F4U Low Drag Wing Study

In February 1946, the Vought Engineering Team researched a Performance Improvement Proposal for the US Navy using the F4U-5 Corsair as a baseline. One of the ideas they created was the Low Drag Straight Wing.

This wing had dihedral at the center section of 1° 30' and dihedral of 7° on the outer panel quite a bit of change over the original design. The proposal also featured a revised landing gear due to the wing change to maintain propeller clearance and circular arc type spoilers.

From the VAHF microfilm are the following drawings for your viewing pleasure.

Side view

Front view

 And the top view

As you can easily see it changes the looks of the lady quite a bit. I have not found anything so far to indicate if the proposal was submitted to the US Navy or comments they might have had concerning the design. None the less it would make an interesting subject for "What If" modelers!

Merry Christmas TEMCO style!

TEMCO produced F-101 aft sections along with several aircraft designs and rework services for the military. Here are a couple Christmas greetings placed on F-101 aft sections prior to delivery to McDonnell.
Photo credits Vought Aircraft Historical Archives