For some reason I am unable to enter a comment on your daily timewaster blog. When I hit the submit button, the comment resets to a blank screen. Hence this e-mail.
I believe that the Corsair is properly designated the F4U (not F4).
Navy aircraft designations, almost from the beginning of Naval Aviation, and lasting beyond the Korean war, consisted of:
- one or two letters indicating the class (fighter, torpedo bomber, etc.);
- a serial number if more than one in the class;
- and a code letter identifying the maker. A=Brewster, D=Douglas, F=Gruman, J=North American, M=Martin (or later, General Motors), U=Chance-Vought, Y=Consolidated, etc.
The F4U would have been the fourth Navy fighter designed and built by Chance-Vougt. (I have no idea what the FU, F2U, or F3U were.)
When that system was changed, the aircraft designated F-4 was the McDonnell-Douglas Phantom of the Viet Nam war.
Black Sheep...
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing.
DeletePosted for John
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I am unable to enter a comment on your daily timewaster blog. When I hit the submit button, the comment resets to a blank screen. Hence this e-mail.
I believe that the Corsair is properly designated the F4U (not F4).
Navy aircraft designations, almost from the beginning of Naval Aviation, and lasting beyond the Korean war, consisted of:
- one or two letters indicating the class (fighter, torpedo bomber, etc.);
- a serial number if more than one in the class;
- and a code letter identifying the maker. A=Brewster, D=Douglas, F=Gruman, J=North American, M=Martin (or later, General Motors), U=Chance-Vought, Y=Consolidated, etc.
The F4U would have been the fourth Navy fighter designed and built by Chance-Vougt. (I have no idea what the FU, F2U, or F3U were.)
When that system was changed, the aircraft designated F-4 was the McDonnell-Douglas Phantom of the Viet Nam war.