Aircraft Pictorial #8 F4U-1 Corsair Volume 2

Aircraft Pictorial #8 F4U-1 Corsair Volume 2 (Raised Cabin Variants) has been published. Back in December 2014 I mentioned F4U-1 Corsair Vol. 1 of a new two volume F4U-1 Corsair reference set by Dana Bell. 

As I disclosed before, 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!

Volume 1 carried the Corsair from the XF4U-1 to the production F4U-1 covering the different "Birdcage" canopy variations and an interesting discussion of the external and internal color schemes for those aircraft.

Volume 2 picks up the story with the raised cabin variants the -1A, -1C and -1D. Detail is included on magnetos, seats, sights, windshields and external pylons. Once again Dana digs into the details of the different changes and presents them in an easy to understand format.

The discussion of color schemes continues with information on the camouflage used by the Royal Navy Corsair Mark II and Mark III aircraft.

Both volumes are heavily illustrated with carefully selected images and informative captions.

If you have any detailed interest in the Corsair or are always wondering what the differences were between the various F4U-1s I highly recommend these two volumes as they helped me in sorting through various Vought photographs.

Both volumes can be obtained from Classicwarships

YBGM-110 Tomahawk

LTV was selected with General Dynamics to compete in a fly-off of their competing submarine launched cruise missile designs. The LTV version was designated YBGM-110 with the GD missile designated YBGM-109.

There is an excellent article here: Vought Org Website  so I won't republish all that information in this post. The LTV missile failed on it's first two test flights, the first attributed to the Navy, the second to a programming error. The GD design did not suffer a similar fate. The engine that the Navy selected for the LTV missile was not as a mature, nor successful program as the William offering was at competition time.

Here are a few publicity images of the ALCM version mounted on the right wing of a factory fresh A-7E aircraft. Images from VAHF collection.

Type Spec 149 and the V-416 Vigilante Part II

     Continuing with the post started in June 2014, V-416 Vigilante

     The V-416A was a design for a minimum size, all weather attack airplane, with short take-off and landing capabilities. The aircraft was to be equipped with two J52 non-after-burning turbojet engines mounted in nacelles on the wings.

     Looking at the performance summary a 1,000 mile radius of action will only yield 2,200lbs of bombs to deliver on that distant target. Maximum speeds of Mach .915 with stores on at sea level and Mach .94 at 35,000 ft are impressive.

     The V-416 had a straight high wing, a unit horizontal tail 
(Vought preferred terminology) and a vertical tail with a large rudder. Short take offs were to be accomplished using double slotted flaps, leading edge droops and thrust deflectors that were to be located behind each engine.

     The attack and navigation track and search antennas were to be located in the nose with the system components installed under the cockpit accessible through access panels on the fuselage side.

     An additional avionics compartment was to be located in the rear fuselage to house communication equipment and computers for the attack-navigation system. 

     Here is the drawing of the avionics installations in the V-416A:

     This is the list of the numbered call outs for the drawing:

     Another important aspect for a carrier based aircraft was spotting arrangements. It did no good to create a great aircraft that could not be accommodated on deck in sufficient numbers to make it useful. 

     Therefore spotting diagrams were an important part of any carrier based proposal. In the typical 96' x 200' spotting area 20 aircraft could be parked. In an arrangement was use with tails overhanging the deck then 28 aircraft could share the same space.

This is a typical spotting diagram:

This is a spotting diagram for a CVA-41 style aircraft carrier:

     With straight spotting 56 V-416s could be spotted on deck, if deck overhang was use the number increased to 83.

Finally, below is a diagram showing the width of the V-416 with the wings folded that was used in creating the spotting diagrams.