CORSAIR BACK IN THE AIR

Gary Norvillc, one of the great guys in vintage aircraft restoration and owner of American Aero Services in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, has informed us that the Corsair they have been restoring for the Collings Foundation has flown again "three weeks after we had our gear problem. Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass has flown our test program and the Corsair should be included in the Collings Foundation's Florida Tour. The aircraft is F4U-5NL BuNo 124692 and is painted exactly like it was when the plane served with VC3 aboard the USS Essex during 1953. We have pages from the Cruise Book showing the paint scheme and the aircraft as number 5."

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After its US Navy career, the night fighter variant of the Corsair was sold to the air force of Honduras where it was utilized as a day fighter. After a lengthy restoration, the aircraft crashed into the Atlantic during 1997 after a fuel-induced engine failure. Recovered after being submersed in the salt water for a number of clays, the plane was completely rebuilt once again but an unfortunate gear problem on 24 September 2003 resulted in a very skilled belly landing carried out by Snodgrass. Watch for a complete feature on this historic survivor.