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90-609: Two Corsair fighter planes were destroyed in a fatal midair collision over the lake on 16 May 1944. The lake is connected to Brandy Pond by the Songo River and eventually to Long Lake in Naples. The lake is drained primarily by the Presumpscot River. The lake and rivers were an early transportation corridor from the coast to the interior, and encouraged the first incorporated European settlement of interior Maine in 1762. Sebago Lake

180-582: A "meatball" by Allied aircrew ) that is still in use to this day , the United States removed all areas of red color (specifically removing the red center to the roundel) and removed any sort of national fin/rudder markings , which at that time had seven horizontal red stripes , from the American national aircraft insignia scheme by 6 May 1942. The British did likewise, starting with a simple paintover with white paint, of their "Type C" roundel's red center, at about

270-495: A Dark Slate Grey/Extra Dark Sea Grey disruptive pattern on top and Sky undersides, but were later painted overall dark blue. As it had become imperative for all Allied aircraft in the Pacific Theater of World War II to abandon all use of any "red devices" in their national insignia — to prevent any chance of misidentification with Japanese military aircraft, all of which bore the circular, all-red Hinomaru insignia (nicknamed

360-547: A Sebago Lake beach, in what some believe is the first landing of a plane on Sebago beaches. Sebago Lake is the primary water supply for the Portland Water District, which serves the Greater Portland region and about 20% of Maine's population. The lake's watershed is more than 50 miles (80 km) long and covers parts of 24 Maine towns. The direct watershed is about 171 square miles (443 km) of land plus

450-537: A Zero at slow speed, one on one. In these instances I considered myself fortunate to survive a battle. Of my 21 victories, 17 were against Zeros, and I lost five aircraft in combat. I was shot down three times and I crashed one that ploughed into the line back at base and wiped out another F4U. VMF-113 was activated on 1 January 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro as part of Marine Base Defense Air Group 41. They were soon given their full complement of 24 F4U Corsairs. On 26 March 1944, while escorting four B-25 bombers on

540-693: A better fighter than the F4F Wildcat. For them, it was not as important that the F4U could be recovered aboard a carrier, as they usually flew from land bases. Growing pains aside, Marine Corps squadrons readily took to the radical new fighter. From February 1943 onward, the F4U operated from Guadalcanal and ultimately other bases in the Solomon Islands . A dozen USMC F4U-1s of VMF-124, commanded by Major William E. Gise, arrived at Henderson Field (code name "Cactus") on 12 February. The first recorded combat engagement

630-431: A contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters, which were given the name "Corsair" – inherited from the firm's late-1920s Vought O2U naval biplane scout, which first bore the name – on 30 June of the same year. The first production F4U-1 performed its initial flight a year later, on 24 June 1942. It was a remarkable achievement for Vought; compared to land-based counterparts, carrier aircraft are "overbuilt" and heavier, to withstand

720-589: A different opinion, stating that "In order to simplify spares problems and also to insure flexibility in carrier operations present practice in the Pacific is to assign all Corsairs to Marines and to equip FightRons [fighter squadrons] on medium and light carriers with Hellcats." VF-12 soon abandoned its aircraft to the Marines. VF-17 kept its Corsairs, but was removed from its carrier, USS Bunker Hill , due to perceived difficulties in supplying parts at sea. The Marines needed

810-566: A radio operator/navigator. The Royal Navy hurriedly adopted higher-performance single-seat aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Hurricane and the less robust Supermarine Seafire alongside, but neither aircraft had sufficient range to operate at a distance from a carrier task force. The Corsair was welcomed as a more robust and versatile alternative. In November 1943, the Royal Navy received its first batch of 95 Vought F4U-1s, which were given

900-521: A raid over Ponape, they recorded their first enemy kills, downing eight Japanese aircraft. In April of that year, VMF-113 was tasked with providing air support for the landings at Ujelang . Since the assault was unopposed, the squadron quickly returned to striking Japanese targets in the Marshall Islands for the remainder of 1944. Corsairs were flown by the "Black Sheep" Squadron ( VMF-214 , led by Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington ) in an area of

990-522: A shore-based unit in the Solomon Islands, VF-17 reinstalled the tail hooks so its F4Us could land and refuel while providing top cover over the task force participating in the carrier raid on Rabaul . The squadron's pilots landed, refueled, and took off from their former home, Bunker Hill and USS  Essex on 11 November 1943. Twelve USMC F4U-1s arrived at Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) on 12 February 1943. The U.S. Navy did not get into combat with

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1080-532: A total of 21 kills during the war. He remembered: I learned quickly that altitude was paramount. Whoever had altitude dictated the terms of the battle, and there was nothing a Zero pilot could do to change that — we had him. The F4U could outperform a Zero in every aspect except slow speed manoeuvrability and slow speed rate of climb. Therefore you avoided getting slow when combating a Zero. It took time but eventually we developed tactics and deployed them very effectively... There were times, however, that I tangled with

1170-573: Is located in what Maine's tourism industry refers to as the Western Lakes and Mountains Region. Efforts are underway to complete the Sebago to the Sea Trail , a trail running 28 miles from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay, mostly following the path of the Presumpscot River. The lake is the likely point of origin of the landlocked salmon, stated in the species' scientific name ( Salmo salar sebago ). At one point,

1260-458: Is open year-round, and has facilities including two public boat launches, an expansive natural sandbar for swimming, and a 250-site campground. There are also numerous private beach clubs and campgrounds spread around the lake, such as Point Sebago in Casco, which contains numerous cottages and facilities that can be rented out to guests. Sebago Lake hosts a sailing instruction and charter service and

1350-581: The Dutch East Indies . In July and August 1945, Corsair naval squadrons 1834, 1836, 1841, and 1842 took part in a series of strikes on the Japanese mainland, near Tokyo. These squadrons operated from Victorious and Formidable. On 9 August 1945, days before the end of the war, Corsairs from Formidable attacked Shiogama harbor on the northeast coast of Japan. Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve pilot, Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray , of 1841 Squadron

1440-590: The Korean War . Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought , the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear , whose Corsairs were designated FG , and Brewster , designated F3A . The Corsair was designed and principally operated as a carrier-based aircraft , and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy and Marines in World War II. It quickly became one of

1530-643: The New Hebrides . From April, these workshops became responsible for assembling all Corsairs for the RNZAF units operating the aircraft in the South West Pacific; and a Test and Despatch flight was set up to test the aircraft after assembly. By June 1944, 100 Corsairs had been assembled and test flown. The first squadrons to use the Corsair were 20 and 21 Squadrons on Espiritu Santo, operational in May 1944. The organization of

1620-509: The 45 square miles (117 km) of the lake, and the indirect watershed about 190 square miles (490 km) of land plus about 28 square miles (73 km) of other bodies of water. As of May 1990, roughly 86% of the watershed was forests and fallow fields, 2.5% in active timber operations, 9.3% in residential, agricultural, and commercial use, and 2.2% used for other purposes. The lake holds roughly 995 billion US gallons (3.77 × 10 m) of water that on average resides 5.1 to 5.4 years in

1710-622: The Americans. In all, out of 18 carrier-based squadrons, eight saw combat, flying intensive ground attack/interdiction operations and claiming 47.5 aircraft shot down. At the end of World War II, under the terms of the Lend-Lease agreement, the aircraft had to be paid for or to be returned to the U.S. As the UK did not have the means to pay for them, the Royal Navy Corsairs were pushed overboard into

1800-430: The Corsair entered service. Carrier suitability was a major development issue, prompting changes to the main landing gear, tail wheel, and tailhook . Early F4U-1s had difficulty recovering from developed spins, since the inverted gull wing's shape interfered with elevator authority. It was also found that the Corsair's left wing could stall and drop rapidly and without warning during slow carrier landings. In addition, if

1890-472: The Corsair was "...an excellent carrier type and very easy to land aboard. It is no different than any other airplane." Two Navy units, VF-12 (October 1942) and later VF-17 (April 1943) were equipped with the F4U. By April 1943, VF-12 had successfully completed deck landing qualification. At the time, the U.S. Navy also had the Grumman F6F Hellcat, which did not have the performance of the F4U, but

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1980-434: The Corsair's payload and range in the attack role and to help evaluate future viability of single- versus twin-engine fighter design for Vought. Lindbergh managed to get the F4U into the air with 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) of bombs, with a 2,000 pounds (910 kg) bomb on the centerline and a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bomb under each wing. In the course of such experiments, he performed strikes on Japanese positions during

2070-525: The Corsair, was considered simpler to land on a carrier by an inexperienced pilot and proved to be successful almost immediately after introduction. The Navy's decision to choose the Hellcat meant that the Corsair was released to the U.S. Marine Corps. With no initial requirement for carrier landings, the Marine Corps deployed the Corsair to devastating effect from land bases. Corsair deployment aboard U.S. carriers

2160-656: The F4U had equipped all ten Pacific-based fighter squadrons of the RNZAF. Center Day Camp Center Day Camp (CDC) is a day camp run by the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that coordinates, promotes, and supports the Jewish philanthropic, benevolent, educational, and communal activities in Southern Maine . It is located in North Windham, Maine , on

2250-478: The F4U were given different armaments. While most Corsair variants had the standard armament of six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, some models (like the F4U-1C) were equipped with four 20 millimeter M2 cannons for its main weapon. While these cannons were more powerful than the standard machine guns, they were not favored over the standard loadout. Only 200 models of this particular Corsair model were produced, out of

2340-594: The F4U-1D, but not separately designated in British use). 430 Brewster Corsairs (334 F3A-1 and 96 F3A-1D), more than half of Brewster's total production, were delivered to Britain as the Corsair Mk III. 857 Goodyear Corsairs (400 FG-1/-1A and 457 FG-1D) were delivered and designated Corsair Mk IV. The Mk IIs and Mk IVs were the only versions to be used in combat. The Royal Navy cleared the F4U for carrier operations well before

2430-644: The F4U-1s were assembled by Unit 60 with a further batch assembled and flown at RNZAF Station Hobsonville . In total there were 336 F4U-1s and 41 F4U-1Ds used by the RNZAF during the Second World War. Sixty FG-1Ds arrived late in the war. The first deliveries of lend-lease Corsairs began in March 1944 with the arrival of 30 F4U-1s at the RNZAF Base Depot Workshops (Unit 60) on the island of Espiritu Santo in

2520-471: The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, is located on the Eastern Shore of the lake in the town of Windham . Camp O-At-Ka , founded in 1906, is a boy's sleep-away camp located along a half mile of waterfront in the northwest corner of Sebago Lake. Camp Sebago, a co-ed camp geared towards 7-12 year olds and run by The Salvation Army, is located on the southwestern corner of the lake. Camp Wohelo,

2610-495: The Navy requested the maximum obtainable speed, and a minimum stalling speed not higher than 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). A range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) was specified. The fighter had to carry four guns, or three with increased ammunition. Provision had to be made for antiaircraft bombs to be carried in the wing. These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations. In June 1938,

2700-475: The Pacific War, this was due in part to operational circumstances; it primarily faced air-to-air combat in the Solomon Islands and Rabaul campaigns (as well as at Leyte and for kamikaze interception), but as operations shifted north and its mission shifted to ground attack the aircraft saw less exposure to enemy aircraft, while other fighter types were exposed to more air combat. Against the best Japanese opponents,

2790-546: The Pacific without tailhooks installed. Corsairs also served well as fighter-bombers in the Central Pacific and the Philippines. By early 1944, Marine pilots were beginning to exploit the type's considerable capabilities in the close-support role in amphibious landings. Charles Lindbergh flew Corsairs with the Marines as a civilian technical advisor for United Aircraft Corporation in order to determine how best to increase

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2880-603: The R-2800. But whereas the P-47 achieved its highest speed at 30,020 feet (9,150 m) with the help of an intercooled turbocharger , the F4U-1 reached its maximum speed at 19,900 ft (6,100 m) using a mechanically supercharged engine. The U.S. Navy received its first production F4U-1 on 31 July 1942, though getting it into service proved difficult. The framed "birdcage" style canopy provided inadequate visibility for deck taxiing, and

2970-438: The RNZAF in the Pacific and New Zealand meant that only the pilots and a small staff belonged to each squadron (the maximum strength on a squadron was 27 pilots): squadrons were assigned to several Servicing Units (SUs, composed of 5–6 officers, 57 NCOs, 212 airmen) which carried out aircraft maintenance and operated from fixed locations: hence F4U-1 NZ5313 was first used by 20 Squadron/1 SU on Guadalcanal in May 1944; 20 Squadron

3060-639: The Solomon Islands called " The Slot ". Boyington was credited with 22 kills in F4Us (of 28 total, including six in an AVG P-40 , although his score with the AVG has been disputed). Other noted Corsair pilots of the period included VMF-124's Kenneth Walsh , James E. Swett , Archie Donahue , and Bill "Casey" Case; VMF-215 's Robert M. Hanson and Donald Aldrich ; and VF-17's Tommy Blackburn , Roger Hedrick , and Ira Kepford . Nightfighter versions equipped Navy and Marine units afloat and ashore. One particularly unusual kill

3150-552: The U.S. Navy and showed that the Corsair Mk II could be operated with reasonable success even from escort carriers . It was not without problems; one was excessive wear of the arrester wires, due both to the weight of the Corsair and the understandable tendency of the pilots to stay well above the stalling speed. A total of 2,012 Corsairs were supplied to the United Kingdom. Fleet Air Arm (FAA) units were created and equipped in

3240-574: The U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype bearing the factory designation V-166B , the XF4U-1, BuNo 1443. The Corsair design team was led by Rex Beisel . After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 prototype of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp twin-row, 18-cylinder radial engine , rated at 1,805 hp (1,346 kW) went ahead quickly, as

3330-474: The United States, at Quonset Point or Brunswick and then shipped to war theaters aboard escort carriers. The first FAA Corsair unit was 1830 NAS , created on the first of June 1943, and soon operating from HMS  Illustrious . At the end of the war, 18 FAA squadrons were operating the Corsair. British Corsairs served both in Europe and in the Pacific. The first, and also most important, European operations were

3420-786: The added benefit of minimizing complexity. (These Corsairs’ wings could still be manually folded. ) A second option was to remove the folding mechanism in the field using a kit, which could be done for Vought and Brewster Corsairs as well. On 6 December 1943, the Bureau of Aeronautics issued guidance on weight-reduction measures for the F4U-1, FG-1, and F3A. Corsair squadrons operating from land bases were authorized to remove catapult hooks, arresting hooks, and associated equipment, which eliminated 48 pounds of unnecessary weight. While there are no data to indicate to what extent these modifications were incorporated, there are numerous photos in evidence of Corsairs, of various manufacturers and models, on islands in

3510-562: The aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and 6:1 against the Nakajima Ki-84 , Kawanishi N1K -J, and Mitsubishi J2M combined during the last year of the war. The Corsair bore the brunt of U.S. fighter-bomber missions, delivering 15,621 short tons (14,171 metric tons) of bombs during the war (70% of total bombs dropped by U.S. fighters during the war). Corsair losses in World War II were as follows: In

3600-553: The battle for the Marshall Islands. By the beginning of 1945, the Corsair was a full-blown "mudfighter", performing strikes with high-explosive bombs, napalm tanks, and HVARs . It proved versatile, able to operate everything from Bat glide bombs to 11.75 in (298 mm) Tiny Tim rockets. The aircraft was a prominent participant in the fighting for the Palaus , Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In November 1943, while operating as

3690-594: The camp. CDC accepts campers of all faiths and backgrounds. CDC is accredited by the American Camping Association . Center Day Camp also has a counselor-in-training (CIT) program whose participants assist staff with group participation, activities, and lesson planning, developing skills to become future counselors. Norman Godfrey, a leader in Portland's Jewish community, recognized that few families could afford to send their children to sleep-away camp during

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3780-534: The control surfaces and access panels, and in one case, an engine failure. The spin recovery standards also had to be relaxed, as recovery from the required two-turn spin proved impossible without resorting to an antispin chute. The problems clearly meant delays in getting the design into production. Reports coming back from the war in Europe indicated an armament of two .30 in (7.62 mm) synchronized engine cowling-mount machine guns, and two .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns (one in each outer wing panel)

3870-634: The cowl flaps across the top of the engine compartment, diverting oil and hydraulic fluid spray around the sides of the fuselage. The curved approach used with the Seafire was also adopted for landing Corsairs, ensuring the flight deck was kept in sight as long as possible. The Royal Navy initially received 95 "birdcage" F4U-1s from Vought which were designated Corsair Mk I in Fleet Air Arm service. Next from Vought came 510 "blown-canopy" F4U-1A/-1Ds, which were designated Corsair Mk II (the final 150 equivalent to

3960-467: The deckhead. The change in span brought about the added benefit of improving the sink rate , reducing the F4U's propensity to "float" in the final stages of landing. The Royal Navy developed a number of modifications to the Corsair that made carrier landings more practical. Among these were a bulged canopy (similar to the Malcolm Hood ), raising the pilot's seat 7 in (180 mm), and wiring shut

4050-599: The designation "Corsair [Mark] I". The first squadrons were assembled and trained on the U.S. East Coast and then shipped across the Atlantic. The Royal Navy put the Corsair into carrier operations immediately. They found its landing characteristics dangerous, suffering a number of fatal crashes, but considered the Corsair to be the best option they had. In Royal Navy service, because of the limited hangar deck height in several classes of British carrier, many Corsairs had their outer wings "clipped" by 8 in (200 mm) to clear

4140-469: The early days of World War II, Royal Navy fighter requirements had been based on cumbersome two-seat designs, such as the fighter/dive-bomber Blackburn Skua (and its turreted derivative the Blackburn Roc ) and the fighter/reconnaissance Fairey Fulmar , since it was expected that they would encounter only long-range bombers or flying boats and that navigation over featureless seas required the assistance of

4230-423: The end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks. F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1. While this gave the Corsair the lowest loss rate of any fighter of

4320-538: The entire watershed was under seawater, and the first populations of these marine animals became established as the land rose and seawaters retreated. Other game fish that can be found in the lake include lake trout , brook trout , brown trout , largemouth bass , and northern pike . Some of these are regularly stocked by the state, or came to the lake naturally. However, others were introduced illegally , particularly bass and pike. The state encourages anglers to kill, hold, and notify them of all northern pike taken in

4410-433: The extreme stress of deck landings. The F4U incorporated the largest engine available at the time, the 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial . To extract as much power as possible, a relatively large Hamilton Standard Hydromatic three-blade propeller of 13 feet 4 inches (4.06 m) was used. To accommodate a folding wing, the designers considered retracting

4500-416: The first airframe ever designed from the start to have a Double Wasp engine fitted for flight. When the prototype was completed, it had the biggest and most powerful engine, largest propeller, and probably the largest wing on any naval fighter to date. The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940, with Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The maiden flight proceeded normally until a hurried landing

4590-462: The first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models. Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter. In February 1938, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics published two requests for proposal for twin-engined and single-engined fighters. For the single-engined fighter,

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4680-560: The lake because they were introduced illegally, are not native to the region, and could disrupt the lake ecosystem, including that of Sebago Lake's original fish species, such as the landlocked salmon. Ice fishing for the aforementioned Trout and Pike populations is also popular in areas where it is safely possible, with annual fishing derbies held in the smaller “Jordan Bay” portion of the lake. The lake also contains numerous summer camp options for children of all ages, genders, and skillsets: Center Day Camp , an all-inclusive day camp run by

4770-486: The lake during World War II . A Grumman TBF Avenger from the Lewiston Naval Auxiliary Air Facility ditched and sank near Raymond on 16 August 1943. Two low-flying British Vought Corsairs from Brunswick were lost after a mid-air collision over the lake near Raymond on 16 May 1944; and a third Corsair flew into the lake on July 16. In December 2014 a yellow Piper PA-18 Super Cub monoplane landed on

4860-493: The lake. Water inflow is estimated at 544 million US gallons (2,060,000 m) per day and outflow at 498 million US gallons (1,890,000 m) per day, of which 24 million US gallons (91,000 m)/day are for the water district. In 1938, the state of Maine purchased and opened Sebago Lake State Park as one of its original five state parks. However, the area was known as a public recreation center even before this. The park now consists of 1,400 acres (5.7 km),

4950-428: The legs allowed the hydraulic pressure to be released gradually as the aircraft landed. The Corsair was not considered fit for carrier use until the wing stall problems and the deck bounce could be solved. Meanwhile, the more docile and simpler-to-build F6F Hellcat had begun entering service in its intended carrier-based use. The Navy wanted to standardize on one type of carrier fighter, and the Hellcat, while slower than

5040-560: The long "hose nose" and nose-up attitude of the Corsair made it difficult to see straight ahead. The enormous torque of the Double Wasp engine also made it a handful for inexperienced pilots if they were forced to bolter . Early Navy pilots called the F4U the "hog", "hosenose", or "bent-wing widow maker". Carrier qualification trials on the training carrier USS Wolverine and escort carriers USS Core and USS Charger in 1942 found that, despite visibility issues and control sensitivity,

5130-478: The main landing gear rearward, but for the chord of wing that was chosen, making the landing gear struts long enough to provide ground clearance for the large propeller was difficult. Their solution was an inverted gull wing , which considerably shortened the required length of the struts. The anhedral of the wing's inboard section also permitted the wing and fuselage to meet at the optimum angle for minimizing drag , without using wing-root fairings. The bent wing

5220-525: The most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of the war. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter and U.S. naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio . Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat , powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's initial prototype in 1940. The Corsair's early deployment

5310-532: The original Camp Fire Girls camp (WOrk HEalth LOve) was established on Sebago Lake in 1907. Founded by Luther Halsey Gulick and Charlotte Vetter Gulick, known by their native American names of Timanous and Hiitini, the camp strove to teach independence and back woods skills to young girls aged 6–16. Wohelo is still strong today. Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and

5400-456: The outer) meant the location of the wing fuel tanks had to be changed. In order to keep the fuel tank close to the center of gravity , the only available position was in the forward fuselage, ahead of the cockpit. Accordingly, as a 237 US gal (897 L) self-sealing fuel tank replaced the fuselage mounted armament, the cockpit had to be moved back by 32 in (810 mm) and the fuselage lengthened. Later on, different variants of

5490-441: The pilot with a limited rear view over his shoulders. A rectangular Plexiglas panel was inset into the lower center section to allow the pilot to see directly beneath the aircraft and assist with deck landings. The engine used was the more powerful R-2800-8 (B series) Double Wasp which produced 2,000 hp (1,500 kW). On the wings the flaps were changed to a NACA slotted type and the ailerons were increased in span to increase

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5580-403: The right wing to stall at the same time as the left. Other problems were encountered during early carrier trials. The combination of an aft cockpit and the Corsair's long nose made landings hazardous for newly trained pilots because of the lack of visibility due to said features. During landing approaches, it was found that oil from the opened hydraulically powered cowl flaps could spatter onto

5670-504: The roll rate, with a consequent reduction in flap span. IFF transponder equipment was fitted in the rear fuselage. These changes increased the Corsair's weight by several hundred pounds. The performance of the Corsair was superior to most of its contemporaries. The F4U-1 was considerably faster than the Grumman F6F Hellcat and only 13 mph (21 km/h) slower than the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt . All three were powered by

5760-661: The sea in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, Australia. Equipped with obsolescent Curtiss P-40s , Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) squadrons in the South Pacific performed impressively, in particular in the air-to-air role. The American government accordingly decided to give New Zealand early access to the Corsair, especially as it was not initially being used from carriers. Some 424 Corsairs equipped 13 RNZAF squadrons, including No. 14 Squadron RNZAF and No. 15 Squadron RNZAF , replacing Douglas SBD Dauntlesses as well as P-40s. Most of

5850-773: The series of attacks ( Operation Tungsten ) in April, July, and August 1944 on the German battleship  Tirpitz , for which Corsairs from HMS  Victorious and HMS  Formidable provided fighter cover. It appears the Corsairs did not encounter aerial opposition on these raids. From April 1944, Corsairs from the British Pacific Fleet took part in several major air raids in South East Asia beginning with Operation Cockpit , an attack on Japanese targets at Sabang island, in

5940-400: The shores of Sebago Lake . The camp is co-ed. Campers range from 3 to 15 years old. CDC provides a traditional Maine summer camp experience for campers on the wooded shores of Lake Sebago. Twenty minutes from Portland , Maine, CDC sits on 27 acres (110,000 m ) of woods, fields, and shoreline. Generations of campers have spent their days at the camp's lake and learned new skills at

6030-499: The skinning for the top and bottom of each outer wing, aft of the main spar and armament bays, and for the ailerons , elevators , and rudder . The elevators were also constructed from plywood. The Corsair, even with its streamlining and high-speed abilities, could fly slowly enough for carrier landings with full flap deployment of 50°. In part because of its advances in technology and a top speed greater than existing Navy aircraft, numerous technical problems had to be solved before

6120-597: The summer, so he decided to start a summer day camp. Godfrey wanted to open the summer camp on Peaks Island, but he died of leukemia in January 1947 before taking his idea to fruition. Others in Portland's Jewish community continued Godfrey's idea in order to make it happen. The summer camp was established, albeit operating in temporary locations. The first location was in Deering Oaks Park in Portland, and it later operated Sebago Lake State Park. It had about 50 campers. The camp

6210-417: The throttle were suddenly advanced (for example, during an aborted landing ) the left wing could stall and drop so quickly that the fighter could flip over with the rapid increase in power. These potentially lethal characteristics were later solved through the addition of a small, 6 in (150 mm)-long stall strip to the leading edge of the outer right wing, just outboard of the gun ports. This allowed

6300-477: The time the U.S. Navy removed the red-center from their roundel. Later, a shade of slate gray center color replaced the white color on the earlier roundel. When the Americans starting using the added white bars to either side of their blue/white star roundel on 28 June 1943; SEAC British Corsairs, most all of which still used the earlier blue/white Type C roundel with the red center removed, added similar white bars to either side of their blue-white roundels to emulate

6390-458: The total of 12,571. Other variants were capable of carrying mission specific weapons such as rockets and bombs. The F4U was able to carry up to a total of eight rockets, or four under each wing. It was able to carry up to four thousand pounds of explosive ordnance. This helped the Corsair take on a fighter bomber role, giving it a more versatile role as a ground support aircraft as well as a fighter. In addition, 150 lb (68 kg) of armor plate

6480-744: The type until September 1943. The work done by the Royal Navy 's FAA meant those models qualified the type for U.S. carrier operations first. The U.S. Navy finally accepted the F4U for shipboard operations in April 1944, after the longer oleo strut was fitted, which eliminated the tendency to bounce. The first US Corsair unit to be based effectively on a carrier was the pioneer USMC squadron VMF-124 , which joined Essex in December 1944. They were accompanied by VMF-213 . The increasing need for fighter protection against kamikaze attacks resulted in more Corsair units being moved to carriers. U.S. figures compiled at

6570-590: The wheel atop the lower end of the strut when retracted. A pair of rectangular doors enclosed each wheel well, leaving a streamlined wing. This swiveling, aft-retracting landing gear design was common to the Curtiss P-40 (and its predecessor, the P-36 ), as adopted for the F4U Corsair's main gear and its Pacific War counterpart, the Grumman F6F Hellcat . The oil coolers were mounted in the heavily anhedraled inboard section of

6660-422: The windscreen, severely reducing visibility, and the undercarriage oleo struts had bad rebound characteristics on landing, allowing the aircraft to bounce down the carrier deck. The first problem was solved by locking the top cowl flaps in front of the windscreen down permanently, then replacing them with a fixed panel. The undercarriage bounce took more time to solve, but eventually a "bleed valve" incorporated in

6750-441: The wings, alongside the supercharger air intakes, and used openings in the leading edges of the wings, rather than protruding scoops. The large fuselage panels were made of aluminum and were attached to the frames with the newly developed technique of spot welding , thus mostly eliminating the use of rivets. While employing this new technology, the Corsair was also the last American-produced fighter aircraft to feature fabric as

6840-515: Was a better deck landing aircraft. The Corsair was declared "ready for combat" at the end of 1942, though qualified to operate only from land bases until the last of the carrier qualification issues were worked out. VF-17 went aboard the USS ; Bunker Hill in late 1943, and the Chief of Naval Operations wanted to equip four air groups with Corsairs by the end of 1943. The Commander, Air Forces, Pacific had

6930-634: Was awarded the Navy Cross . At war's end, Corsairs were ashore on Okinawa , combating the kamikaze , and also were flying from fleet and escort carriers. VMF-312 , VMF-323 , and VMF-224 and some other Marine units met with success in the Battle of Okinawa . Since Corsairs were being operated from shore bases, while still awaiting approval for U.S. carrier operations, 965 FG-1As were built as "land planes" without their hydraulic wing folding mechanisms, hoping to improve performance by reducing aircraft weight, with

7020-425: Was delayed until late 1944, by which time the last of the carrier landing problems, relating to the Corsair's long nose, had been tackled by the British. Production F4U-1s featured several major modifications from the XF4U-1. A change of armament to six wing-mounted .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (three in each outer wing panel) and their ammunition (400 rounds for the inner pair, 375 rounds for

7110-414: Was heavier and more difficult to construct, however, offsetting these benefits. The Corsair's aerodynamics were an advance over those of contemporary naval fighters. The F4U was the first U.S. Navy aircraft to feature landing gear that retracted into a fully enclosed wheel well. The landing gear oleo struts —each with its own strut door enclosing it when retracted—rotated through 90° during retraction, with

7200-417: Was hit by flak but pressed home his attack on the Japanese destroyer escort Amakusa , sinking it with a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb but crashing into the sea. He was posthumously awarded Canada's last Victoria Cross , becoming the second fighter pilot of the war to earn a Victoria Cross as well as the final Canadian casualty of World War II. FAA Corsairs originally fought in a camouflage scheme with

7290-402: Was installed, along with a 1.5 in (38 mm) bullet-proof windscreen which was set internally, behind the curved Plexiglas windscreen. The canopy could be jettisoned in an emergency, and half-elliptical planform transparent panels, much like those of certain models of the Curtiss P-40 , were inset into the sides of the fuselage's turtledeck structure behind the pilot's headrest, providing

7380-486: Was insufficient. The U.S. Navy 's November 1940 production proposals specified heavier armament. The increased armament comprised three .50 caliber machine guns mounted in each wing panel. This improvement greatly increased the ability of the Corsair to shoot down enemy aircraft. Formal U.S. Navy acceptance trials for the XF4U-1 began in February 1941. The Navy entered into a letter of intent on 3 March 1941, received Vought's production proposal on 2 April, and awarded Vought

7470-703: Was linked to Portland harbor by the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in 1832. The outlet to the Presumpscot River was controlled for the canal by the Eel Weir Dam and the Head Dam, owned and operated by the Oriental Powder Company after the canal was replaced by a railroad and by the S. D. Warren Paper Mill after 1878. The lake was a comparatively safe place for training military pilots from NAS Brunswick about flying over water; but several navy planes were lost over

7560-687: Was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter. On 1 October 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engined U.S. fighter to fly faster than 400 mph (640 km/h) by flying at an average ground speed of 405 mph (652 km/h) from Stratford to Hartford . The USAAC 's twin engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning had flown over 400 mph in January–February 1939. The XF4U-1 also had an excellent rate of climb, although testing revealed some requirements would have to be rewritten. In full-power dive tests, speeds up to 550 mph (890 km/h) were achieved, but not without damage to

7650-411: Was non-sectarian, although most, but not all, of the campers were Jewish. In 1949, Portland's Jewish community took out a loan of $ 9,500 (equivalent to $ 122,000 in 2023) in order to buy 12 acres (5 ha) on Sebago Lake as a permanent home for the camp. The loan was formally secured by six volunteers, but ultimately 140 families donated in order to pay back the loan over the next three years. The camp

7740-404: Was on 14 February 1943, when Corsairs of VMF-124 under Major Gise assisted P-40s and P-38s in escorting a formation of Consolidated B-24 Liberators on a raid against a Japanese aerodrome at Kahili . Japanese fighters contested the raid and the Americans got the worst of it, with four P-38s, two P-40s, two Corsairs, and two Liberators lost. No more than four Japanese Zeros were destroyed. A Corsair

7830-454: Was responsible for one of the kills, albeit due to a midair collision. The fiasco was referred to as the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre". Despite the debut, the Marines quickly learned how to make better use of the aircraft and started demonstrating its superiority over Japanese fighters. By May, the Corsair units were getting the upper hand, and VMF-124 had produced the first Corsair ace, Second Lieutenant Kenneth A. Walsh , who would rack up

7920-483: Was scored by Marine Lieutenant R. R. Klingman of VMF-312 (the "Checkerboards") over Okinawa. Klingman was in pursuit of a Japanese twin-engine aircraft at high altitude when his guns jammed due to the gun lubrication thickening from the extreme cold. He flew into and chopped off the enemy's tail with the large propeller of the Corsair. Despite smashing five inches (130 mm) off the end of his propeller blades, he managed to land safely after this aerial ramming attack. He

8010-613: Was then relocated to 2 SU on Bougainville in November. In all there were ten front line SUs plus another three based in New Zealand. Because each of the SUs painted its aircraft with distinctive markings and the aircraft themselves could be repainted in several different color schemes, the RNZAF Corsairs were far less uniform in appearance than their American and FAA contemporaries. By late 1944,

8100-577: Was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria . In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force , French Naval Aviation , and other air forces until the 1960s. From

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