My neighbor, Col. Dan C. Holland, served as a Marine Corps aviator flying the F4U Corsair during WWII, flying with the third VMF-214 Black Sheep Squadron. Col. Holland also flew the Corsair during the Korean War and served as Commanding Officer of the 7th Marine Regiment Forward Air Controllers during the Chosin Reservoir Campaign. A good man. He was as young at 70 as he was in his 20's. He passed away in October 2011 at the age of 90. A true member of the greatest generation.
Cool. My former neighbor flew Corsairs during the Korean War.his unit never flew in combat because of the freezing conditions during his time with the air group. He timed out before the group did see combat. He had a lot of stories about flying the Corsair. When I asked him what he liked most about flying them he said, the power. Being propeller driven they accelerated faster than the jets could, but the jets had higher top speed. Dean Thomas passed away in 2001. It was very sad news. Thier son was killed in a car accident, and he never had children, so we made our boys available to them. His wife, with my oldest one day, and when I went over to bring him home for dinner, her eyes were full of tears. She thanked us for letting the boys spend time with them, and when Dean Pasased away and she was unable to drive back out, she sold the house and stayed at their home in Oregon. I’m a richer person from knowing such loving people. Dean and Diane you won’t be forgotten!
I'm a retired tool and die maker. I was a little bit proficient in SolidWorks, but I am absolutely blown away by what I'm seeing here. Kudos to these people that keep these old planes flying. (and for Juan to know all that he knows about this plane....)
My dad joined the Marines at the age of 17 in 1944. He was assigned to Marine Aviation Maintenance and his first job was bleeding g the brakes on the F4U. I always loved the Corsair and sat in one years ago. The rudders were smooth as glass as I moved them. The lines on the Corsair are beautiful.
As a purchasing agent, working in a manufacturing plant, there were times when a very old piece of equipment built in 40's, would fail. Many of the punch presses and turret lathes we owned came off of battleships, and destroyers, from WW ll. Because we didn't have the original manufacturing drawings, often we would have to reverse engineering a broken part so a new part could be made. I suspect many of old parts that had to rebuilt from these Corsairs had to be reversed engineered to meet modern day specifications and tolerances. We also had very old drawings, drawn on a drafting table 50-60 years before Auto-Cad or Solid Works ever came along. Over the years, we redrew these antique drawings in Auto-Cad, and later on, in Solid Works. When we were reproducing these drawings we often found errors in the mathematics. Back in the day, the machines that we used to manufacture the gears and sprockets we sold could not hold the close tolerances that new and more modern machines can manufacture today. Many of the errors found were simply +/- tolerances that were way too lose for the tolerances we could hold in the modern era. We also found errors in various bends and curves, or radii, that we need to hold in order to stamp the very close tolerances we use today, +/-.00003", to produced the links in our Silent Chains drives made today. I miss being the plant. There was always something interest going in the engineering department. Thanks Juan. I love these old war birds, especially the Corsairs. What a sexy, and deadly plane.
Said " We also had very old drawings, drawn on a drafting table 50-60 years before Auto-Cad or Solid Works ever came along. Over the years, we redrew these antique drawings in Auto-Cad, and later on, in Solid Works. " Yep, I've dug through many old prints / fixed undocumented machines from that era. The old drawings had character with the style of each draftsman being slightly different, this is lacking in the world of computer drafting.
I received a call from a fellow in Ontario, CA and he wanted us to digitize DC-3 source drawings. The project was straight forward except for the "J" size drawings. These were 1:1, hand drawn layouts for much of the skin of the plane. They were the actual size of the part with marks for rivet holes, start of bend, stop of bend and more instructions I did not understand. On many of the drawings you could see where someone had laid out the drawing on a piece of aluminum and center punched the appropriate spots. I understand about 3,000 DC-3's are still flying.
In another area of weapons manufacture during WW2, they were able to work with very small tolerances. The Naval Gun Factory in DC worked with tolerances as small as 21/1,000,000 of an inch. That's not a typo.
It just astounds me at the technology that was being used in the 40s from the machines used to build and make the parts, to the actual flying machine itself and the engine and all of the thousands of intricate parts.
@@antman5474 actually that had zero to do what what I said I actually was referring to how far humans advanced technologically from the late 20s following the industrial revolution till the 40s from mechanical to science and the creation of the A-bomb. Then just 25 yrs later we would have a man on the moon, but yeah you're right, where there is war their is dirtbags looking to capitalize on people's suffering, just some countries,, people's do it better than others...
I think using the front landing gear covers as dive-brakes is very cool , Had always noticed I thought they were perhaps larger than necessary, but now know why. Thank you JB
And just think, they built 12,751 of them in just a few years. If you have ever read anything about U.S. war production during WW2 it is mind boggling that a country of 135,000,000 people could accomplish so much in 3 years 9 months and a week. Could we do that again? Nope.
@@michaelmartinez1345 Actually, most of the people who designed and built war material were from the previous generation. That would be my grandfather's generation. My dad's generation took that machinery and kicked German and Japanese butt with it.
I have always loved the Corsair. I’m not a pilot or in aviation but do enjoy reading the history of WWII. The sound of a Corsair is like no other. This shop is up the hill from me and I’d love to see their operation but it’s my understanding they are closed to the public. They probably wouldn’t get any work done otherwise. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of their operation. Curious how many corsairs are they currently restoring.
I worked for a year as an A & P at a facility that maintained WW II historic aircraft, incl a B-17, B-24, B-25 and a Corsair. I had the opportunity to hand fabricate some small airframe parts, Alunimum ad wood, and the detailed work that was required to match original blueprints was incredible. We didn't have the ability to mass produce parts for the warbird community but we could make some parts one at a time. It was really a dream job, but every day I would think about the thousands of Rosies and other wartime factory workers turning out thousands of aircraft and land vehicles that led to victory. If you've ever walked through a B-17 or other WW II aircraft, or done serious maintenance on one and thought about the sacrifices at home and overseas that went into that war effort it'll bring tears to your eyes.
I recall reading that this plane was designed , by two guys, in a few months in the late 30’s to meet a government deadline. My brother worked in the oil industry starting in the 70’s he was taught by guys that didn’t have degrees they learned by trial and error.
I'm 83 and have been an airplane nut since I was five. Watching this video it suddenly occurred to me how much more complex piston driven aircraft are than jet engined planes. It also made me aware of how much more work is required of the pilot to manage the engine and prop controls. That made me wonder how they had time to fly the plane, especially in combat. My respect and admiration for those old fighter pilots has increased immensely. Great video. It taught me a lot about the Corsair I didn't know. Thanks.
I also appreciate those that take the Herculean effort to put the old blue prints into modern computers for reengineering. All the work restoring these old war birds is impressive. The skills and determination of the owners and workers is incredible. Thanks Juan for showing us. I'm overwhelmed with the work going on.
Corsairs always look like they mean business, even when in bits! As a kid I saw a RN Corsair at an airshow sat beside a RAF Hawker Typhoon.... RN received 95 "Birdcage" F4U-1 Corsairs (RN designation Corsair MK1). priceless memories. Ta Juan
Another tidbit of knowledge about the Corsair's Dive-Speed Brakes, when activated the whole gear strut would deploy partway, not enough to rotate the wheels straight ahead for landing, so the wheels provided additional drag. My info comes from a retired WW II Naval Aviator who graduated from flight school and was awaiting deployment to an operational Squadron just before VJ Day. His first Operational aircraft was the Corsair. He went on to a 20 year career ending up flying the early F4 Phantom and every Attack aircraft in between. Guy Franks
Fascinating! It's amazing that such a relatively small outfit has all the expertise to do all that stuff. Let's hope those old warbirds can be kept flying into the next century.
So amazing! They are basically recreating a new aircraft factory from scratch with the original plans. No wonder aircraft restoration costs so much, but I'm glad some are willing to do it.
Beautiful work they do there. For me the two best looking warbirds are the corsair and the Spitfire. The p-51 and p38 are right up there with them. I'd be a kid in a candy store with all those toys.
Can we just take a moment to remember that Cad-cam wasn't a thing in the 1940s, they were all originally designed and built with slide rules and paper plans, and let's also give a shout-out to Rosie the riveter! Thanks for a really interesting film JB.
This again shows how complex the Corsair was, and why it was so hard to build. And for modelers, that salmon color was correct for the early F4U's... Thank you for bringing us this progress report, Juan...
As a teen,....I bought a large R/C plane kit. Essentially a box of various balsa wood sticks and sheets and a set of full sized plans. When I first opened the box I was filled with anxiety about how in hell I’d ever turn that pile of wood into a flying plane. I get that same feeling watching this video! 😂 I did eventually get my plane flying after a year of construction. 90 second first flight and then 6 month repairing it after the crash. 😂 it’s still flying albeit with an electric motor and batteries now instead of a big glow plug engine and nitromethane fuel.......
Wow. Thanks for sharing this. About 50 Years ago I worked in the Com/Nav intermediate maintenance shop (bench repair) at MCAS El Toro with a NAESU Tech Rep Henry "Stoney" Stonestreet who was a Marine Air Wing retiree. He enlisted in 1932 and served during WWII in VMF-214 with Col. Greg "Pappy" Boyington working on these beautiful birds.
few AU-1 (F4U-6) were in Navy Reserve back then , saw even Fotos in Books of AU-1 in Navy or Marine Service with Gull Grey white Camo , not 100% sure but i think the Plane was stationed in Quantico Naval AB
I worked at the Com/Nav in VMGR 352 at El Toro from 1976-1981. I think we were still using the same boxes you were fixing back then. An old joke was that if we didn't have to carry the ARC-101 HF radios (2x), the Hercules would only need 3 engines.
@@coreyandnathanielchartier3749 I was with H&MS-11 and VMFP3. Our RF-4B's had an ARC-105 HF Radio that I worked on. The WM's could not lift it to put it on the bench.
Juan - this is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and informative Warbird videos I have ever seen. Thank you for taking the time, and possessing the knowledge to make the manufacturing process so very clear. Simply awesome.
F4 Corsair Passenger Ride. My father was a Marine in WWii and served in the Pacific. He was trained as an aerial photographer. For no known reason he was assigned to a Corsair squadron. He spent time at Midway and saw combat on Okinawa and Ie Shima. He never talked about combat, but had some great experiences he passed on. One of my favorite was his ride in an F4 Corsair. They were looking for a volunteer to go on a mail run. He volunteered when no one else wanted to go. He expected a cargo plane, but instead the trip was in a Corsair. Apparently he was the only one who didn't know the flight would be in a single seat fighter plane. He said he was stuffed behind the pilot's seat and though it was not comfortable, he loved the ride.
I am glad that you are doing this is showing how the corsairs were built and being remanufacture. That was one of my favorite airplanes ground never flew one but I'm on I'm 70 years old and I love WWII please all right this is Bob from Vero Beach Florida God bless you say safe and stay warm and have a great week
Bunch of old farts that no one respects except in their field. I am going to volunteer to our local vintage aircraft rebuilders when I retire in a couple of years. I want to touch and smell and hear it all. Fortunately they are only 20 mile away from me. Been there many time poking around.
Always good to see you again Juan it's a jot when you come visit. The Video turned out great : ). Thanks to all those in the comments showing interest and support. It means a lot. -Cade
Juan looking into the cockpit with lust in his eyes........ Completely understandable......... Edit: and they designed all of this in the 1930-40s. Simply amazing.
Hey Juan, remind the guys putting her back together to not forget the black and white photo of the pilot's sweetheart stuck to the instrument panel. It's all about the details!
Such a cool piece of history. The hydraulic cylinders on the engine cooling system look like the hydraulic tensioners Honda uses for their timing belts. Its amazing that these engineers came up with these designs that long ago without computers.
As a fan of Mike Patey and his builds, seeing an historic airplane build project on your channel is really cool. I'm also a buff of WW2 actions, battles and equipment. Seeing the Birdcage Corsair is neat, forwarding this video to a friend of mine who is into model aircraft kits.
yes me too, I love seeing men getting back to work! I wonder if this technology and know-how will survive into the next generation of builders, or when these old dudes go, so do the birds?
Hey Juan, with your ability to be a great aviation commentator this could open up to a new type of series for you/us! Not just crash analysis anymore. Bring it back to the making and rebuilding of planes. Love the Corsair!
Because of the long nose and short landing gear the Navy test pilots had difficulty landing the Corsair of simulated aircraft carriers. So, the Navy dumped the Corsair onto the Marines and ordered the F-6 Hellcat six months before Pearl Harbor. The plain jane F-6 Hellcat gets no love, but Japanese WW2 pilots stated that the F-6 was the better plane, and they were critical of the Zero.( From interviews on YT)
@@snotnosewilly99 The Corsair gives me the impression of converting an Italian sports car into a machine of war. But combat effectiveness aside, the aesthetics are stunning.
@@LionAndALamb IMO the best looking WW2 fighter plane was the Italian Macchi C205. Brit Eric Brown tested the Macchi after WW2 and said it was " the perfect combination of Italian styling and German engineering." But only about 250 were built. see wikipedia.
Juan, it's nice to see another of your videos where nobody spirals down out of the clouds, nobody loses a fight with an iced up airplane, nobody stalls out on base/final, and everybody makes it back to the runway....... The detailed pictures here are unparalleled for dissecting the inner works of the Corsair. It was a revolutionary design, and I'm most impressed with the utter simplicity of the intercooler (aftercooler) design. Minimum ducting, shortest path for the air, and requiring no protruding scoops. BTW, I'll bet that 'Y' pipe would be a fun one to recreate. I recall building models of the F4U4 back in the 60's as a kid. It always seemed a bit oddly shaped, with the barrel shaped forward fuse, and the fin set forward, but as I learned many years later, it was instead elevators set back that gave this impression. By 1945, the F4U-5 would have a automatic power system that handled the cowl flaps, mixture, prop pitch, I believe, and the supercharger controls. It was also the last single piston-engine fighter built in the US, outlasting all the rest.
And that is just one type of aircraft. The US workforce built nearly 300,000 planes during WW2. They also built 1200 warships, tens of thousands of smaller craft, and around 2500 supply ships and tankers. They manufactured 70,000 tanks, well over 100,000 artillery pieces, hundreds of thousands of trucks, jeeps and auxiliary vehicles, tens of millions of infantry weapons, tens of billions of rounds of ammo, tens of millions of artillery shells, bombs and naval gun shells, tens of millions of uniforms and personal items, etc. etc. But before they could do all of that, they had to expand thousands of existing factories and build new ones AND retool to manufacture everything the military needed to fight and win the war. They also built thousands of bases and camps in the USA and all over the world. A country of 135,000,000 people did all of that in 3 years, 9 months and 1 week+.
This is GREAT!! more of this type of content would not hurt my feelings at all!😃...also, Juan is very gifted at narrating this type material, as he is his regular stuff...
Juan, You have no idea how this vid helped me. Retired airline CPT, still active GA pilot, and a lifelong model aviation builder and flyer. Currently building a 12ft wingspan Grumman F4F Wildcat with a 5 cyl 250cc radial. I was hopelessly searching the internet for over 2 Years to find info about cowl flaps, how they are hinged and operated. The fact I see they are hydraulically activated also confirmed my worries that I need power to overcome the forceful airflow so close behind the prop. Made my day! Tks, Richard
My dad was an engine tech in the RNZAF during WW2 and spent a lot of time working on Wright Cyclones and later the R2800 fitted to Corsairs and Venturas along with the Allison V1710 in P40's. He liked the beautiful engineering of American engines (and aircraft generally) very much and said they were easy to maintain unlike the English stuff he was taught on pre war.
Those are some lovely parts. I work with a guy who does 3D metal printing, among other things. With the high pressure and temperature post processing they can make parts at competitive prices to low run castings or forgings and with very good mechanical properties. I hope this can be used to bring back some old aircraft for which the parts just aren't available anymore, and which were forged when they were in production. I did some work on the Avro York at IWM Duxford and they had the same problems with the manuals, they were pretty much rough drawings of the parts and you had to interpret them based on what you had remaining to work out how a new part should be made. But that York was only being restored for static display, the engines from it are on the Battle of Britain Lancaster and the York has her old and lower spec Merlins.
WOW, absolutely amazing! Always loved that aircraft, grew up watching Blacksheep Squadron and that aircraft still remains one of my 3 favorite fighters from WWII. Anyone have a wild guess of how many tens of thousands of manhours goes into a warbird restoration? Thanks Juan!
Who as a kid remembers watching Baa Baa Blacksheep? Had no idea these were those same type of aircraft. Excellent demonstration of the work involved to make these Corsairs!
Thanks JB for this update. I get a kick out of the VSA drawing @7:55 showing the application to Vought F4U-1, Goodyear FG-1, Brewster F3A-1 and F4U-4 (1945) variations of the Corsair. 78 y/o retired P&W Aircraft tool designer who knew people who did this work during WW2. Consider that this is the most simplest of parts and look at what that drawing and signing off entails.
Juan when I was little in the early 60’s my Uncle Paul used to come up to Dallas from San Antonio and take me to air shows all over Texas. That started my love of aviation and my career at China Lake Naval Weapons center. Now I’m retired and you’re taking me all through all the historical aviation places. After working AV-8B all kinds of GPS weaponry then the F35, you’re my Uncle Paul. Thank you ( uncle Paul built a beautiful Pitts Special by the way)
What makes your channel great, besides my love for aviation and history, is that it’s about your passion for aviation and not the almighty dollar. Great content as usual Brownie!
Wow, I am a sheetmetal guy, been restoring 1960s and 1970s racecars for 30 years, and it is obvious where everything we do, and how early racecars are constructed, came from. Super to see how these guys are building a brand new airplane, from plans, jigs and pattern copy, same way we do! If I lived in CA, I would come and work there in a heartbeat. Juan, thanks for that great walkthru, Chuck, cant wait to see that beautiful bird airborne!!
You should put Urbana Ohio on your bucket list. At Grimes field they are restoring a B-17G with parts from 4 different planes. Originals as you pointed out, back up the new ones recreated. Not far from Urbana is the Dayton Air Museum.
Cool stuff. Out in the general vicinity of Ione and Sanders Aeronautics. In 2000 had to go out and pick up a gun turret for a TBM-3E that I was restoring being the amateur I was. While at that shop a FM-2 Wildcat was being restored. Then heard a powerful plane overhead and went out to see a Sea Fury coming in so went up the runway to Sanders. Welcomed me in and inside a Bearcat was being restored, Dreadnaught sat off to the side along with three other Sea Furies. A fabulous day.
The Corsair has always been my favorite airplane of all time. When I was a little kid I had a model I played with for hours at a time! I built many models of it too, including an RC version that flew great! When I got older I couldn't believe how complicated they actually were to fly!! Talk about pilot workload, holy cow!! Take off, gear up, flaps up, set climb power, and oh ya, shift the blower too!! LOLOL Great video Juan thanks much!!! 8) --gary
Talk about passion! My favourite photo one and only trip in 08 to Osh is standing beside a wings up Corsair, man their a huge aircraft. Scratch parts WOW!!!
Those "clips" you said for the 3 wing mounted .50 cal machine guns are actually called "disentegrating links". The rounds of ammo were assembled into tbe links to form belts. A side note "the whole 9 yards" comes from WW I. The machine guns of the day were fed by cloth belts. A standard bolt of fabric is 10 yards long. Sewing the loops into the belts to hold the rounds of ammo takes up about 1 yard total. I believe. Hence the saying stated by the armorers who loaded the rounds into the reuseable belts and then the aircraft. I find your content informative and educational. Guy Franks
This was one of the most interesting videos you’ve made. It’s impressive how much knowledge you have about the Corsair. Thank you for all of the effort you put into the making of this video!
When you see the scope of this operation to recreate a single plane, you realize the miracle they pulled off to supply the war effort. The presence of so many of these 30’s and 40’s era aircraft 80-some years later is a testament to their success.
Most every pilot is in love with the P-51 Mustang, but for me it's the Corsair. I was a Navy T-28 instructor pilot in the 70's and I always felt like I came along one generation too late. Of course no one wants to experience the horrors of war but I sure would have liked to have flown the Corsair. The Navy T-28B/C gave me a Walter Mitty experience and it was not hard to imagine what it must have been like flying the WWII radial engine fighters. It is powered by the Wright single row radial (9 cyl) with a 2 stage blower rated at 1425 hp. Comparable to the Mustang and Corsair in performance at low altitude; what a blast to fly!
I was a gas jockey in 1972 at The Great Atlantic & Pacific Aeroplane Co. I used to gas up a Corsair and a P51. I was in heaven just being around them. I also got to fly with Clay Lacy a few times and spend a little time with John Lear. Great days! Thanks for the show Juan! As always, it's quality.
9:35 JUAN, if I remember my time in the machine shop at the Grass Valley group. That since aluminum oxide has a natural oxidized finish. I think that's why they had to etch the aluminum was to get through the oxidation protective coating that naturally occurs on aluminum, especially on 2024.? Prior to spot welding... Great tour...
I have loved WWII history and aircraft.. but never have I seen the "inner workings" and design elements in the Corsair. How in the world did all that happen, and be mass produced as well? When you consider ships, tanks, vehicles, aircraft, weapons of all kinds, plus uniforms, supplies, transportaton, logistics, communication and coordination.... I doubt that level of National effort could ever happen again. Amazing. This was a very enjoyable video
You should do a video tour like this of the B-17 being restored at McNary Field in Salem, OR. It spent 40 years pervhed over the top of a gas station in millwakee, Oregon. It only had 20 hours flying time when the guy bought it. He had it mounted up there without removing anything off of it. Didnt preserve anything either. Over the years anyone who needed anything to restore a B-17 he gave them. They have been trying to claw back a bunch of that stuff with very little success. I can take you through there maybe and show you some other interesting stuff in the area. The EAA chapter in Independence has, I think, one of the largest collections of Vans RV aircraft. The Vans RV Aircraft manufacturing plant is at Aurora Airport. Lots of cool stuff going on up there. The Spruce Goose is in McMinnville. The aircraft collection there has really grown over the last several years. All of these places are within an easy half hour to an hour from Salem.
Holy cow! Those were some brilliant aircraft engineers 80 years ago, and everything done on a drafting table and with a slide rule. For all of our modern technology, I don't think we can match the daily number of these planes coming off the assembly line back in that era. I am in absolute awe.
The detail of that shop and what they are doing just blew me away . I am not sure how they pay for all that or what they will do with a few corsairs other then war movies ? They should be worth $2,000,000 each when done easy.
Fantastic video as always, Juan. A good reminder of the incredible ingenuity demonstrated during the war years to design, build, test, and industrialize production of these complex machines in such a short amount of time.
Those old birds are more complicated than most people think. So glad that somebody has the time & $ to restore these beauties to probably better than new condition. Looks as though this shop is (re manufacturing) these Corsairs. This is one amazing shop. Thanks Juan and the guys at Vultures Row Aviation for this video. Great stuff.
