hangar 9 F4U-1A Corsair

Combining the largest radial engine available with an unyielding airframe is not an unusual set of military airplane requirements. However, it was Chance Vought that took the U.S. Navy’s 1938 wish list and created a distinctive airplane as well as a weapon that would remain superior till the jet era. So overwhelming was its success that it took the collective manufacturing capabilities of Vought, Goodyear and Brewster to help meet demand that wouldn’t subside until 1952.