Corsair - Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2021

The Fighter Collection's Goodyear FG-1D/Mk.IV Corsair, KD345 displaying, initially with their Grumman Bearcat, during the final day of the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2021. The pilot is Brian Smith.
This aircraft has the colours of a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aircraft from 1850 Naval Air Squadron, based on HMS Vengeance whilst in the Pacific in December 1945.
In British service the Goodyear FG-ID Corsair was known as the Mk.IV Corsair.
When the Chance Vought FG-1D Corsair was introduced in 1940 it had the most powerful engine and the largest diameter propeller of any fighter aircraft in history. The result of this combination was the first fighter to exceed 400mph. Corsairs were built right up until 1952 - the longest production run of any American piston-engined fighter.
The first service engagement for the Corsair was with the US Marine Corps operating from makeshift land bases across the Pacific. It was not until later that she was operated from aircraft carriers, first with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
The Corsair proved to be a formidable air superiority fighter during World War 2 when she was the scourge of the skies across the Pacific, and continued to deliver sterling service in later years during the Korean War.
This Corsair was built under licence by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio as C/N 3111 and allocated bureau build No.88297. She was accepted by the US Navy on 9th April 1945 and delivered two days later. She was initially dispatched to Guam in the Pacific, allocated to the Aircraft Pool Airwing 2. She went to a Repair Depot in the Philippines, possibly Samar, in October 1945 and was then returned to the USA before being allocated to various US Naval Air Reserve squadrons and stored. The aircraft was sold in 1956 after 1652 flying hours.
She was bought by ALU-MET Smelters in 1959 and then by legendary stunt-pilot Frank Tallman in 1960. He sold her in 1966, and she passed through a number of other owners until joining The Fighter Collection fleet in 1986.
The Fighter Collection’s Corsair has never been restored and has the distinction of being one of the few still flying with the original part fabric outer wings.
Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, additional production contracts were given to Goodyear, whose Corsairs were designated FG, and Brewster, designated F3A.
The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy from late 1944. It became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War 2. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of the war and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio. Early problems with carrier landings and logistics meant it was eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Instead, the Corsair's early deployment was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy.
The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria. In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, French Naval Aviation, and other air forces until the 1960s.
From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 Corsairs were made in 16 models. Its production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter.
In November 1943, the Royal Navy received its first batch of 95 Vought F4U-1s, which were given the designation of "Corsair I". The Royal Navy put the Corsair into carrier operations immediately. They found its landing characteristics dangerous, suffering a number of fatal crashes, but considered the Corsair to be the best option they had.
In Royal Navy service, because of the limited hangar deck height in several classes of British carrier, many Corsairs had their outer wings "clipped" by 8 in to clear the deckhead. The change in span improved the sink rate, reducing the F4U's propensity to "float" in the final stages of landing. Despite the clipped wings and the shorter decks of British carriers, Royal Navy aviators found landing accidents less of a problem than they had been to U.S. Navy aviators, thanks to the curved approach they used. This technique was later adopted by U.S. Navy and Marine fliers for carrier use of the Corsair.
The Royal Navy developed a number of modifications to the Corsair that made carrier landings more practical. Among these were a bulged canopy, raising the pilot's seat 7 in. and wiring shut the cowl flaps across the top of the engine compartment, diverting oil and hydraulic fluid spray around the sides of the fuselage.
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[@battlecats661]

Croshirs are. Cool there so big in person

[@renatoamaral8259]

Well conserved Corsairs.

[@renatoamaral8259]

Great loop!!!

[@renatoamaral8259]

Great video! A+ job. 💯🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👍👍👍❤️

[@TheBagpuss1967]

Awesome 😎

[@HighFlight]

👍