Type: single-seat night-fighter and ground attack aircraft
Powerplant: one 1715-kW (2300-hp) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-32W radial engine
Maximum speed: 756 km/h (470 mph) at 8169 m (26,800 ft)
Crusing speed: 365 km/h (227 mph)
Climb rate: 1152 m/min (3780 fpm)
Service ceiling: 12,619 m (41,400 ft)
Weights: empty 4392 kg (9683 lb); maximum take-off 6398 kg (14,105 lb)
Armament: four 20-mm cannon, plus up to 907 kg (2000 lb) of bombs, rockets and external fuel
Dimensions:
Span: 12.50 m (41 ft 1 in)
Length: 10.21 m (33 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.50 m (14 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 29.17m2 (314 sq ft)
With its signature inverted gull wings and oversized propeller, the powerful Corsair could hit 470 mph, pack a stinging punch and strike fear in the hearts of Japanese Zero fighter pilots. Developed by Chance Vought Aviation as the F4U Corsair, many a WWII U.S. carrier pilot considered Corsair the finest fighter in the Pacific.
Because of enormous demand by British, New Zealander and American forces the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was called upon in 1945 to help build Corsairs. The aircraft that rolled off Goodyear's Akron, Ohio assembly line, including the Corsair on display at Patriots Point, were given the designation FG-1D.
The Skull and Crossbones on the Patriots Point Corsair is tribute to VF-17, the first U.S. Navy squadron to fly Corsairs. The distinctive design of Corsair's wings created an unforgettable whistling sound, roaring in from overhead. For American troops pinned down by fire, that sound was sweet relief. In a far different point of view, the Japanese nicknamed the sound Whistling Death.
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The USS Yorktown is nearly 900 feet in length, weighing in at more than 27,000 tons.
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