Genealogy

02312 F4U-1 WM  was an F4U-1 birdcage canopy Vought Corsair assigned to Pratt & Whitney for proof of concept  XR-4360 engine tests and as an evaluation airframe for engineering modification and feasibility ground static testing before transfer of new or approved changes to the BuNo 02460 airframe for flight testing.

02460 F4U-1WM was an F4U-1 birdcage canopy proof of concept aircraft used by Pratt & Whitney for R-4360 engine suitability tests. It was flown from Vought Aircraft with its original R-2800-8 engine to P&W on July 17, 1943. The R-2800-8 was removed and the XR-4360 'TSB1-G' engine # P3 was installed for proof of concept testing with the new XR-4360 engine. On August 26, 1943 the new Hamilton Standard 14' in diameter Super Hydramatic propeller was installed. On September 6, 1943 ground runs occurred and the first flight was on September 12, 1943. Several types of air intake scoops were tried on this airframe. This aircraft appeared with a white cowl ring and white stripes on the vertical tail per P&W factory photos taken of the aircraft in front of their test airfield control tower.

12992 FG-1A not brought up to F2G standards. Used as a shake test airframe for F2G components.

13007 FG-1D for spin demonstration tests.

13374 FG-1D used to simulate and test F2G intake scoops and single disc-brakes. It had a yellow cowl with a black  # '3' on the cowl for identification . Note, this aircraft uses a modified P-47 bubbletop and not the final F2G bubbletop canopy. There is a reference photo XF2G-1 BuNo 14091 which shows # 3 with its scoop and markings in the background of the photo. This aircraft has an R2800 engine and three-bladed prop and all other components similar to the FG-1D Corsair.

13471 First true XF2G-1 and totally up to F2G modified specifications except it did NOT have a bubble canopy.  It used the standard FG-1D domed canopy with the internal top brace. Don Armstrong first flew this aircraft on 08-26-1944. It appears in markings as Dark Blue or Black “# 5” on a yellow nose. All of the F2G modifications except the bubble canopy were incorporated into this aircraft. It was used to test engine power development, powerplant temperature performance, carbon monoxide, speed calibration, automatic cowl flap and oil cooler doors as well as powerplant vibration and fuel consumption. Some limited performance tests were undertaken such as maximum speed, rate of climb, takeoff distance and stalling speed with this airframe. After Goodyear completed these tests it was transferred to the Navy at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. After the Navy completed their performance reviews it was returned to Goodyear in Akron on 02-25-1945 and its engine was removed and transferred to BuNo 14691.

13472 Second true XF2G-1, mainly used for completion of propeller vibration testing using Hamilton Standard, Curtiss and Aero Products propellers. The final tests for the air scoop and induction system and comparison of oil cooler variations were done with this airframe. When this testing was completed on 12-10-1945, the aircraft went to the NATTC in Memphis. All of the F2G modifications were incorporated into this aircraft. After tests such as were completed in  Memphis it was flown to its final destination of NATTC Pensacola where it was stricken on April 30, 1946.

13703 FG-1 used to test weight stability and trim tabs. It was then delivered to the US Navy in September 1945 after its use by Goodyear flight test department was ended.

13704 FG-1 used for brake testing and dive practice tests and later returned to the US Navy.

14062 FG-1 used by P&W for engine cooling tests and intake induction testing.

14091 First in the prototype series of XF2G-1 development. It is actually a FG-1A Corsair delivered to Goodyear on 04-17-1944 and modified for bubble canopy tests using a P-47D Thunderbolt canopy. No P&W R-4360 engine was installed in this airframe and it used the standard Corsair three-blade prop. Delivered to Goodyear on April 17, 1944 for proof of concept testing. It appeared in markings as white “091” on its nose section. The prop hub was dark sea blue and thee landing hook was deleted per factory photos.

14092 Second prototype in the XF2G-1 series. It is actually a FG-1A Corsair modified for bubble canopy tests and also continued use of the standard Corsair  three-blade prop. No P&W R-4360 engine was installed in this airframe. It was delivered to NAS Anacostia for US Navy evaluation on October 11, 1944. It was returned to Goodyear’s plant in Akron, Ohio on February 1945. It was scrapped on November 30, 1945. It appeared in markings as white “092” on its nose section.

14691 XF2G-1 used the engine from Bu No 13471. It was the third XF2G-1 airframe and has the R-4360 engine with a bubble canopy. It was accepted on September 29, 1944 as the first aircraft completely manufactured as an F2G-1 and first flew on 10-15-1944. On October 21 or 22,1944 the Navy demonstrated it for the US Army at their joint fighter conference held at Patuxent, MD.  It was delivered to the US Navy on November 27, 1944 and flown to NAS Patuxent MD on January 1945 for shakedown testing. It was returned to GAC Goodyear in Akron, Ohio on February 12, 1945, then returned to Patuxent in November 1945 for use by the Tactical Testing Center in Service Trials. It was transferred after testing concluded to NAS Norfolk on April 18, 1947 and was scrapped on June 30, 1947 at NAS Norfolk, VA. It was the first manufactured as an F2G-1. It appears in markings as Black “# 9” on a yellow nose. One reference said this aircraft was a repossessed FG-1D Corsair UK S/N KD260 and was converted to the XF2G-1 configuration. It was the first F2G to feature the 12 inch auxiliary rudder.

14692 XF2G-1 was the fourth XF2G airframe and was used to test the new wing fuel tanks, split rear rudder configuration and final dive tests. The Navy accepted it on 9-29-1944. It was used to test new wing tank designs, different rudder installations (the 12 inch 'split rudder tab', and final diving tests for creation of engineering data limits and recommendations specification charts. It was lost in flight on 12-12-1945 due to a hydraulic pressure problem causing the pilot, Arthur Chapman, to bail out and resulted in the total loss of this airframe. It had a blue and yellow checkered cowling with a zinc chromate yellow nose ring.  Other sources state it was overall zinc chromate yellow on the fuselage portions manufactured by GAC. The rudder, outer wings, i.e. parts made by other Vought subcontractors were in standard U.S. Navy dark sea blue. The other sources state this aircraft crashed near Akron. Ohio on December 12, 1945 as reported by pilot Dick Armstrong who was the test pilot on that flight. The checked cowl was a sign that it was an aircraft used by Dick Armstrong since he always had to have checkers on an aircraft that he flew for good luck. It was listed as an XF2G-1 and was officially stricken from naval air inventory on December 13, 1945. It did not have an arrestor hook installed.

14693 XF2G-1 was the fifth XF2G-1 production model accepted on 09-29-1944.  P&W used it for water injection engine testing and two different carburetor types. It was also used to test the extended engine carburetor scoop, which was later used on racing aircraft. It was the first F2G to use the extended carburetor intake fairing. Testing of the scoop was done at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut.  The aircraft was stricken from U.S. Navy inventory on July 31, 1949. Cook Cleland purchased this airframe. Dick Becker used it in 1947 in the Thompson Trophy race as N5590N, black # 94. It was used by Cook Cleland in the 1949 race as # 94 and flown to a 1st place finish in that memorable race. It was used by the Cleveland Airport fire department for training and destroyed in 1955.

·         For a photo of this aircraft see Rodney William's article F2G Saga on page 2 of 9 where it appears in its U.S. Navy marking of White '693'.

·         The 1947 color scheme was white with insignia red trim, letters and numbers.

·         The 1949 color scheme was overall-white with black letters and numbers.

14694 XF2G-1 was the sixth XF2G-1 and was flown on October 1945 to NAMC Philadelphia (Mustin Field) for carrier platform testing. It was transferred to NAS Patuxent for testing where it was scrapped on May 31, 1947 and sold to Cook Cleland for racing as # 18, reg # NX91092. It was then sold to Ron Puckett and raced as white # 18 and took 2nd place in the 1949 Thompson Trophy Race. It appears in a photo in the Veronico & Campbell Corsair text on page 113.

14695 XF2G-1 was the seventh and final prototype F2G configuration. It was first flown on 12-4-1945. It was damaged in a crash landing on its second flight, 12-12-1945 and scrapped. Don Armstrong flew this aircraft on 12-12-45 on an instrument shakedown test flight and by doing a belly landing saved the airframe for post flight problem failure evaluation. A photo can be found in the Veronico & Campbell Corsair text on page 79 in what appears to be an all zinc chromate yellow aluminum finish with the exception of the top of the vertical tail, wings and horizontal tails which are in standard dark Navy blue. This could be attributed to their use of this aircraft to develop and test the “split rudder” modification as well as recognizing the dark blue parts were components made by subcontractors and delivered to G.A.C.  for final assembly on the F2G production line. The rest of the aircraft exposed skin is in zinc chromate yellow. After the crash landing the airframe was further damaged when the cable from the crane used to hold it off the ground failed. After the investigation concluded the hydraulic failure was caused by the engine accessory drive malfunction the airframe was scrapped.

14985 KD554 - UK Corsair airframe used for carbon monoxide tests to check for firewall carbon monoxide leaks from R4360 engine. KD554 was taken from a batch of FG-1 and FG-1D airframes, sequence KD161 to KD560, a 400 unit batch production run of UK bound Corsairs using BuNo 14592 through 14991.

88454 This was the first true production F2G-1 (the land based version of the Super Corsair). . It was accepted by the US Navy on June 30, 1945. It used the larger 14’ Hamilton Standard Super Hydramatic prop. It went into storage on May 31, 1948 in a preservation test and once out of sight was forgotten until rediscovered in the early 1960's. It was sold as surplus and later appeared at the Champlin Fighter Museum in Mesa, Arizona appears in US Navy markings as White “# 454”. It is now at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.

88455 F2G-1 accepted by the US Navy on 08-31-1945 and kept at GAC until May 1946. It was flown to NAS Patuxent for armament tests, declared obsolete and scrapped on August 31, 1946.

88456 F2G-1 was first flown on 09-20-1945 by Don Armstrong. On 9-20-1945 it was delivered to the Navy at Port Columbus, Ohio then immediately flown to Patuxent for mechanical and service tests. The tests were finished on in March 1946 and this airframe was scrapped on May 31, 1947.

88457 F2G-1 which first flew on 9-27-1945 and was flown to NAS Patuxent on 10-10-1945. It appeared with a large white '457' on the fuselage and a small white or  yellow # 32 on the vertical tail and nose, with a small “TT” on the nose as well signifying “tactical tests” when flown by the Navy starting on 07-26-1946. The 'T.T.' tests meant the F2G was flown and compared with the F6F-5 Hellcat, F4U-4 Corsair, F7F-3 Tigercat, F8F-1 Bearcat and XF8B-1. The Navy concluded it was ready for all carrier and land based requirements established by the US Navy for this aircraft.  The Navy struck the airframe from its records on 4-30-1947. It was sold on 5-30-1947 to Cook Cleland and raced by Tony Janazzo as N5588N. It crashed at the 1947 race and killed Tony Janazzo. It was race number 84 in the Cleveland races.

88458 F2G-1 was delivered to the Navy on 10-26-1945 for use by the armament test branch at Patuxent until 07-1946 when it was transferred to the Service Test branch. This may have been flown by Ben McKillan as race # 57. There are claims the 88457 and 88458 data plates were switched. This aircraft was used to test the large, bulging, extended air intake scoop which is sometimes referred to as the “Doghouse” or :camelback” intake scoop. It was scrapped January 1948. Per Rodney Williams he was informed by Cook Cleland on 3-29-1987 that this BuNo was Race # 57.

88459 F2G-2 NATC Test and Evaluation Aircraft. This was the first F2G-2 (carrier based configuration) “Super Corsair” which featured hydraulically folding wings, tail hook, and the shortened propeller. Goodyear initially retained this aircraft on 10-31-1945 since it was the first navalized version for additional testing. It appeared with a large white '459' on the fuselage and a small white or yellow # 31 on the vertical tail and nose, with a small “TT” on the nose as well signifying “tactical tests” when flown by the Navy. When it went to Patuxent for testing it joined the other F2G' already there. It was scrapped in January 1948 and became a ground target at NAS Dahlgreen, Virginia at the Naval Proving Grounds. It appears in markings with a dark blue or black & yellow checkered nose.

88460 F2G-2 served at NAMC Philadelphia (Mustin Field) from 12-10-1945, as a test aircraft until March 1947when it was transferred to Tactical Test for carrier aircraft platform testing. It was transferred and then scrapped on May 31, 1948 at NAS Norfolk.

88461 F2G-2 delivered on 02-11-1946 to Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 5 (CASU-5) at North Island San Diego. It appeared with yellow “C51” markings in several photos. It has small white stencils “88461” and F2G-2, with a small white “51” on the tail. It was flown by the Tactical Development Unit at NAS North Island, San Diego and remained on the West Coast until January 1947 when it was stricken from the Navy inventory. This F2G-2 was scrapped in May 31, 1947.

88462 F2G-2 This aircraft went to NAS San Diego on February 11, 1946 where testing commenced and was then transferred to CASU-1 NAS Pearl Harbor, Ford Island in 1946. It was tested at the Carrier Aircraft Service Unit CASU-1 that later became FASRON 11 for sea tests. FASRON 11 became the new designation for CASU-1 on 1st October 1946. The aircraft was marked with a white 'I-36' and the CASU-1 logo on the cowl while flying at Pearl Harbor. A photographic record of this was made by Joe Genne who was a superb amateur photographer stationed with the U.S. Navy at CASU-1 in 1946. The aircraft returned to San Diego where it was home ported from March 1946 through January 1947.  It was scrapped in January or May 1947 at NAS North Island, San Diego.

88463 F2G-2 was flown on 02-07-1946 and used as an instructional aircraft by the US Navy at NAS Jacksonville, Florida until sold to Cook Cleland on February 28, 1947. He used it for air racing at the Thompson Trophy Race in 1947 as race white # 74, N5577N. It won the 1947 Thompson Trophy Race with Cook Cleland at the controls. It was flown by Dick Becker at the 1948 and 1949 Thompson Trophy Races. It failed to get airborne for the 1949 race and was retired. It is owned by the Western Reserve Historical; Society of Cleveland, Ohio and is under restoration.