F4U-1D: Bu # 82640
The F4U-1D was built at Vought's Stratford plant as C/N 4487, and delivered to the U.S. Navy
on December 27, 1944.
It was taken on by the War Memorial Museum in Newport News, Virginia in 1949.
During it's stay there, the port wing was torched off at the fuselage in order to
facilitate the display of the aircraft. That wing panel, and wing root were discarded.
In 1985 it was purchased by Steve McClellan for the 'Old Dominion Wing' of the
Confederate Air Force. It was tinkered with a bit, but mainly left in storage due
to the fact that the primary load bearing component of the aircraft had been essentially
destroyed.
During the early 1990's Scott Wood bought into the project, but the fact that it
was essentially not restorable urged the sale of the plane in 1995, however much
repair work went into the forward lower section fuel tank area, because of the
burned skin from the torches.
Jerry Yagen (The Fighter Factory, Suffolk, VA.), took delivery of the plane and invested 4 years in it's restoration
before they inevitably reached the point of needing a new wing spar. Scratch building a
new main spar was investigated, but it was ultimately decided that doing so at the time
would not be cost effective. Once the restoration essentially ground to a halt, Mr. Yagen
began looking around for an airworthy example. He purchased the low time FG-1D, N46RL, out of
Oklahoma in 1999 (Bu # 92508), and the F4U-1D restoration was shelved.
Following a trade, it was relocated to Australia in late 2005. The F4U-1D is commencing long-term restoration at Murray Griffith's Precision
Aerospace Productions, Wangaratta, in the state of Victoria.
Thank you to the Fighter Factory, for providing some of the background on this Corsair.
November 2004: The majority of the structural work had been completed, including the
extensive re-skinning of the outer wings and tailplane, due to internal exhaust gas
corrosion. The elevators were being re-manufactured. All the landing gear was now permanently
installed as was the extensive array of new hydraulic tubing and the bulk of the flight
control systems.
By mid-2006 the restoration continues at a steady pace, with the engine being overhauled
in the United States.
In June 2007 Pete Bradley reported that all major structural work was completed, however they were stil working on the fuel system, wing and electrical components.
Engine was still in the United States.
FG-1D: Bu # 88090, F4U-1A: Bu # 50000 & Bu # 49956
Former RNZAF FG-1D NZ5612, c/n 2904, was shipped from the United States on April 29, 1945
aboard the USS Benjamin William, and delivered to the RNZAF.
It was assembled at Corsair Assembly Unit, Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, and brought on
charge (BOC) there on June 15, 1945.
NZ5612 was posted to No. 17 Squadron, Los Negros on July 25, 1945, and then to No. 14
Squadron until August 1945.
Following the cessasion of hostilites it was ferried to the Aircraft Storage Unit, at
RNZAF Station Rukuhia, New Zealand in October 1945. Rukuhia is now Hamilton International
Airport. The Corsairs were stored on the southern corner of the airfield
near the main road and faced towards Pirongia.
Sadly most of
these Corsairs ended their days in the furnace building (see photo below left),
along with up to 500 other fighters and bombers, where they were melted down for the
duralumin ingots that helped create many new industries and products for the New Zealand
consumer, being washing machine parts, frypans, tools etc.
NZ5612 avoided this fate,
and was advertised for sale by WARB tender NO. 9207 dated
May 9, 1949 and sold from Rukuhia to Jack Asplin's smelter business on May 26, 1949, along with 31 other airframes,
at which time they were removed from the Rukuhia graveyard.
For reasons not clear Jack Asplin decided against sending NZ5612 to the smelters, and retained it.
Reported with John Chambers of Auckland in 1969 as a restoration project, and then transported to MOTAT in Auckland in 1972.
The aircraft remained there until 1974, when it was acquired by Ross Jowitt and moved to Ardmore,
along with parts from NZ5503 and NZ5527 (listed below). Ross worked hard on the restoration of
NZ5612 over time considering the state it was acquired in.
In July 2004, this aircraft having been in Ross' possession for 30 years was advertised
for sale as a project.
Ross, over the years also had in his possession at Ardmore the remains of two other Corsairs, both F4U-1A variants.
F4U-1A NZ5503 c/n 5247 Bu # 50000, was shipped from the United States on May 10, 1944 aboard USS Northfield.
It was assembled at No.1 Assembly Depot, RNZAF Hobsonville and brought on charge with Unit 36, Hobsonville
on May 29, 1944. From there to Corsair Conversion Flight by November 1944.
It was advertised for sale by WARB tender No. 1704, and sold from Rukuhia to J. Larsen,
Palmerston North, on March 2, 1948.
It moved on to Jack Asplin and was still at his scrapyard in the early 1960s.
The remaining fuselage hulk and components were removed to Auckland in 1977.
F4U-1A NZ5527 c/n 5203 Bu # 49956, was shipped from the United States aboard USS Sunnyside Park.
It was assembled at No.1 Assembly Depot, RNZAF Hobsonville (near Whenuapai, Auckland Harbour), and brought on charge with Unit 36, Hobsonville
on June 28, 1944. Coded "UY-?". Within one year it transferred to three different squadrons at
RNZAF Ardmore, being No.22 Squadron, by July 1944, No.23 Squadron, Ardmore by August 1944,
and No.15 Squadron, by December 1944.
On January 8, 1945, NZ5527 overturned on landing at Ardmore after the brakes seized
injuring pilot Flight Sergeant T. Simpson. It was subsequently written off
there on January 25, 1945 and converted to instructional airframe INST106 with TTS, Nelson.
It was sold for scrap in the Nelson area after the end of the war.
In due course the remains were purchased by John Smith of Mapua and later onsold
to Ross Jowitt.
In late 1999 Ross was advertising NZ5527 for sale at $315,000, and he sold one
or both of these two remains to a buyer in the United States circa 2000 - 2001. Its movements post those dates are unknown.
Aircraft collector/seller Tony Raftis is understood to have purchased the former RNZAF FG-1D project from Ross Jowitt in Ardmore, New Zealand, in mid-2005, along
with one of Ross' other airframes. They are believed to have since been relocated to the United States.
FG-1D: Bu # 92044, ZK-COR
Often tagged as "the one that got away" NZ5648 is the only surviving airworthy RNZAF Corsair.
The world's oldest flying Corsair, F4U-1 'NZ5201', Bu # 17995 (with birdcage canopy), then registered ZK-FUI, was located at the Alpine Fighter Collection at Wanaka on New Zealand's
south island until being sold to the TAM Museum in Brazil in 1999. Although painted to represent a RNZAF machine, it had never saw service with the RNZAF, but was always a crowd pleaser
at the well-renowned annual Wanaka International Airshow.
The only true airworthy survivor from the RNZAF is NZ5648, Bu #92044 (often incorrectly quoted as Bu #88391), now located with the Old Stick & Rudder Company in New Zealand.
This particular aircraft was one of the last of 15 FG-1Ds supplied to the RNZAF out of a batch of 60, and served between August 17, 1945 through May 9, 1948. It then
remained in storage until May 1949.
On May 5 it was sold to scrapman Jack Asplin whose task it was to send most of the Corsairs to
the smelter. The aircraft remained at Asplin's yard until 1953, rapidly deteriorating among the weeds.
In 1953 Asplin loaned old '648' to the Waikato Aero Club, in Hamilton.
They were preparing for an opening celebration, and some of the Aero Club pilots thought it would be a fine idea to clean up the old fighter and taxi it round a bit. The years
since 1949 had not been kind to the aircraft. The sun had faded the paint, and corrosion had set in.
Fabric was rotted, and many parts were already missing. Little thought was given to the future preservation of the aircraft so there was not much skill used in the 'patch up', but
it was at least presentable. At the end of the occasion, '648' was once again pushed off into the weeds, where it more or less served as a 'gate guardian'.
In the early 1960s MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology) in Auckland, expressed an interest to Asplin. The decidedly neglected aircraft was loaned to the museum
where it was displayed in false markings as 'NZ5611' Josephine from 1965-1970.
It was purchased by U.S. interests in 1970, and was shipped from New Zealand. After passing through a
series of U.S. owners and returned to airworthiness, the later part of it's U.S. residency was spent in the colors of Lt. Cmdr. 'Tommy' Blackburn's VF-17 'Big Hog'.
In 1988 the FG-1D was acquired by Warbirds of Great Britain,
and left for England the following year. It was operating with Ray Hanna's Old
Flying Machine Company from 1991 - 2004, and the original RNZAF scheme was re-applied. With the final appearance of
the OFMC's famous Brietling Fighters Display Team in 2004, '648' returned to New Zealand.
Ownership passed to James Slade at the
Old Stick & Rudder Company, Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, New Zealand. The Corsair is now registered ZK-COR, and wears # '8', VF-17 Jolly Rogers scheme.
F4U-1D Bu # 82640 in storage.
©Copyright. Photo: The Fighter Factory
Ezells in Breckenridge, TX., continues building up a complete firewall forward package.
Work continues on the control system in addition to complex task of manufacturing the starboard lower
oil cooler/air inlet duct panels. Systems installation progresses.
2005: F4U-5N Bu # 124493 under restoration.
©Copyright. Photo: Graham Hosking & Tracey Smiley
July 2004: FG-1D NZ5612 at Ardmore, New Zealand.
©Copyright. Photo: Dennis Thompson International Ltd., Papakura
RNZAF Rukuhia 1948 - 1949: The Corsairs (minus their tires) viewed as photographed from the
control tower facing south towards Pirongia. P-40s are among other types seen awaiting their sad fate.
©Copyright. Photo: Hawke's Bay Aviation Heritage, via Webmaster
The furnace building at RNZAF Station Rukuhia.
©Copyright. Photo: Hawke's Bay Aviation Heritage, via Webmaster
The advertisement stating:
"FG-1D Corsair Project available ex-New Zealand.
Nil corrosion reported. Many spare parts available. To be sold outright only.
New Zealand rebuild and FAA certification arranged as required.
Details and photo's available online. Additional photo's emailed.
martyn@DtiAircraftSales. Contact Martyn Thompson - DENNIS THOMPSON INTERNATIONAL LTD
located Papakura, New Zealand. Telephone: +649 2986249, Fax: +649 2984440.
Posted July 14, 2004"
A very forlorn looking NZ5612 as the years took their toll at Rukuhia in the years following WWII.
©Copyright. Photo: Ivan Prince Collection, via Webmaster
NZ5503 c/n 5247 Bu # 50000, Ardmore, circa early 1990s
©Copyright. Photo: Tracey Smiley
Ross acquired the remains circa 1989.
©Copyright. Photo: Old Flying Machine Company
2005: F4U-5N Bu # 124493 under restoration.
