This F4U Corsair flew in Honduras before reaching Europe

The picture above shows F4U-4 Corsair OE-EAS at the Salzburg Airport and comes from The Flying Bulls official website.

F4U Corsair was carrier-based fighter-bomber from the 1940s. Chance Vought started the design work on the Corsair in 1938. The plane took its first flight in mid of 1940. Initial tests showed difficult flight characteristics in carrier operations, and the Navy requested further changes. But Marines desperately needed a new fighter. They operated mostly from land bases so they happily embraced the Corsair. But later on, it became one of the Navy’s most capable and appreciated carrier-based fighter bombers and achieved 11:1 kill ratio.

Most Corsairs served in the Pacific, but you could see them on board of Royal Navy carriers in Europe. They participated in raids to sink Tirpitz hiding in Norwegian fjords. In one of those attacks, a Corsair had to emergency land in Norway. It was captured by the enemy forces and transported to Germany for an evaluation.

After the World War II Corsairs also served as fighter-bombers in the Korean War and French operations in Indochina and Algeria. In Korea, one Corsair even shot down a MiG-15. F4U Corsair production ran for 8 years after the WW2. The aircraft served in several South American countries including Honduras and El Salvador. “Football War” between those two countries was the last combat engagement for F4U, and it fought on both sides.

Between 1942 and 1953, 12571 Corsairs were built, making it the longest production run for any American propeller driven aircraft.

Story of thar particular airframe

The 96995 airframe started it’s life in 1945, but it didn’t see any action in the WW2. It was initially delivered to the Navy but ended up on civil register as N5221V owned by an individual in Hereford, Arizona. In 1960 it was delivered to Honduran Air Force and flew as FAH614. It stayed in Honduras until 1979.

After that, a Texan millionaire purchased it, brought back to the USA and gave it a complete overhaul. It received N4908M registration number and USN/BR37 markings.

In 1990 Sigi Angerer, former chief pilot of the Flying Bulls, bought it for his personal collection. Then ferried to Austria and got flight approval for it. That’s when it received it’s current registration number OE-EAS.

Current status of the aircraft

Aircraft currently operates from the Salzburg Airport and flies for The Flying Bulls – Red Bull’s fleet of vintage and modern aircraft. They keep them in flyable condition and use them at air shows, sporting events and other Red Bull branded activities. According to The Flying Bulls, Corsair is “entirely fit for aerobatics, but it is flown conservatively because of its age. Still, 4.5 g’s in a steep curve is not uncommon despite the protective treatment”. They continue: “The plane is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R2800 CB-3 18-cylinder Double Wasp engine that provides 2,400 HP with a cubic capacity of 46 liters. The oil content in the engine is 95 liters. (…) The airplane’s original instrumentation fortunately could be largely retained; the only new parts are the modern navigational instruments (ILS, DMS, GPS). The second seat was a later addition”.

Current markings are the modification of the 1980s 37BR, with letters switched around to 37RB. It also features the Red Bull logo on the nose and Austrian flag on the tail. The pilots who fly it are Eric Goujon and Raimund Riedmann.

Other aircraft in the Red Bull fleet are, among others, Lockheed P-38, Douglas DC-6, Dornier Alpha Jet, Bell Cobra helicopter.

Sources

https://www.flyingbulls.at/en/fleet/chance-vought-f4u-4-corsair
https://www.flyingbulls.at/fileadmin/content/pdf/flotte/corsair/Flying_Bulls_Corsair_E_24032016.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F4U_Corsair
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairregistry/f4u-96995.html