NAS Grosse Ile Corsair

NAS GROSSE ILE

Photo furnished by William T. Larkins NASGI F4U (SN 97218) Larkins Collection

Photo furnished by Tim Tyler NASGI FG-1D (SN 92085) Tim Tyler Collection

The above pictured Corsair is on display on the grounds of the museum at Selfridge ANG Base just north of Detroit, MI. -- Stanley Outlaw

This photograph may not be used or published, neither commercially nor for other purposes, in any form, including but not restricting to the Internet, magazines and books, without the photographer's permission. For all inquiries please contact the photographer by e-mail or by other means.

FG-1D Corsair

***Description***
Manufacturer	Goodyear
Designation	FG-1D
Equivalent to	Chance-Vought F4U-1, Brewster F3A-1
Type	Fighter
Crew	Pilot
Length	33' 5"
Wingspan	41'
Gross Weight	11,117 lbs
No. of Engines	1
Power plant	Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W
Horsepower	3600
Max. Speed	400+ Mph
First Order	1938
First Delivery	May. 29, 1940
Last Delivery	France 1953
Number Procured	12,620
First operating unit	October 3, 1942 VF-12

The FG-1D Corsair had the biggest and most powerful engine and the largest propeller of any fighter in history when it was introduced in 1940 - it was also the first to exceed 400 mph. Manufacture of the Corsair ceased in 1952 allowing the type to boast the longest production run of any American piston engine fighter. The Corsair first saw service with the US Marine Corps, but it was the British Fleet Air Arm who first operated the aircraft from aircraft carriers. It proved to be an indisputable air superiority fighter when it was brought in to service in the Pacific and continued to prove its worth through the Korean war.

The history of the Corsair is well documented. The machines were built as Corsair FG-1D, by Goodyear at their Akron, Ohio, facility. FG-1D Type Aircraft were built with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W and with an empty weight of 9,600 lb.. The aircraft's assignments were many and various.

A Few more Facts

The F4U's propellor was 33% larger than that of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
The final F4U Corsair was delivered to France in 1953, just as the last attack Corsairs were reaching the Marines.
The ultimate Corsair was the Goodyear F2G, fitted with a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engine delivering 3,600 hp.
A U.S Navy Corsair night-fighter pilot was the only Allied ace of the Korean War who did not fly the F-86 Sabre.
Corsairs were the last piston fighters produced, except for Yugoslavia's S-49 and Spain's Ha 1112.