Goodyear F2G Corsair

F2G "Super" Corsair
F2G-1 "Super" Corsair #88458, painted as Race 57, which was owned by Robert "Bob" Odegaard of Kindred, North Dakota, flying at the 2005 Air Venture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Role Carrier-based fighter aircraft
Manufacturer Goodyear Aircraft
First flight 15 July 1945
Introduction 1945
Retired 1945
Primary users United States Navy
Numerous air racers
Produced 1945
Number built 10
Developed from F4U Corsair

The Goodyear F2G "Super" Corsair is a development by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of the FG-1/F4U-1 Corsair design as a special low-altitude version of a fighter equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 28-cylinder, four-row radial air-cooled engine. Although often cited that the origin of the aircraft was as an interceptor of low-flying Japanese suicide aircraft, its actual beginnings came about in 1939 when the Pratt & Whitney company first proposed its enormous new engine. Thus the F2G lineage was tied to its engine design rather than tactical requirements.[1]

Design and development

A U.S. Navy F2G-1 in 1945.

Using experience gained building license-built FG-1 series Corsairs, in early 1944 Goodyear extensively modified a standard FG-1 airframe, designated the XF2G-1, to take advantage of the 50% increase in take-off power provided by the R-4360 engine. In addition, an all-round vision bubble-type canopy was installed. In March 1944, Goodyear was awarded a contract to deliver 418 F2G-1 and 10 F2G-2 aircraft. The F2G-1 was a land-based version with manually folding wings, and the F2G-2, a carrier version with hydraulically folding wings and arrestor hook.[2] Armament provisions included alternative wing-mounted installations for four or six 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) machine guns and eight 5-inch (127 mm) rockets or two 1,000 or 1,600 lb (450 or 725 kg) bombs. The internal fuel capacity was increased greatly over that of the FG-1, and provisions were provided to carry two droppable external tanks.

By the end of the war in August 1945, only five each of the F2G-1 and F2G-2 aircraft were completed. Testing revealed deficiencies in lateral control and insufficient speed, which were bars to further development of the aircraft. In addition, the Grumman F8F Bearcat, which could do all the F2G could do while still powered with the original Corsair's Double Wasp powerplant, was already in production, making the F2G redundant. Thus, further production of the F2G was canceled.

Surviving aircraft

Goodyear F2G-2 #88463 Race 74 landing in 2012. On 7 September 2012, the aircraft was destroyed in a fatal crash that occurred when pilot Bob Odegaard was rehearsing for an airshow flight routine at the Barnes County Municipal Airport in Valley City, North Dakota.[3][4]

Only two "Super Corsairs" still remain, after the others crashed, and only one of them is in flying condition.

Airworthy (F2G-1)
  • 88458 (better known as "Race 57"): Lawrence Classics LLC in Bentonville, Arkansas.[5] It was the fifth production aircraft and was purchased by Cook Cleland, who went on to finish first in the 1947 Thompson Trophy Race and first in the 1949 Tinnerman Trophy Race. Over time, the aircraft, registered as NX5588N, went from owner to owner and slowly deteriorated. Finally, in 1996, NX5588N was purchased by Bob Odegaard of North Dakota, and was returned to airworthy condition in 1999. The aircraft was on loan to the Fargo Air Museum.[6] Odegaard raced the aircraft in the Unlimited class at the Reno Air Races from 2006 to 2008 [7] and it was featured in the movie Thunder Over Reno.[8] The aircraft was bought in February, 2017 by Steuart Walton. It is based at Louise M. Thaden Airfield in Bentonville, Arkansas.
On display (F2G-1)
Boeing Museum of Flight's F2G-1 Corsair, BuNo 88454, on display at Paine Field, Everett, WA for "SkyFair 2014" on July 26, 2014. Note the manually folded wings of this "land-based" Corsair.

Operators

 United States

Specifications (F2G-2)

Data from

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Pautigny 2003, p. 76.
  2. ↑ Dorr 1991, p.68.
  3. ↑ Goyer, Robert. "Bob Odegaard killed in crash of Super Corsair". Flying, 8 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "Famed N.D. pilot Bob Odegaard killed during practice for Valley City air show". Grand Forks Herald. Sep 7, 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "FAA Registry: N5588N" FAA.gov. Retrieved: 31 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "Goodyear F2G-1D Super Corsair Race #57." Archived 2012-09-11 at the Wayback Machine. Duggy.com. Retrieved: 8 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Race results database" Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine.. Reno Air Racing Association, 24 September 2008. Retrieved: 12 June 2010.
  8. ↑ "Hardware." Thunder over Reno. Retrieved: 31 December 2011.
  9. ↑ "F2G-1 Corsair/Bu. 88454." Museum of Flight. Retrieved: 31 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "FAA Registry: N4324." FAA.gov Retrieved: 12 July 2017.

Bibliography

  • Dorr, Robert F. US Fighters of World War Two. London, UK, Arms and Armour Press, 1991. ISBN 1-85409-073-9
  • Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War - Fighters (Vol. 4). New York: MacDonald and Company, 1961.
  • Lockett, Brian. "Corsairs with Four-bank Radials". Goleta Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: 16 January 2007.
  • Pautigny, Bruno (translated from the French by Alan McKay). Corsair: 30 Years of Filibustering 1940-1970. Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2003. ISBN 2-913903-28-2.
  • "Racing Corsairs." Society of Air Racing Historians. Retrieved: 16 January 2007.
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