A naval fighter that operated from land based for much of its early career was the F4U Corsair. A plane that was very much a world beater with speed, good armament and in the hands of a good pilot, a deadly hunter. However, it had some issues when it came to landing on carriers in that its landing gear had too much spring. This resulted in bounce, a rather dangerous tendency in the days when there was no angled deck. Skipping over the arresting gear meant a crash into the barrier or worse, into the planes parked on the forward deck. Thus, the Marines got the latest and greatest instead of the usual hand-me-downs. They were delighted and with a few Navy units, were able to wreak havoc on Japanese forces in the Solomons during 1943.

Eventually, the bugs were worked out of the landing gear and the Corsair went on to operate with distinction from aircraft carriers where they belonged. So good was the Corsair, that post war, it was one of the few piston engine fighters still in fleet service, continuing on duty through Korea and into the mid 1950s. With other nations, the Corsair was still front line even into the dawn of the 1970s.

In this book by Jim Sullivan, we go from the inception of the aircraft, through the prototypes, to early unit operations, to full deployment and the final variants. All the while, showing the changes between versions and any specialty aircraft developed from the base airframe. In this latter case, it means sections on the F2G Super Corsair as well as those which went on to distinguish themselves in air racing.

Considering the era in which this plane flew, there are a considerable number of color photos as well as the usual excellent choice of B&W photos and well drawn color profiles. It is a book that you will be going over again and again, not only just to browse, but to use for references for model building. It is a book that I can quite easily give my highest recommendation. Grab yours while the getting is good.

January 2011

Thanks to Squadron Products for the review book. Get yours at your local shop today.

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