CORSAIR FACTS!
Today we are going to talk to an expert on Corsairs. His name is Maxpower Williams he was on the show several weeks ago as well.
Corsair Facts!: It's so nice to have you back Duke Sir Dr. Williams.
Maxpower Williams: It's great to be back Bob.
CF: So Corsairs rock, correct?
MW: They sure do Bob. They are much superior to the P-51D Mustang and any other fighter of the Second World War with the possible exception of the Messerschmidt Me 262. But the Corsair was incredibly cooler than the Me 262.
CF: But isn't the P-51D slightly faster and have a longer range than the Corsair?
MW: Yes, but the speed advantage is rather small and doesn't much matter and the Corsair was, from the F4U-1a on, a carrier based fighter this gave it much more flexability in that it could be launched from sea or from land. Also, the Corsair was more sturdy and could take a lot of punishment. This in part made it a good close support fighter because small arms fire couldn't hurt it. Small arms fire would repeatedly bring down a P-51 doing ground attack. This was demonstrated in the Korean War. The Corsair is the equivalent of the well rounded student while the Mustang is the kid that can do math and nothing else. The Corsair was good at point defense, dogfighting, ground attack, and when specially modified night attack. It was also capable of escort duties although not as long as the Mustang or the P-38 Lightning. The Mustang could do long range escort and not much else.
CF: That's all the time we have for today. This is Bob Barker reminding you to tune in next week for another edition of CORSAIR FACTS! |