a few questions about the f4u

[Saxman]

As far as hard numbers, I think the turn radii on the F4Us from best to worst are:

F4U-1A
F4U-1
F4U-4
F4U-1D
F4U-1C

However the performance gap borders on negligible so will ultimately boil down to who can ride the stall better. An F4U-1C CAN turn inside the 1A if the 1A isn't able to keep his turns stable.

Also, as has been pointed out by numerous others landing gear only do one thing to the Corsair's flight envelope: They slow you down. You're no more stable, and they don't improve your turning ability. I really only use my landing gear for three purposes: landing, dive-bombing, and if I've got a significant altitude advantage on an opponent and want to avoid overspeed if I dive on him. As TC pointed, out, the Corsair's massive rudder is FAR more efficient for sudden braking by skidding and slipping.

TC's makin' me blush over here. However excluding myself (</attempt at humility>) his list is definitely a Who's Who of hot Hog sticks. You might also want to check out the F4U pages on the AHWiki. There haven't been any additions or changes to the information since I posted them, (excluding at the admin side) so I guess I got it right.

[Spatula]

Don't forget that big blue rudder! Its great for boosting your roll rate (roll left, kick left etc) especially when slow, for wingovers, or just generally kicking that big nose around Also good for sudden deceleration.

Once you get it into a true stall fight with the flaps fully extended and you know how to use the rudder to get the most from it, its one of the best aircraft out there. I've stall fought zekes in them. With the flaps out it has a very low stall speed, and has an uncanny ability to almost 'hover' (whether it should or not is another story) and change directions quite quite quickly. Slow speed scissor fights is where the Hog excels, IMO. Careful tho, although it loves the slow stuff, once you commit to it, you are stuck with it, because of their slow accceleration (except the -4), its difficult to escape should things go wrong.

The hog also has very good instantaneous turn rates, so she excels in high-speed fights as well. The zone in between the high speed manuevering and the super slow speed fights is a bit of a weakness for the hog IMO.

The -1 is the better one for slow speed handling, and is just cooler for some reason. The 1C may be the worst hog for turning, its not by much, and the advantage those 4 hizooka canons more than makes up for it, IMO. In a slow scissor fight, you're presented with lots of snapshot opportunities, and the 4 cannons will be more effective than 6x50cals in that scenario. So although -1C on paper is marginally worse in sustained turn rate, its still more than good enough, and you wont need to do it for very long...

Oh yer, and the 1D has a place in my heart as well, cause it comes with an RNZAF skin

[mtnman]

I should be in the MA on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, after 9pm Central until 2am or so.  If you're available then give me a holler and I'll hop over to the TA with you.

If those don't work, I'll be back in on Sunday and Monday nights again, at roughly the same times.

I don't have much to add at this point, I agree with most of what's been posted.

My personal favorite is the F4U-1A, or of course the -4.  I take an occasional hop in the -1C or the -1D.  I haven't tried the -1 in a long time.  I'm so used to the .50's I see the -1C as a handicap.  Flying a perk I'll take the -4 over the -1C any day.  I'd rather have maneuverability over big guns.  The -1C guns are fabulous, but I don't like them.  I'm quirky...

I seldom take less than 100% fuel in the -1A, and 100% and a DT in the -4.  I always run low on fuel before I'm ready to head home or run low on ammo.  Lifting from a base under attack I may drop down to 75%, but only if I've been killed a few times before I could get clear of the field.  1 flight in 100 might see me at less than full fuel.  The only real answer for a "why" there is because I always expect to get away from the field and fight for a while.  It doesn't always work that way, but I'm stubborn, and I feel shocked when my plans don't work.  I have a big head, and if you kill me low with 100% fuel, I'm likely to try it again anyway, hehe!  As in "No way will he be able to do that again!"

In the -1A, I burn my wing tanks off first, leaving about 1/16 in the left, and 3/16 in the right.  I then switch to the main and burn it on manual until I RTB.  The fuel in my wings is for emergencies, and I leave more in the right to balance against torque. 

I normally burn the left down to 1/2, followed by the right to 1/2 while climbing.  Then I level and burn left down to 1/4, followed by right down to 1/4.  Then left to final amount, followed by right.  I don't like to have the right wing much heavier than the the left, ever, so I go in stages.  I have it mapped to just plain "F" so I can tap it quickly in a fight, or while reading my book on the way to the fight.  I think "Shift-F" is default.

MtnMan

[bobtom]

I've been flying the F4U for about 6 months now, and it has become the only plane that I fly. You can do almost anything with it.

I don't think I'll ever give it up.


<S>

bobtom

[Shane]

• 1. a profiecient F4U flyer can dump his speed just as quickly with Rudder/cross control rather than dropping gear.....

while i can only claim to be a decent hog stick, here's a perfect example (in an F4u-4), starting at 2:21 in the film where i'm chopping throttle,  going up right, and rolling left with full rudder deflection right, and dumping flaps to slam on the brakes. i never use the gear.

from 340mph to 105mph in about 12 secs. after killing the macchi, the spit experienced first hand the slow speed handling of the hog. to be fair i think the spit was kind of a newbie (altho' better spit pilots have fallen to it as well).


http://www.speedyshare.com/626938796.html  <-- link to .ahf film file.

[crazierthanu]

Thank you all again, as I enjoy your help. I hope to keep seeing more replies as this thread has been a good source of info.