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Vought F4U-7 'Corsair'

Description
  Manufacturer:Vought


Control Panel
  Base model:F4U
  Designation:F4U
  Version:-7
  Nickname:Corsair
  Designation System:U.S. Navy / Marines
  Designation Period:1922-1962
  Basic role:Fighter
  Crew:Pilot
 
 

Specifications
  Length: 34' 1" 10.3 m
  Height:14' 10" 4.5 m
  Wingspan: 41' 12.5 m
  Wingarea: 314.0 sq ft 29.1 sq m
  Empty Weight: 9,835 lb 4,460 kg
  Gross Weight: 19,398 lb 8,797 kg

Propulsion
  No. of Engines: 1
  Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W
  Horsepower (each): 2100

Performance
  Range: 1,120 miles 1,803 km
  Cruise Speed: 227 mph 365 km/h 197 kt
  Max Speed: 470 mph 756 km/h 408 kt
  Climb: 3,780 ft/min 1,152 m/min
  Ceiling: 41,400 ft 12,618 m

Known serial numbers
133652 / 133731, 133819 / 133832

Examples of this type may be found at
MuseumCityState
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial ParkMobileAlabama

F4U-7 on display

USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
    


 

Recent comments by our visitors
 Tony Beres
 San Diego, CA
The Corsair that was formerly at the Battleship Alabama Memorial is now at the San Diego Air & Space Museum undergoing restoration for eventual display. It was severly damaged by hurrican Katrina. Even tho it may look like an AU-1, the data plate riveted to the airframe says it is F4U-7 133704. Check www.sandiegoairandspace.org periodically for pictures. 9-8-2008.
09/08/2008 @ 14:13 [ref: 22634]
 daniel \\
 Rennes, OTH
The Corsair on static display onboard USS Alabama is the F4U-7 BuAer 133704.It has been rolled over the vought factory on 28th november 1952, delivered to the French Navy on 21st February 1953 and sent back to the USA via USS Riguel on May 1964.
It has fight during the Suez conflict and the Algeria War.
This Corsair has been painted several time to mock up a Dash 4 and AU-1 Corsair.
Thereis about 4 or 5 years ago, a french team bought one fo the last argentinian F4U5 Corsair survivor BuAer124541 and overhauled it. They intend to rebuilt this aircraft as a F4U-7. The Dash 5, 7 and AU-1 have the same airframe except some armour plates and loading underwing and fuselage points.
The main Difference between a dash5 and a Dash 7 is the cowling and the exhaust ring. (the exhaust side fairings are higher on the fuselage on F4U-5 than on dash 7, and the Dash 5 has cheek scoops instead a chin scoop on dash 7).
After several months of discuss, they persuadeUss Alabam team, to exchange engine cowl and exhaust ring with their dash 5 parts, so they can rebuilt an authenthic F4U-7 and the Navy could modified the original 133704 to a US Corsair.
The French rebuilt corsair is now airworthy and looks like an original F4U-7. It has been painted as 133704 due to the parts fitted. (See photo enlisted below).
Thereis two other original F4U-7 airworhty in the USA, both painted as US fighters. The First one is 133714, named Alberta Blue and may be the most authentic; the second one is 133722, it has been rebuilt with a F4U-4 cowling (more circular than the dash one).
03/03/2007 @ 02:29 [ref: 15732]
 Wade Newton
 Lexington, AL
Guys,
If you want to know what it really is, call Roger Hunter at the park. He sis all the restoration on it. As far as being airworthy, it is not. I have seen it up close and it has been patched in several places. It is too bad! It was one hell of an aircraft in its day!
09/08/2005 @ 23:47 [ref: 11187]
 Jennings Heilig
 Newport, VA
The F4U-6 was redesignated the AU-1, so they are in fact the same airplane. The F4U-7 was an AU-1 with a refurbished F4U-4 engine installed at the factory. It had the same armor plating and other equipment as the AU-1. Contrary to much published misinformation, the F4U-7 was *not* an F4U-4 crossmatched with anything else. I was simply a re-engined AU-1.

JH
04/27/2005 @ 10:26 [ref: 10050]
 Ken Warner (again)
 Rockford, IL
Does anybody know if this aircraft is airworthy? From the pictures, it looks to be in good condition, but they aren't very telling. I know of two F4U-7s that are airworthy right off hand, but this isn't either one.

On closer inspection of the pictures posted here, this aircraft appears to have been outfitted with six .50 cal machine guns, the -7 had quad 20mm cannons. That's not to say that they just did some high speed sheet metal work to make it look like it has the .50 cals, though.

The pictures are labelled F4U-4, and the -4 did have a four bladed prop with six 50 cals. Both the -4 and the -7 had four bladed props and also had a single oil cooler intake on the bottom of the cowling (other versions, i.e. F4U-5 had two intakes, one on either side of the cowling). So it's quite possible that this is a -4 Corsair.
06/23/2004 @ 20:31 [ref: 7678]
 Ken Warner (again)
 Rockford, IL
Does anybody know if this aircraft is airworthy? From the pictures, it looks to be in good condition, but they aren't very telling. I know of two F4U-7s that are airworthy right off hand, but this isn't either one.

On closer inspection of the pictures posted here, this aircraft appears to have been outfitted with six .50 cal machine guns, the -7 had quad 20mm cannons. That's not to say that they just did some high speed sheet metal work to make it look like it has the .50 cals, though.

The pictures are labelled F4U-4, and the -4 did have a four bladed prop with six 50 cals. Both the -4 and the -7 had four bladed props and also had a single oil cooler intake on the bottom of the cowling (other versions, i.e. F4U-5 had two intakes, one on either side of the cowling). So it's quite possible that this is a -4 Corsair.
06/23/2004 @ 20:30 [ref: 7677]
 Ken Warner
 Rockford, IL
bear in mind, though, that the F4U-7 Corsair was basically a -4 in a -6 airframe- and the -6 and AU-1 were almost identical.
06/23/2004 @ 20:14 [ref: 7675]
 Sam Giger
 St.Louis, MO
Actually I do believe the Corsair at the USS Alabama is an F4U-7. F4U-7s were built for the French Navy and this one was repainted to mock an american -1 series Corsair.
04/07/2004 @ 16:31 [ref: 7163]
 Michael Bond
 , MS
Your site is wonderfully detailed! I just wish to correct an oversite that is easy to make. The Corsair located in the Battleship Alabama Museum in Mobile, is commonly labled as an F4U-7. It is infact, an ultra-rare AU-1 ground attack corsair. Serial Number 129359, is even identified in their own museum as an F4U-7 but she is actually an AU-1 buit for the U.S. Marines to fill the need for a heavy armored ground attack fighter in Korea.
07/15/2002 @ 13:08 [ref: 5319]

 

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