Like lots of us, I've always wanted a Corsair. Hearing about the WAR Aircraft Replica F4U Corsair I went to see one and found it to be way too small. As to the designs using tube & rag construction I feel only metal or composites can do the Corsair justice. And a I wanted a replica, not just a look-alike. So after waiting twenty years for someone to sell a serious Corsair, I decided the only way it would happen is if I did it myself.
I then spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours digging through archives and reading thousands of pages on microfilm and found the original specs and drawings for the Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair. The Corsair82 uses the exact dimensions of the Corsair for all bulkheads scaled to 82%. Every attempt is being made to be true to the original design.
Of course you can't scale exactly and still have an aircraft that flies well. For one thing, a scale wing would be so oversized the wing loading would be less than a sailplane. The resulting aircraft would fly like a parachute. Not to mention that the original wing didn't have the friendliest characteristics. So a modern laminar flow airfoil in the proportions of the original wing is used. The result is a wing that looks like the original with great performance and flying characteristics.
The Corsair82 has been through several revisions, including a 75% scale version. The final design scale is set at 82%. At that size the Corsair82 will be about the size of a 100% P-51, making it one of the largest homebuilt aircraft. The length is 28 feet with a 33 foot wing span and design gross weight of 3500 lbs. To get an idea of just how big this aircraft is take a look at this picture of me standing in front of the Corsair82 fuselage.
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