Warbird Heritage Foundation FG-1D Corsair

FG-1D Corsair

Military History

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. During World War II, demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. From 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 by Vought, in 16 separate models, in the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942-1953).

The Corsair served in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, Fleet Air Arm and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, as well as the French Navy and other, smaller, air forces until the 1960s. It quickly became the most capable carrier-based fighter-bomber of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II. The U.S. Navy counted an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair. As well as being an outstanding fighter, the Corsair proved to be an excellent fighter-bomber, serving almost exclusively in the latter role throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria.

*The photo above is the WHF FG-1D Corsair BuNo 92050 as it looked during it's military career in the United States Navy. Photo Courtesy of Jack Cook, taken at NAAF Salem, OR ~ 1957

Read more information on the FG-1D Corsair from the free online resource 'Wikipedia'.


FG-1D - Constr #: 3311 - BuNo: 92050 (U.S. Navy)
DateSquadronSquadron NameLocation
1945 May 12AcceptanceAkron, OH
1945 May 14DeliveredNAF Columbus, OH
1945 May 22NAS San Diego, CA - (Start of Tour 1)
1945 Jun 26Pool-CASU F-20NAS San Diego, CA
1945 Aug 10Pool-CASU F-35NAS San Diego, CA
1945 Sep 10Sitkoh BayNAS San Diego, CA
1945 Sep 14Pool-CASU F-12NAS San Diego, CA
1945 Dec 27NAS San Diego, CA
1946 May 29NARTUNAS Seattle, WA
1947 Nov 15NAS Jacksonville, FL
1947 Dec 2NAS Jacksonville, FL - Overhaul
1947 Dec 10Pool - A & RNAS Jacksonville, FL
1948 May 10NARTUNAS Minneapolis, MN - (Start of Tour 2)
1949 Oct 4A & T O & RNAS Jacksonville, FL
1950 Jan 18NAS Jacksonville, FL - Overhaul
1950 Feb 16NARTUNAS Seattle, WA - (Start of Tour 3)
1951 Oct 28NAS Jacksonville, FL
1952 Mar 4NAS Jacksonville, FL - Overhaul
1952 Mar 12O & RNAS Jacksonville, FL
1952 Mar 21A & TNAS San Diego, CA - (Start of Tour 4)
1952 Mar 25FASRON 691NAS San Diego, CA
1952 Dec 2MTG-10Pac El Toro Pool FFAMCAS El Toro, CA
1952 Dec 4VMFT-10MCAS El Toro, CA
1952 Dec 24VMFT-10MCAS El Toro, CA
1953 Apr 10NARTNAS Gross Ile, MI
1953 Jul 10CNARTNAS Dallas, TX
1954 May 20NARTNAS Seattle, WA
- NAAF Salem, OR (Seattle Auxiliary Field)
1954 May 31Status Change from A4 to PGround Instructional Purposes
1954 Sep 9Stricken from Inventory
Code 2 - Depr
Hrs Flown: 1,491.7
DateLocation
1960 Oct 28Ferry Flight (3 hops) to Longmont, CO (Civilian)
- Arrival: 1960 Nov 10
196?Private Ownership - ????
- Jim Colbern
1963Private Ownership - LaPorte, IN
- Aero Enterprises, Inc.
- Registered as N6604C
1963Private Ownership - Broomfield, CO
- Robert Mitchum
1969Registered as N194G
1970Private Ownership - Broomfield, CO
- Aero, Inc.
- Modified as Air Racer
1977 Jan 12Private Ownership - Denver, CO
- James R. Axtell
- Placed in Storage
1999On Loan: Wings Over The Rockies Museum
- Lowry AFB, Denver, CO
2012 DecPrivate Ownership - Lake Forest, IL
- Corsair Historic Military Aircraft, LLC.
- Maintained and Operated by Warbird Heritage Foundation under a Bailment Agreement
- Began Restoration to Original Config and Airworthy Condition
- Estimated 3 - 5 year Project
2021 Jan 31Restoration Complete
2021 Mar 9First Flight

SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer:Goodyear Aircraft Corporation
Model:FG-1D (Vought F4U-1D equivalent)
Year Built:1945
Constr # / Plant:3311 / Akron, OH
BuNo:92050 (U.S. Navy)
N-Number:N194G
Engines:One
Pratt & Whitney R-2800
2,250 HP
Length:33 ft. 4 in.
Height:15 ft
Wingspan:40 ft. 11 in.
Weight:Empty: 8,694 lbs.
Max Takeoff: 11,093 lbs.
Performance:Range: 1,015 miles
Ceiling: Over 37,000 ft.
Max Speed: 425 MPH
Armament:Six Browning M2 .50 Caliber Machine Guns
2,000 lbs. of bombs or rockets.

GALLERY

Explore the photos of our aircraft on this page by clicking the play arrow, or click on the square in the upper right hand corner to go to full screen. Once on the page, click play. To return to this page, click upper right hand button again. In full screen mode, you can double click the image to get a close-up view.

Historial Photos
fg1d_h_02
The WHF FG-1D Corsair BuNo 92050 as it looked during it's military career in the United States Navy.
Photo Courtesy of Jack Cook, taken at NAAF Salem, OR ~ 1957

Restoration

In December of 2012, the Warbird Heritage Foundation began a project to restore the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, BuNo 92050, to its original configuration and airworthy condition. The aircraft had been modified as an air racer in the 1970's. The modifications included replacing the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine with a more powerful R-2800. The ends of each wing were also chopped off. The aircraft had sat idle in storage since 1977 when we took delivery. We estimate this to be a three to five year restoration project. You can follow along with the restoration activities by clicking the button below.

FIRST FLIGHT
POST RESTORATION

Warbird Heritage Foundation’s Corsair (BuNo 92050) is airworthy again and has taken to the skies. After an extensive and enduring eight year restoration, Mike Schiffer conducted the first post restoration flight on March 9th, 2021. A special thank you to Sam, Shawn & Charlie at Tab-Air for their dedication. We would also like to acknowledge AirPower Unlimited, Anderson Airmotive, Avionics Place, Ezell Aviation, Max Aero, Tromblay Tool and Chris at ToolWorks.

Most of all, Thank You to all who have served and continue to serve our country. This is a tribute you.

fg-1d_corsair_restored_01
Warbird Heritage Foundation FG-1D Corsair First Flight Post Restoration March 9, 2021.
Photo Courtesy of Douglas J. Tomas

More First Flight Photos

All photos in this gallery courtesy of Scott Slocum
Photos added October 2022

fg-1d_corsair_first_flight_01
Warbird Heritage Foundation FG-1D Corsair First Flight Post Restoration
Photo Courtesy of Scott Slocum

AVAILABILITY

Our FG-1D Corsair is available for airshows and special events. For additional information, please contact us!