Fly Over And Take Our New Poll
I am curious to see which is preferred by you, our customers, realistic airplanes on t-shirts or caricature airplanes on t-shirts? Take our poll and voice your opinion. (The poll vote area is on the sidebar to the right.)
Realistic C-130 |
Caricature C-130 |
Do You Know Your Corsairs?
 The prototype XF4U-1 made its maiden flight on May 29, 1940 and it was the first U.S. fighter to exceed 400 mph. This was achieved on October 1, 1940 with an official speed of 405 mph. The Corsair had one of the longest production runs of any piston fighter as well. |
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| VARIANTS OF THE F4U CORSAIR |
| The Corsair models all shared the basic frame as the prototype shown in the photograph below but there were constant modifications made to improve handling and flight characteristics. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some photos of the different variants. |
 This is the prototype XF4U-1 Corsair. |
 F4U-1 “birdcage canopy” |
 F3A1 Brewster Built “birdcage canopy” |
 Tom’s model shows new canopy for the F4U-1A. |
 Cowling of F4U-1A. |
 This is a cowling of a Goodyear built FG-1. |
The Corsair was built by three different companies: Chance Vought- F4U designation. 8,148 total. Brewster- F3A designation. 735 total. Goodyear- FG designation. 3,830 total. |
 The F4U-4. Note the chin scoop and now a 4 bladed propeller.The Goodyear designator is FG-4. Both were armed with 4- 20mm canons. |
 The 1945 variant F4U-5. The chin scoop is gone and there are 2 cowl “cheeks”. |
 This is the AU-1 also know as the F4U-6. |
 The F4U-7. Developed for the French Aeronavale. |
 This is the only V-354. A tandem trainer that was never put into production. |
| VOUGHT PRODUCTION: | ||||
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Built
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Variant
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Description | ||
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2,698
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XF4U-1
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Initial prototype. | ||
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688
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F4U-1
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“Birdcage” Initial production model. | ||
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2,126
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F4U-1A
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F4U-1 with improved canopy, other changes. | ||
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?
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F4U-1B
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Designation used to identify F4U-1s modified for FAA use. | ||
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200
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F4U-1C
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F4U-1A with quad 20 millimeter cannon. | ||
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1,685
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F4U-1D
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Fighter-bomber variant. | ||
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?
|
F4U-1P
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Rare Reconnaissance model. | ||
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?
|
XF4U-2
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Night version. | ||
|
?
|
F4U-2
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32 (12?) night-fighter conversions of F4U-1. | ||
|
?
|
F4U-3
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Turbocharged Double Wasp, 3 conversions. | ||
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?
|
XF4U-4
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New engine and cowling. | ||
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2,058
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F4U-4
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Four bladed prop, other improvements. | ||
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297
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F4U-4B
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F4U-4 with quad cannon. Originally intended for British use. | ||
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?
|
F4U-4C
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Armed with 4 20mm cannons. | ||
|
?
|
F4U-4E
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4N F4U-4 night fighter. | ||
|
?
|
F4U-4K
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Drone. | ||
|
9
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F4U-4P
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Rare reconnaissance version of F4U-4. | ||
|
?
|
XF4U-5P
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New engine and cowling. | ||
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223
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F4U-5
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1945 introduction. Four cannon, uprated engine, etc. | ||
|
214
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F4U-5N
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Radar F4U-5 night fighter. | ||
|
101
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F4U-5NL
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Boots on leading edges. Winterized F4U-5 night fighter. | ||
|
30
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F4U-5P
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Reconnaissance. | ||
|
111
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AU-1
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F4U-6 for Marines. USMC armored close-support “mudfighter”. | ||
|
97
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F4U-7
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French Aeronavale Corsair production. | ||
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1
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V-354
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Tandem trainer. | ||
| GOODYEAR PRODUCTION: | ||||
|
Built
|
Variant
|
Description
|
||
|
?
|
FG-1
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Goodyear land model no folding wings. | ||
|
?
|
FG-1A
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Goodyear-built F4U-1A. | ||
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1,997
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FG-1D
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Goodyear-built F4U-1D. | ||
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12
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FG-4
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Goodyear-built F4U-4. | ||
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?
|
XF2G
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Prototypes (conversions of FG-1) for F2G. | ||
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?
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FG2-1
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Land-based Corsair with Wasp Major. | ||
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?
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FG2-2
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Carrier-based Corsair with Wasp Major, 4 cannon. | ||
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?
|
FG-1E
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Goodyear with radar. | ||
|
?
|
FG-1K
|
Goodyear drone. | ||
|
?
|
FG-3
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Turbosupercharged. | ||
|
5
|
F2G-1
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P&W 4360 Super Corsair. | ||
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5
|
F2G-2
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P&W 4360 Super Corsair. | ||
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BREWSTER PRODUCTION:
|
||||
|
Built
|
Variant
|
Description
|
||
|
305
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F3A-1
|
Brewster-built F4U-1. | ||
|
430
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F3A-1D
|
Brewster F4U-1D. | ||
| TOTAL CORSAIRS PRODUCED: 12,713 |
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Great Fun at Sebring, Florida LSA Event
We had a great time at the Light Sport Aircraft event in Sebring, Florida this past week and talked with a lot of folks. They were all interesting and reminded us of why we love flying so much!
Many thanks goes out to all who stopped by our booth and chatted with us.
Just for fun I thought I would add a picture of a Bell 47 that Bob Viscio of New Hampshire shared with us, what a great looking helicopter.
Interestingly enough my first introduction to aviation was in a Bell 47 at our local county fair.
I took this picture of the Titan P51 early in the morning before the show got under way. They flew later that day and from a distance it looked like the real P51!
Be sure to check back soon, other photos are being sent in from folks we talked to as well….
Don’t Forget to Update Your Licenses
Certificates issued under 14 CFR Part 61 and 65 will expire March 31, 2013.
FAR 61.19(h) reads:
Duration of pilot certificates. Except for a temporary certificate issued under §61.17 or a student pilot certificate issued under paragraph (b) of this section, the holder of a paper pilot certificate issued under this part may not exercise the privileges of that certificate after March 31, 2010.
Click here to go to the FAA site to update your paper license.
Click here to go to the FAA site to change your certificate number.
LSA (Light Sport Airplane) Event
Do you recognize the airport in the photo? Well, if you said Sebring, Florida (KSEF) you would be right!
While there isn’t much happening in this photo starting January 21st to 24th there will be a “beehive” of activity here because the 2010 Light Sport Airplane event will be going on.
Gates open at 8 am. and exhibits open at 9 am. For more information go to the official website and check it out!
We will be there too so stop by the Aerotoons booth and say hello.
Cherokee Series 50th- Golden Anniversary!
 The Cherokee series certified in 1960 has reached its 50th year anniversary. The dependable Cherokee PA 28 series is still in production and it has been said that over 30,000 units were built.The Cherokee 140 pictured here is of our own 1969 model. A mass migration is planned this year at the 2010 EAA AirVenture airshow so anyone interested should check the EAA site for more details. |
 We like the Cherokee so well that we even designed a T-shirt “Island Hoppers” featuring it.If you would like to see the Island Hopper shirt and some of our other aviation t-shirts click here to visit our online store… |
F4U CORSAIR
Stay tuned for more about Corsairs, meanwhile take a look at this photo of an F4U-1A Corsair model that a viewer built…… nice job Tom!
Pearl Harbor Day- USS Arizona
I know that we usually focus on airplanes with this blog but I thought since aviation played a huge roll on the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 that I would stop and pay tribute to the gallant Americans that lost their lives that day.
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| We are so used to seeing the famous footage of Dr. Eric Haakensen aboard the USS Solace that we seldom know what the USS Arizona looked like before December 7th so I thought it would be nice to see her in all her glory before that fateful day….. |
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USS Arizona
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| Here is the USS Arizona at sea. Displacement fully loaded: 37,654 tons, maximum speed: 20.7 knots. The above photos show the bow and the port side. (Note the three Vought OS2U Kingfisher aircraft on the stern.) |
This is a view of the USS Arizona’s starboard side. |
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USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor
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 This is a photo from a Japanese aircraft that shows the Arizona in Battleship row under attack in Pearl Harbor. |
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USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor Today
After all these years about a quart of oil still leaks from the hull (as you you can see in the photo) and rises to the surface of the water. Survivors from the crew say that the oil will continue to leak until the last survivor dies. |
This is USS Arizona (BB-39) as she is leaving New York City for her first “shakedown cruise” in 1916. The vessel was the first to be named “Arizona”. This was done specifically to honor the 48th state’s admission into the union, which had happened just the year before the battleship was authorized by Congress. (The Arizona was commissioned in 1916.)
The National Park Service has a great map, illustrated by Zack Anderson, that shows where the Arizona was berthed during the attack. If you take a close look you can also see the vantage point of Dr. Eric Haakensen (aboard the USS Solace) as he filmed the Arizona exploding.
The wreck of Arizona remains at Pearl Harbor, a memorial to the 1,177 men of her crew lost that December morning in 1941. The wreck was designated as a national shrine on May 30, 1962. A memorial was built across the ship’s sunken remains, including a shrine room listing the names of the lost crewmembers on a marble wall. Warships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and other navies routinely salute Arizona when passing through Pearl Harbor.Aircraft “Nose Art”
 Most associate “nose art” with World War II airplanes and it would not have been uncommon to see a WWII pinup girl by Peter Driben on the side of a B-17. Did you know that decorating airplanes with artwork goes back earlier than WWII? Ever since men went to war they have felt the need to personalize their aircraft with unofficial and personal markings. The first recorded example of nose art is said to have been an Italian flying boat in 1913 (it had a sea monster painted on the nose). It is also interesting to note that Italian and German airmen were instrumental in the practice of nose art. (Although at first it was usually just squadron insignias.)
Ideas for nose art came from everywhere… girlfriends, wives, posters, calendars, comics, or historical events but they all had one thing in common and that was to inspire and to relieve the stress of war. The golden age of nose art is generally associated with World War II and the Korean war but there are examples from Vietnam, the Gulf War, and even the airplanes of today. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of them…. |
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World War I
This is Italian Ace Francessco Barracca with his Spad XIII World War I fighter. He was part of the 91st Squadriglia. *Note the black horse artwork on the side of the airplane, it was later used by Enzo Ferrari as the company logo. |
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World War II
Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940 by artist Ben Hardaway and Walter Lantz animation studio and was very popular during WWII. Here he is featured on a B-24 bomber known as “Secrut Weapin.” |
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World War II
This is an Alberto Vargas pinup girl painted on the side of a B-24 bomber. |
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World War II
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World War II
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World War II
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Vietnam to Present
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Vietnam to Present
This is a B-52 bomber with nose art called “Express Delivery”. |
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Vietnam to Present
KC 135 tankers have nose art too! |
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Vietnam to Present
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The A-10 Thunderbolt “Warthog” on the left features a sharks mouth like the P-40 and F8 Crusader; it is the inspiration behind our A-10 Warthog “Bite ‘Em” shirt. Click here to see the “Bite ‘Em” shirt for young adults (they come in adult sizes too). |
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I hope you enjoyed the brief look at some of my favorite nose art pictures. it was fun writing the story. If you would like to see some of our aviation t-shirts click here to visit our online store… |
Phil Brinkman was another poular artist during WWII. Here is one of the Zodiac series that he did on the side of a B-24. There was a B-24 featuring each of the zodiac signs except Taurus.
Of course many have seen the Actress Betty Grable on this B-17 of the Commerative Air Force. (She was a popular actress of the time.)
This is the nose art featured on the B-29 that dropped the second atomic bomb “Fatman” over Nagasaki, Japan at the end of WWII. (It is now in the Wright Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.)
Sharks teeth are very popular and they were not only on P-40’s of WWII but you can see them on modern fighters such as this F8 Crusader.
American Inventiveness
Believe it or not this is actually a 2/3 scale experimental aircraft built by Jim O’hara. He is a retired aeronautical engineer professor and built the airplane entirely from scratch. It has a 38 foot wingspan and is powered by two 200 H.P. engines. If that weren’t amazing enough, he is over 80 years old!
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