F4U-4 CORSAIR - US NAVY FLOWN BY THOMAS HUDNER

Historical Note:           First used in World War 2 on 13 February 1943 by the US Marine Corps,the Chance-Vought F4U/AU Corsair was a single-seat, single-engine, carrier-based fighter-bomber. In the Korean War (1950-1953) the F4U-4 was the most widely used propeller-driven naval aircraft, equipping eighteen USN fighter squadrons, nine USN reserve fighter squadrons, and five USMC fighter/attack squadrons. Flying from aircraft carriers or forward air bases (the F4U was the only US Marine Corps fighter ever to operate from North Korean airfields), the Corsair usually carried a much heavier bomb-load than US Air Force aircraft. It was extensively used for ground attack and interdiction missions. These were very dangerous, and 328 Corsairs, 312 F4Us and 16 AUs, were lost due to enemy action, almost all of them to ground fire.

About Thomas Hudner:        Lt. (jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. of Fall River, MA was a Corsair pilot assigned to Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) aboard the USS Leyte (CV 32). On December 4, 1950, Hudner was conducting ground interdiction strikes in North Korea when Ensign Jesse L. Brown, a fellow pilot from VF32 and the Navy's first African-American aviator, crash-landed near the Chosin Reservoir. In a brave effort to save his shipmate, Hudner crash-landed his own F4U-4 nearby and rushed over to render aid to the mortally wounded Brown. At a great risk to his own life he attempted to cut Brown free from the smoking wreckage but to no avail. Brown was rapidly losing blood and died even as Hudner was trying to free him. Because of enemy forces in the area Hudner was forced to abandon his shipmate's body and leave on the rescue helicopter that had been dispatched to the crash site. Lt. (jg) Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless heroism on that occasion. After an illustrious career he retired in February 1973 with the rank of Captain.

Scale:    1:28
W/S:      17.6   inches, 
Lgth:      14.1   inches

Item Number:    TMC-AF4U4NL                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Price:    $169.95

GENERAL SPECS OF THE CHANCE-VOUGHT F4U4 CORSAIR:       
Crew: one pilot
Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.30 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m)
Wing area: 350 ft² (32.5 m²)
Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,175 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 14,670 lb (6,654 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial, 2,450 hp (1,827 kW) with WEP

Performance
Maximum speed: 446 mph (717 km/h) at 26,200 ft (7,986 m)
Range: with external fuel tanks, 1,560 miles (2,510 km)
Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,649 m)
Rate of climb: 3,100 ft/min (945 m/min)
Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)
Armament
6× .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns
4× 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon replace machine guns on F4U-4B and -4C
8× 5 in (127 mm) rockets or 2× 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs