A US Navy VF-17 "Jolly Rogers" F4U-1 Corsair successfully takes a wire during workups for their first combat deployment. The new Corsair proved to be a tempermental carrier aircraft, and in the end due to time constraints the Jolly Rogers deployed initially as a land-based unit.
Their efforts were not for naught, however, as VF-17's pilots played a large role during the training period in preparing the Corsair for later fleet-wide use. Eliminating the F4U's tendency to "bounce" during carrier landings and taming the plane's nasty stall characteristics were two important VF-17 technical innovations. They didn't do so bad once they entered combat, either, scoring a record 152 victories in only 76 days of combat during the Solomons campaign.
Completed 2017
Collection of Jim Schafer
A US Navy VF-17 "Jolly Rogers" F4U-1 Corsair successfully takes a wire during workups for their first combat deployment. The new Corsair proved to be a tempermental carrier aircraft, and in the end due to time constraints the Jolly Rogers deployed initially as a land-based unit.
Their efforts were not for naught, however, as VF-17's pilots played a large role during the training period in preparing the Corsair for later fleet-wide use. Eliminating the F4U's tendency to "bounce" during carrier landings and taming the plane's nasty stall characteristics were two important VF-17 technical innovations. They didn't do so bad once they entered combat, either, scoring a record 152 victories in only 76 days of combat during the Solomons campaign.