible use in the program. 

To convert a F4U-1D into a Two Place Trainer the fuselage front section would be exchanged for one containing two full sized cockpits. The single large fuel cell would be traded for four smaller fuel cells. The new fuel cells would be located under the cockpits (2) and one each in the outer wing panels. The outer wing fuel cells would displace two of the machine guns and ammunition from each wing leaving the aircraft with only two guns, one in each wing. The aircraft would retain full arresting and catapulting provisions to support aircraft carrier operations. Lastly, the V-354 would retain the same engine, bomb and rocket provisions as a standard F4U-1D.

Money was approved for the conversion of one aircraft for a mock-up and in May 1946 it was inspected and approved. 

Money was allocated for the conversions in July 1946. It was also determined that with the current level of engineering work on the V-346 (Cutlass) there was no capacity in-house to take on the Corsair Trainer conversions. 

The Navy department attempted to have the work performed by Naval Aircraft Factory or possibly Goodyear Aircraft. Eventually it was decided to obtain a proposal from Edo Aircraft that had sufficient capacity at the time to accomplish the project.

As Edo was preparing the proposal to perform the engineering work and manufacturing of two prototypes in mid August 1946, the feeling was the current spending reductions and a tight budget from President Truman might have a negative affect on the project.

By early December 1946 the project was cancelled due to a slashing of Navy Department funding. The Navy retained interest but it was gradually shifting to a two seat jet aircraft instead of the propeller driven Corsair.

As a result, there was only a mock-up of the Corsair Two Place Trainer ever assembled.

Reference material from the Vought Aircraft Historic Foundation Archives, National Archives RG72