Painted as flown by Lt. Ira “Ike” Kepford of VF-17, the “Jolly Rogers”. On Nov. 11, 1943, Lt. Ira Kepford, during a strike at Rabaul, shot down four enemy aircraft, winning a Navy Cross for his exploits. By February 1944, Kepford was the Navy’s leading ace, with 16 victories. In his five months of combat duty, Kepford earned two Navy Crosses, the Gold Star, the Silver Star, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air Medal, Unit Commendation to VF-17, and the American Defense Service Medal.
The F-4U Corsair, built by Vought, was a lightweight fighter paired with a very powerful engine.
The Corsair's unusual
inverted gull-wing
design was
necessary to give
it's huge propeller
ample ground
clearance.The prototype was the first US combat aircraft to exceed 400 mph. The airplane went into production in 1942. The Corsair was nicknamed "Ensign Eliminator"; the strong
engine torque didn't make it an easy plane to land on the deck of a carrier. The US Navy at first
rejected it for shipboard operation. However, the F-4U was adopted by the Marine Corps and quickly
demonstrated its effectiveness.
As a fighter, the Corsair gave the U.S. Navy pilots an aircraft
that could handle anything that the Japanese put in the air. The
U.S. Marine Corps used the Corsair extensively as a ground
attack fighter bomber... a role the Corsair again filled during the
Korean conflict. When production ended in late 1952, 12,681 F-4U's had been built.
The F-4U is regarded by many as one of the greatest combat aircraft in
history, and was in production for a longer period of time than any U.S. fighter other than the F-4 Phantom II.
Source and Links:
From Wikipedia WWII F4U Corsair training film
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution Fully assembled, Handcrafted Model Airplane with Removable
Desk Stand.
(Scale: 1/28, Length: 14.1", Wing Span: 17.7")
Click on product image for more details.
)
