This F4U-4 'Corsair' is on static display on the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier 'USS Midway'(V-41). Designed as a lightweight fighter tailored around the most powerful piston engine then available, Vought's prototype F4U-1 was ordered by the US Navy in June 1938 following a study of their V-166 proposal. In order to harness the immense power of the Pratt & Whitney XR-2800 Double Wasp engine, the largest diameter propeller ever fitted to a fighter up to that point in aeronautical history had to be bolted onto the front of the prototype - sufficient ground clearance for the prop was achieved through the use of a distinctive inverted gull wing. First flight was on 29 May 1940 and the aircraft came on line in early 1943 flown by the Marine Corps and later that same year flown by the Navy. The aircraft were built both by Vought and Goodyear and horse power was between 2,000hp to 2,850 hp, depending on the engines used. Corsairs were active during WWII and the Korean War and were being built until 31 January 1952, when a F4U-7 produced for the French Aeronavale became the 12,571st aircraft of this type. Statistics: Dimension: 33ft 8in (10.26m) Wingspan: 40ft 11in (12.47m) Height: 14ft 9in (4.50m) Weight: Empty: 9,205 lb (4,175kg) Max T/O: 14,670lb (6,654kg) Performance: Max Speed: 446mph (718kmh) Range:1,560 miles (2,511km) This picture was taken on 12 February 2010. Thanks for visiting, Sig...