(raining out so bored, ha ) BIGHOG is a nickname Tom Blackburn gave his new warbird that arrived in the Pacific to push the Japanese back to japan. Tom first looked at the new warbird and thought the long nose reminded him back home on the farm. Hogs had long snouts, the Corsair has a long nose to house the 24 cylinder radial engine. Fighter pilots of WW11 are my heroes, they could at anytime go in and tell the Commander this mano on mano fight to the death was not for them. They had real guts to do what they did for everyone else. Some could not cut it for sure and tuened in their wings. The young guys that made it to the Pacific were ready to fight.......and fight they did. The Japanese that survived the war and heard a Corsair in a dive called the new warbird "Whistling Death" because the oil cooler in the wing roots sucked in air and made noise to scare the bejesus out of you. I talked to a businessman in Florida that restores these old birds and he says be prepared to spend over a million and a big cost per year just to keep the plane in flying shape. 300K a year is about at least once the restoration is completed. In the first clip the second plane is a Corsair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMxVVSRtsNw
The F4U Corsair was always one of my favorites but you CANT find one for sale these days. Even if you had one you could not fly it regularlly simply because the parts are not around anymore that means you'd have to fabricate any piece you need yourself. The 300k number is sort of meaningless since it would depend on how often it was used. Why is this in the trading forum?
xflat Correct, there are only a few around these days. The owner of the museum and guy that restores warbirds was being nice and gentle when he said "a million" with a cute smile. The maintenance fee is also low to maintain a flyable warbird also. Correct, parts must be fabricated , these birds are over 60 years old. I have been to many airshowsand just to see a Corsair, Mustang, B-17, Spitfire, P-38 or just about any propeller warbird takes you back to when men were men and women were women. We trade, we are doing a job, we enjoy what we do. How many young men today would have had the stones to do what a whole generation of allies did back in the 1940's. Women did their part also, Rosie the riveter did her part, the gals from Sweetwater, Texas flew many planes from factories to bases etc, etc. Rosie the riveter also gets credit for bringing healthcare to the factory floor for common workers. The companies needed the gals to work and simply told the gals We' will give you healthcare for your children", the rest is history. Xflat, this is in trading because i put it there, if it is moved no biggie. Take a valium and chexck back later.. ..
In the context of the times and the kind of war I suspect a lot of people would have had the stones to do it if that were the situation today. This should still be in an off topic forum. I dont use valium nor is a childish insult needed.