[Max]

I saw this on the news this morning. Apparently, the cockpit and enigne are ain great shape.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story...55259&catid=81

http://www.nwherald.com/2010/11/08/r...higan/a3iiupt/








I would love to see the day this plane gets restored to flying condition!

[Cougar429]

I remember years ago taking a tour of one of the local museums, (Kazoo?) and they had another WWII vet that had been involved in a training accident, becoming a fish hotel for many years. When they brought it back up a few things were pretty interesting. One of the landing lights was half full of water and once cleaned up and filled with acid the battery produced power. The water is so cold many things don't deteriorate as fast as you would expect.

I hope that is the case with this one. From what I can see the engine was not making power when it went in the water, so internal damage should be minimal.

Did the news give an account of how it ended up there?

[bbbair]

Originally Posted by Cougar429

Did the news give an account of how it ended up there?

From the second article;
"Though it has been decades since the salvaged Corsair sank into Lake Michigan, military records tell a detailed history of the fighter plane.

On June 12, 1943, Navy pilot Carl H. Johnson was attempting to land the Corsair on the USS Wolverine aircraft carrier when miscommunication happened, the landing failed and the plane sank into 240 feet of water.

Johnson survived the crash but later was killed in the Pacific while flying from the USS Enterprise.

The pilot was one of thousands who were trained to land on aircraft carriers in Lake Michigan before seeing active duty in World War II. At that time, the carriers – which actually were modified lake freighters – docked at Navy Pier in Chicago while the pilots took off from Glenview Naval Air Station."

[mark_]

Wow...what an amazing piece of history.

[Swifty]

There was a corsair flying at the Lethbridge airshow this summer, was pretty cool to see. Some years ago I was at the Planes of Fame museum in Chino and there was a Corsair there that had been used as a Reno Racer. The wings had been clipped 4 ft I think and it had an engine out of a C 124 Globemaster. The engine developed 4000 HP, I expect it must have been brutal to fly.

[voyager_663rd]

Clipped wing was originally done so that they could fit on British carriers--couldn't get them below decks as the wing(s) were too long when folded.