![]() ![]() The epic flight of the seven Corsairs which made the daring journey home by air has been documented elsewhere, but is worthy of a movie! All of them made it safely back to the USA, although one of them, Bu.124724, had to belly land enroute in Belize due to a landing gear malfunction. The aircraft which Hollywood Wings acquired included the following:į4U-5N Bu.124724 FAH600 flew (after repairs for belly landing) Seven of these Corsairs were complete, and in good enough condition to fly under their own steam back to the USA (just!), while the dismantled components from ten other examples made the journey by rail. The Hondurans sold the rest of their Corsairs as a job lot to Hollywood Wings of Long Beach, California during 1978. This is the aircraft in which Major Soto Henriquez reportedly downed two F-51 Mustangs and an FG-1D Corsair during combat against El Salvador on July 17th, 1969 – the last time piston-engined fighters fought each other in the skies. ![]() The Honduran government parted with their Corsairs in the late 1970s, although they retained one example, F4U-5N Bu124715/FAH609, for historical purposes. This Corsair, was one of about twenty examples which the Fuerza Aérea Hondureña, the Honduran Air Force, acquired via various avenues during the mid-1950s. She rolled off Chance-Vought’s production line in Dallas, Texas during 1951 under a U.S.Navy contract. Currently residing on the Australian Civil Register as VH-III, this Corsair is a night fighter variant. Nobby Bartsch restored this fighter for Hosking to her present pristine condition at his shop, Aerotec, in Darwin, Australia over a seventeen year period. Platinum Fighter Sales recently listed Graham Hosking’s former Honduran Air Force F4U-5N for sale in Tyabb, Australia. (photo by Rob Fox)Īs it happens, one of our sponsors now has a magnificently restored example available for the discerning collector. Another perfect view of the Corsair in flight over an estuary in Australia. Even so, Corsairs rarely come up for sale on the open market, and command significant attention when they do. However, the Corsair has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts in recent years, with the restorations of several projects previously thought impossible to complete. The aircraft is of complex manufacture though, with its largely spot-welded construction and all-but impossible to re-manufacture main spar. With its unconventional, inverted gull-wing profile and brutish good looks, not to mention its legendary accomplishments, it is no wonder that the type has captured the imaginations of so many aviation-minded people. The Vought F4U Corsair is, without doubt, one of the most potent and charismatic fighter aircraft to emerge from WWII.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |