FullDeflection
Well-Known Member
Hnnnnnnggggg.
I appreciate the Mustang, but I love the Corsair. My great uncle was killed at Pax River testing dive bombing angles in the F4U in 1944.The magnificent Corsair and her variants. There is a sort of grace and beauty, even in a fighter. What a marvelous aircraft. The P&W Double Wasp engines. The first bird that could face the Zero. Beyond the carrier decks, she cut a swath through the Pacific Theater like no other. Downing over 2,000 enemy aircraft by the end of WWII and with the largest amount of kills by Major Boyington. Cool video. Thanks for posting.
I appreciate the Mustang, but I love the Corsair. My great uncle was killed at Pax River testing dive bombing angles in the F4U in 1944.
It's a difficult choice because really they were both such terrific designs and had their unique capabilities.....but yeah....I do love the Corsair and the Hellcat. The Corsair to me really was the best bomber and fighter. But there were really other marvelous aircraft in that class that came out of the war like the Lightning, the Spitfire, etc. The Corsair though was so accurate, had a good turning ability and was so capable against anything the Germans had in Europe. She, like the Mustangs and Spitfires could more than hold their own. They all had good speed and were very maneuverable. Something that the Luftwaffe would come to hate.I appreciate the Mustang, but I love the Corsair. My great uncle was killed at Pax River testing dive bombing angles in the F4U in 1944.
The P-38 is an amazing aircraft as well. Absolutely gorgeous.It's a difficult choice because really they were both such terrific designs and had their unique capabilities.....but yeah....I do love the Corsair and the Hellcat. The Corsair to me really was the best bomber and fighter. But there were really other marvelous aircraft in that class that came out of the war like the Lightning, the Spitfire, etc. The Corsair though was so accurate, had a good turning ability and was so capable against anything the Germans had in Europe. She, like the Mustangs and Spitfires could more than hold their own. They all had good speed and were very maneuverable. Something that the Luftwaffe would come to hate.
But where she came to shine was against the Japanese. She was big, but damn fast. She had a very high kill ratio and I believe, along with the P-38, really helped to turn the tide in the Pacific.
That's amazing about your great Uncle. He was a Navy test pilot at Patuxent? Damn. That is really something to be proud of.

Not much Whistling Death in that video. I shot this a couple years ago at my airport. Sorry it was before HD was real affordable.
3:25 jumps right to the dive.
At 4:30 there is a different kind of whistle.
The only thing that beats the P&W R2800 double wasp... is two of them. <3The Corsair is a close second for me, but for sheer beauty, to me nothing tops the F7F.
The only thing that beats the P&W R2800 double wasp... is two of them. <3
~Fox
This sat simi hidden in the back of a hangar behind a B-25 being restored for 4 or 5 years I thought it was an B-26. One day I stopped by after work to get something from my hangar and this was in the pattern. I think it's still the only one flying. This one-ups an A-26.Please more F7F <3<3 My second favorite airplane... behind the A-26.
-Fox
This sat simi hidden in the back of a hangar behind a B-25 being restored for 4 or 5 years I thought it was an B-26. One day I stopped by after work to get something from my hangar and this was in the pattern. I think it's still the only one flying. This one-ups an A-26.
This is truly amazing and so terrific that you were able to learn of their histories. Coral Sea- holy hell- I posted an old photo of that battle in the Memorial Day thread. It was one of the largest sea battles fought and it was fought between the US and the Japanese carriers. Our Navy kicked some serious ass. It was also the first real defeat of the Japanese. They underestimated our Navy, our ships, our training, our fire suppression abilities and our nads.The P-38 is an amazing aircraft as well. Absolutely gorgeous.
I got to sit in a Corsair once about 10 years ago and all I remember is looking out the front and seeing roughly two miles of nose, a prop that looked like it had been transplanted from a Dutch windmill and blue sky. You could feel the power just sitting there, truly awesome.
Yup, he was test pilot at Pax, has a road named after him and everything. A friend did some research and found this a little while ago.
Before that he was stationed on the Salt Lake City. One night at Guadalcanal when he got shot off the cat a case of flares came loose and ignited in the plane. He ditched and spent three days in a raft during the battle. I found a good writeup a number of years ago on the Salt Lake City website.
http://ussslcca25.com/jaeke04.htm#top
My other uncle was on the Yorktown at Coral Sea and Midway, but that's another story![]()