Goodyear Aviation - The Untold Story of the F2G Super Corsair
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- During World War II, Goodyear Aircraft designed and built the 3,000hp F2G "Super Corsair." Though it never saw combat, the F2G would become one of the most famous racing airplanes to ever take to the skies. Learn the full story of one of the most powerful piston driven airplanes ever flown.
Grew up in North Dakota, where Bob restored both his F2G's. There is only one thing better than a Corsair in this world, and that's a Super Corsair.
Although the Super Corsair was actually built as a race plane to begin with.
@@michaelmckinnon1591 I heard it was built to intercept kamikaze planes or something.
@@biko9824 close, it was meant to be a low altitude interceptor.
Yesss
@@michaelmckinnon1591 The WWII Corsair - with the P&W R-4360 in place of the R-2800 - was meant to address the Kamikaze (Devine Wind) late WWII threat..................................
Saw the red 57 take off from our hanger at work today. Beautiful aircraft.
It is a wonderful plane, saw it a couple days ago
I worked on the R-4360 engines on the C-124 Globemasters in the early 60's . Can't imagine that monster engine in a single engine aircraft. Just WOW !
The plane was built entirely to cater to the engine. Like an IndyCar. Amongst the pinnacle examples of American ingenuity at the time. One for the ages.
Kinda like if Carroll Shelby designed a prop fighter.
I sat in an F4U during Open Cockpit day at the Bradley Air Museum back in the late 80s.
All engine and fuel with 6.50 cals of Freedom.
I barely fit in the thing being 6' even and about 280.
It was leaking like a sieve, bunch of pans under it.
I should make another trip down there.
One of my instructors at Embry-Riddle had been a crew chief on a C-124. He had lots of stories to tell.
On the subject of the Corsair, I had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit of one that was hangared briefly at X58 (Indiantown, FL). Denny Sherman of Sherman Aircraft Sales, brought various interesting airplanes out there so that buyers could get some time in on a 6000 ft grass runway before tackling a paved runway.
I used to go there about every weekend to practice aerobatics, and got to know Denny well enough that he allowed me to sit in his interesting warbirds from time to time. I loved it.
Back to the R-4360...a former neighbor and employer had an R-4360 in his hangar for years. He and some other guys planned to get it running on a mobile test stand, and run it at air shows. Apparently the carb was the primary reason it wasn’t running. He offered me the opportunity to try to fix the huge pressure carb, as I knew a fair amount about them, but his partners didn’t know me, and wanted to send it to a known specialist.
I don’t know what ever happened to it. They never got it running while I was keeping in touch with the guy.
@@jcarne1015 Yes, that was one big carburetor for sure. I had the pleasure of removing and replacing them on the C-124. The hardest part was safety wiring the hold down bolts and then safety wiring the air scoop bolts. You could either see them with a inspection mirror or feel them but not at the same time. Couldn't get both arms around it either. My fingers cramp now just thinking about it!
"Fly low. Turn left." Words to live by. RIP Granville brothers.
Although the Geebee Super Sportster was the most dangerous aircraft to fly in history.
@@michaelmckinnon1591 Yep.
With a pilot seat inside the vertical stabilizer. Great view over the nose. ;-)
@@WildBillCox13 true but no forward visibility when taxiing for takeoff or back to the hangar after landing.
To me, the "Race 57" F2G is the most beautiful plane Reno ever seen.
At least the most beautiful corsair. Whoever came up with the paint scheme hit the nail on the head.
@@OIE82 that credit goes to Cook Cleland’s engineer Lenny DeFranco. As the story goes: “Cleland’s engineer was Lenny DeFranco. The number 57 was assigned to the racer, which ironically was the same number that was used by the famous three-time Thompson Trophy winner Roscoe Turner in the 1930’s. Respectfully DeFranco wanted to do something different with the number to make it totally different from the style used by Roscoe Turner.
DeFranco recalled that late one night at 2:30AM, he and Art Barker were eating hotdogs at Cleland’s Air Services. Before them sat a bottle of Heinz 57 ketchup. While chewing on their hotdogs the thought “That’s it!” came to DeFranco and the number 57 was painted like the 57 on the ketchup bottle.”
@@KeithKman Thank You.
I'd go as far as saying it is the most beautiful aeroplane ever.
It ain’t just you.
I was born and raised near the Goodyear Air Dock. My father worked there as a machinist in 1951. I finally got to walk inside during an Open to the Public event back in the 90’s. We were told as kids that a Corsair used to hang from the top of the structure to commemorate it being built there. I was disappointed that it was no longer there. Thank you to Goodyear for bringing this story to light. I had no idea this model existed.
I took a video of an original F2G flying last summer at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach on my channel.
Speaking of the Corsair's tremendous engine torque (I think, technically, its called "p-value")....my father was with the Lexington's air-group from January of 44 till her return home sometime after the war ended. He was an air officer, so although he was a fully-qualified naval aviator, he wasn't assigned to a particular squadron; consequently, he had to fly whatever he could get his hands on at the time to keep his hours up and remain qualified. If you look at his flight log during the period, he might fly an F4U on CAP one day, then fly an SB2C or an SBD on a scouting mission the next day. Of all the aircraft he flew during his 22 year career as an aviator, Dad loved the Corsair the most. However, the Corsair was the kind of bird that you were never done flying until the propeller stopped turning. It was an especially unforgiving aircraft for novices, which is why the Corsair was called the "Ensign Eliminator". Anyway, back to the gist of the story: Dad's stateroommate was assigned to the Lex's fighter squadron (I think it was VF-17), which flew Corsairs. While on approach to the carrier one day, at "close-in", Dad's roommate was coming in a little too slow. The LSO gave the pilot the power call and the former fire-walled the throttle. Unfortunately, the engine torque got away from him, the aircraft rolled inverted and plunged into the Pacific swell about 100 feet aft of the deck. Both pilot and aircraft were lost. From that moment onwards, Dad said that he always came in hot and high, the LSO's rating be damned (then, just as now, pilots were graded on their landings). The original Corsairs also had another undesirable design flaw: one wing had a habit of stalling out before the other. If a pilot wasn't careful when landing, one wing (I can't recall which) tended to stall out a little before the other, which would lead to the aircraft cartwheeling down the deck or runway. The solution, according to Dad, was the installation of a block of wood, the size of a triangle about 6 or 8 inches on a side, beneath the good wing. The end result was to spoil the flow of air over the "good" wing that resulted in it's stalling out at about the same time the other wing stalled out.
@@dalecomer5951nope, it is called a stall strip and makes the good wing stall a little sooner so the plane’s behavior is a little more predictable. It happens, in part, because the airflow spirals aft as a result of the spinning propeller.
Glad to see at least one of these variants still exists!
The last flying F2G Corsair is now based at Thaden Airport AR. I remember they pushed it into a hanger and played this video over and over again
Learned something today. Love the Corsair. Saw the last of them while in the Marines.
Use to have photo of my dad on the deck of a carrier. With hand on the wing in front of the fuselage. At least I can still see it in my memories. 1939-69.
Its totally cool that Goodyear put this video production together!
What a gorgeous machine. Gearheads love machines not because they are perfect, but because they aren't... but this one is close.
The Corsair was always my favorite WWII bird, but the "Super Corsair" was my favorite of the type! While I am glad she wasn't needed, I am sorry only ten were built.
Exact same opinion here.
I'll echo every word in that order.
Unbelievable 3000 hp
I took a video of an original F2G flying last summer at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach on my channel.
Super Corsair 57 was owned by Cook Cleland and kept at at his airport in Willoughby, Ohio. LCDR, Cleland returned to active duty in 1951 and several of the Super Corsairs were at the airport until its closure in 1952.
I’m sure that the Navy & Marines could have put 418 F2Gs to good use in Korea!!!
Yes, imagine if all those thousands of f4us and p-47s, that were great ground attack aircraft, were available at the start of the conflict instead of being turned into aluminum siding.
@@fernarias P-47 would have been very useful in Korea.
The Air Force used F-51's for CAS which was a poor choice since they were vulnerable to the proverbial golden BB in the radiator. P-47's, which they
still flew, would have been a better option.
@@Grand74Master Straight F4U types were used by the navy in the close air support role in Korea, I believe. And the first MiG downed by a prop plane was by Corsair . . .
From History.Navy.Mil: "One of the Navy and Marine Corps' finest fighters, Corsairs shot down 2,140 Japanese aircraft during World War II and in the Korean War a Marine pilot became the first to down a MiG-15 jet while flying a propeller-driven aircraft."
It would have been the A-10 in Korea.
Please get rid of the music that drowns out the far more beautiful sound of the R4360!
Absolutely! Exactly what I was thinking during the video.
Ditto!
Yeah,dump the loud music.
I took a video of an original F2G flying last summer at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach.
Amen, Jim!
💞❣💖💝
My All Time Favorite aircraft is the Corsair in ALL of its configurations!
My Grandfather on my Mom's side was an Engineer at Good Year in Akron and worked on the folding wing assembly of the Corsair...he told us stories about the planes when I was very young. It wasn't until I was much older and working on my A.E. Grad degree that I learned what a crucial roll GY Aerospace played in the WWII aviation industry...indeed a well kept secret. Oh and he took us to see the blimps a couple times in the 60's before he retired and while they were still kept at the hangars in Akron (a Ph.D. Aerospace/Computer Engineer who works for a large American defense contractor's Missile Systems company.
Utterly beautiful that they restored racer 57. And of course errors. There is an FG1 with the commemorative Air Force in Peachtree city, GA. Love hearing “whistling death”
Got to see the race 57 fly over my house twice today beautiful plane
It is a wonderful aircraft!
I practically grew up in the Museum of Flight where one of the only two surviving F2Gs remain. It's since been moved to thier restoration center and I haven't seen it in years
What a beautiful aeroplane ✈️😍😍😍😍
Airplane
As someone who lived close to the blimp hangar in Akron and who has relatives that built and flew the corsairs, this is awesome! Job well done!
I've seen both these F2Gs they are (and were) BEAUTIFUL restorations..and were amazing in flight ...tailwinds, Bob
Can you answer my question? I am under the impression that Bob crashed and passed away while flying the one he raced circa 08. I was told he was ferrying it for someone he sold it to? Any facts are appreciated
@@airtightindustries low level aerobatics. He bought the farm while doing a roll.
David R Lentz, USA
Thank you for this! I find the F4U Corsair series of great interest. This F2G is an astounding marvel! Ohh, how I wish several thousand of them could have become operational in theatre by 1943.
I think of Mark Hanna when he said "you feel powerful when you get into a Corsair" and seeing this beast I believe him. Just seeing the end proved it.
Fascinating! I've not heard of the F2G variant before now. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I wondered when this story would come out. I read all about these planes in a book by Rodger Huntington called Thompson Trophy racers. It told all about Cook Cleland using these planes for air racing in 1946- 1950.
I became really interested in this after I saw that Goodyear made the F4U. Thank you for providing me with the answers I have been looking for.
The F2G was to the Corsair as the "N" model was to the P-47.
Actually it would be closer to the XP-47H for the P-47.
I used to sit underneath the Corsair in front of Sikorsky airport in Stratford as a teenager.
Thanks for uploading this piece of history
I worked at Goodyear Aerospace in the 80’s and there was a Corsair hanging from the ceiling at the entrance to plant B. Brand new plane minus engine.
What's with the horrid competitive music. Silence is golden.
I grew up another time when everybody had his 15 minutes of fame. Apparently the guy with the music had to show That he was a cool cool person. But you stepped on somebody. All of us
I saw 74 take its last flight. RIP Bob.
A shear brute of an aircraft a fantastic idea to make the corsair more awesome
What a crime to play crappy music at the end so you can't hear the engine's sound.
In that last piece, look at the size of that prop!
I actually Learned something from the Interweb. I bet that one Bad Ass plane to Fly!!
Bob Odegaard was a good guy. I knew both him & Gerry Beck. RIP
The meth that the Corsair was a low altitude fighter was totally incorrect. The Corsair had a large wing and high horsepower engine “which is one of the main reasons for it’s continued success in the Korean War” and a two stage super charger which made it an excellent high altitude fighter aircraft during WWll. Simply put, the P-51 was and has been a fan favorite simply because it looks good. During WWll the Corsair and Mustang were pitted against one another and even swopped pilot’s to maintain fairness. They were basically even matched in all altitudes and in performance. Facts show that while the P-51 was a pretty aircraft, the F4U Corsair was the better machine as it continued fighting during the entire duration of the Korean War and scored two Mig-15 jet fighter kills. An incredible feet!
Very nice. The first 4360 Corsair was a birdcage canopy. I think it was the F4M or F4UM.
Simply BEAUTIFUL!!!
Toledo's Willys Jeep during WW2 built the gull-wing center section and the oleos other smaller parts as well.
I was surprised to hear Goodyear shot itself in the foot. 😁
This was awesome.
i have pictures of Walter Soplata's (Cook Cleland's Thompson Trophy winner) F2G in Walter's back yard. i would guess they were from 78-79. In one visit, Walter opened up the 50 Cal. bays, and some of the cowling for me. Pretty close by was an FG1-D in pretty good shape.
Absolutely one of the most beautiful aircraft ever made, and in one of the most amazing paint schemes ever
I wish someone had the forethought to save the XP-74. To see that fly today would be a treat to the eyes and ears. Didn't one of the restored F2G's crash? I think it was the Red and now the Blue is in a museum?
It was the blue one that crashed and Bob Odegaard was killed in the crash. It totally destroyed the airplane. He was supposed to be flying it in an air show if memory serves me right? He did a maneuver shortly after take off of some sort and for whatever reason it caused the airplane to crash. I’m sure there’s pictures of the wreckage and what exactly happened on the internet if you’re interested?
Bob dyer there is but one of the the 10 built left in existance and that is the # 1 production one, which is in the Museum of Flight in Seattle !! It is in original condition with only 288 hours flying time !!! It is pictured in this video !!! The only one left !!! All others have been crashed and destroyed !!!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 Nope theres the Red and White shown in the video that flies , so 2 only left
@@wilburfinnigan2142 the red one is owned by the Walton family of Wal-Mart. Based in Bentonville Arkansas and flies regularly
The FG1D was built in the town of Goodyear Arizona, my father worked there and I worked in the same building in 1979.
I do air racing in the video game named "War Thunder" When this plane was shown I was like a kid in a candy shop
Thank God therevare still men around preserving these planes...
What beautiful airplane 3000 HP I wonder what the torque out was at full throttle
I don't know about the torque but I knew a man that flew a Corsair in the war. He said if you ran it at 100% throttle but needed more power, you could back it off a bit, slide it to the right and run it up to, I think he said 110% throttle but you had to count off 10 seconds and if you went past 110 seconds, you had to report it when you got back to your base and the mechanics would over haul the engine.
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
I was taken by surprise when I heard Goodyear made a fighter
What an awesome plane
That propeller tho. Holy shit
An amazing looking plane, if enemy ground troops saw that thing bearing down on them, they would poop their pants. It's scary and powerful looking.
The sound the Corsair made while doing a high speed run in on the enemy probably pissed themselves and rightfully so.
Corsair ... The NASCAR racer in the sky.
"Fly low! Turn left!
Damn that was an awesome hotrod!
I’ve been in the blimp hanger many times. It’s huge.
I read that the winner of that race sprained his back during the race from the monsterous g forces he encountered flying the F2G.
I mean, it could pull around 10-11 Gs
What ah flying machine - Beast ! 👍
Beautiful Bird 🦅
Man, that is one beautiful plane.
Imagine 4 x 20mm plus a few .5 s in the wings plus rockets , would have been a brilliant , nothing would have matched it without jet power ! But what a gorgeous aircraft !
AD did the job without the headaches of the R-4360.
Just a regular Corsair is amazing, but the F2G is even more amazing then that!
6:26 ok, that leaves me wondering why we don't see any Hawker Tempest or Typhoons in these races, because they had the absolute best low altitude performance of any single engine aircraft of the second world war
FG1 was a series of license built F4U Corsairs beginning with the F4U-1A and either ending with the F4U-1D at a time when the Corsair went from F4U-1 to F4U-5
Great video!
I'm Surprise Chance- Vought Didn't Make a Bubble Canopy Corsair.
The prop was so huge, to handle the horse power from that massive engine that it was raised so high. And during Carrier Qualifications it did not pass due to many pilots not being able to see when landing. The British received the Corsair and they figured out how to land it on a carrier.
Jesus H Christ that's one sexy engine and aircraft, my goosebumps have goosebumps.
Corsairs rule. Definitely the best airplane of WWII and Korea.
Great video! Thanks for preserve the history 😎👍🥇🛩️
Cosair is the most beautiful fighter ever
Excellent Video! Post a video on Goodyear’s lighter than air operations especially Goodyear aircraft World War II era lighter than air production like the K- SHIP for instance Appreciate it it
FG2 was the original designation of the F2G
@@johnklatt3522 Goodyear documentation
@@johnklatt3522 Goodyear archives, F4UWM, then XFG2 which was sometime later renamed XF2G, then XF2G-1 after modification of some kind
@@johnklatt3522 no problem
Whoever made that new engine cowling has my thanks, because the original engine cowling ruins the look of the corsair airframe.
Whistling death... Awesome aircraft
As if the Japanese didn’t have enough problems, this was next in line to give them even more grief.
That shot at 1:56… wow.
Thank you
Remove the music so we can hear the plane better, please
The F4U regular would hit almost 450 but not quite.
Beautiful Machine!😎👍
Beautiful aircraft, thanks.
Anybody notice the prop is turning the wrong direction in the black and white animated opening graphic....
There may be a reason. Film and digital cameras often cause a turning prop to appear to be stopped, slowly turning, or turning "backwards" due to shutter effects. The graphic artist may have intentionally simulated that.
@@dalecomer5951 , that may be true. But it is an animation; in a documentary. This demonstrates unfamiliarity with the subject, a failure to check continuity details that are apparent even in the still photographs, and/or poor editorial review. Thanks.
Feb. 6, 2021---Thanks for the video. Knew about the engine and bubble canopy, but not about the modification to the tail. There are modelers out there that are into Luftwaffe '46 aircraft.....imagine doing the same, but call it NSN '46 or a P-47H with it's 2 engine, calling it AAF '46?
Beautiful plane.
That is one spirited horse to have under you!
7:35 - the best part of the video. Turn off that stupid music and let us listen to the engine.......
LOVE this!
A really amazing design aircraft sometimes you just get lucky
Nice presentation.
Great aircraft but, no mention of Mr. Littles "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" necktie?! Haha!
Thanks @gyaviationtires.
Makes you wonder just what the F2G would have done to the YAK-9 had the two squared off over the skies of Germany in the later 40's.
Awesome.
I took a video of an original F2G flying last summer at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach on my channel.
HEAVY METAL