Classic Aircraft profiled every issue -

Issue 12 - F4U Corsair: Team Players - Editor's introduction

It is a very fitting aircraft with which to celebrate our anniversary, being a definite classic, but at the same time an unusual one, rather like Aviation Classics itself.

The Corsair was a big, heavy aircraft for a fighter, not possessed of the classic good looks of a Mustang or Spitfire. This was a big tough bruiser, powerful and mean looking.

I remember first being entranced by the Corsair and its unusual appearance when I was a kid, building the Airfix kit of the aircraft. It was noticeably bigger than all my other Second World War aircraft models, and its wings, when finally glued on, made me question if I had it the right way up. It sat in my collection towering above and glowering down at the lesser types around it, and a fascination was born that has lasted all my life. When I came to understand this aircraft, I discovered that not only did its tough looks tell the truth; this machine could take a brutal pounding and still get its pilot home, but the exploits of this machine were the stuff of legend. Its pilots earned many nicknames for the type, but the one I remember most is Angel of the Marianas, a name coined not by the pilots, but the Marines engaged in bloody and fierce fighting against an implacable enemy across those islands. To the Marines, the Corsairs were hovering over their shoulders, ready to deliver the close air support that would keep them alive at the drop of a hat. This nickname I think epitomises the legend of the Corsair better than any other, it was in the right place, at the right time, in large numbers and could deliver enormous firepower for a single seat fighter.

Strangely, despite 12,571 being built and the Corsair remaining in front line service far longer than any of its contemporaries, it is one of the least well known of the Second World War fighters. It operated in the Atlantic and Pacific, yet few people know that. Perhaps the looks are the reason, or maybe the relative obscurity of the company that produced this monster of a machine – it gets overlooked among the other thoroughbred designs.

Whatever the reason, this aircraft deserves recognition for so many reasons, including the sheer guts of the men who flew it in combat. Not just a fighter, the Corsair could lift almost the payload of a B-17 in bombs, making it an incredibly powerful ground attack aircraft. Low level ground attack is a very dangerous game, as anyone who has flown those missions will tell you. That the Corsair could do it so well is testament to the pilots, and to the aircraft for its ability to absorb battle damage. Legend indeed.

I mentioned that Aviation Classics, like the Corsair, is unusual as a magazine. We only cover one topic in depth per issue, unlike all other aviation magazines, making us, like the Corsair somewhat unique.

What makes Aviation Classics really special is the people who work on it. This issue I would like to introduce you to David G Powers, an ex-Army and Naval Aviator who runs his own magazine, Logbook, in the US. Still flying as a career today, he also works in his spare time as a docent at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at nearby Pensacola, Florida. A busy man, who has found time to be a source of superb material for Aviation Classics. His contributions make this issue something rather special, as they all give the reader views of the Corsair from the cockpit on a wide variety of missions. David is a real team player, and is quite rightly co-editor of this issue. I’d also like to mention two other people who have been instrumental in getting me through my first year as editor, and thank them for their good humour and hard work. The first is Charlotte Pearson, the designer of the magazine, and a beautiful job she makes of it too. Anyone who can make my scribbled input coherent is a miracle worker and her patience and kindness as I have thrashed about lost has been gratefully received. The other is Jonathon Schofield, a man who has turned many borderline images into minor works of art with his Photoshop skills. Thanks to both. Given the quality people around me, I am very proud to be a member of this team.

All best,

Tim

PS. See, I told you I would cheer up after my Harrier ‘rant’ last time.