|
|
The Corsair project began in the beginning of 1938, to find a successor to the Wildcat. The first prototype flew May 29, 1940 and since the beginning performances were exceptional. The armament was improved, but it required the displacement of fuel tanks, forcing back the cockpit which caused a reduction of the visibility. More than 169 modifications were brought to the project. Finally a first order of 584 units had been made on June 30, 1941 and the first production aircraft took off one year later. The Corsair was a particularly delicate aircraft to land due to its visibility problems and furthermore, its shock absorbers were stiff causing strong rebounds. Besides the Corsair was rather unsteady and was subjected to unexpected stalls. The Corsair was in production until August 1st, 1947 and 21 571 units were built. It had a fabulous career with detachments in Britain, New Zealand, France and it served in several other countries until the 70's; more than 30 years after the beginning of the project.
|