Originally published at: Picture of the Day: Dec. 15, 2025
A local Corsair approaches the field on short final in today’s Picture of the Day.
The F4U CORSAIR is my all-time favorite warbird. The wings are “bent” for the purpose of extending the main landing gear and thus raise the height of the fuselage when on the ground to prevent a prop strike of the 14ft diameter propeller on takeoff and landing. The Navy initially rejected the Corsair as unsuitable for aircraft carrier operations because the pilot was positioned so far back on the fuselage with the fuel tank between him and the engine that when on final approach his forward field of view was blocked by the raised nose when at proper approach speed and AOA. He couldn’t adequately view the optical landing mirror for maintaining a proper glide slope. So the Navy gave the Corsair to the Marines to use in their land-based island campaign against the Japanese. Later the Brits to whom Corsairs were given via the Lend Lease act determined that a safe approach and landing aboard an aircraft carrier could be made if the airplane was flown in a steady heading sideslip on final approach until the LSO gave the cut signal whence the pilot kicked out the sideslip to land straight ahead on touchdown while engaging an arresting cable with the tailhook. Marine Colonel Ed McMahon formerly of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson flew the Corsair in WWII in the South Pacific. He told the funny story that once when he landed at Iwo Jima airfield the young Army Air Corps tower controller unfamiliar with the Corsair informed him on roll out: “Sir, your wings are broken.”
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