HISTORIC CORSAIR II

Air Classics, Mar 2004

Aircraft owes survival to famed race car driver

Drivers heading down Interstate 75 through Ocala, Florida, may notice something a little different the next time they pass through the area, reports Kevin S. Tanner. The new addition is Vought A7A Corsair II BuNo 152650 which has the distinction of being the first Corsair II to catapult and arrest on an aircraft carrier. This event happened on 15 November 1966 and the carrier was USS America.

This particular Corsair II could previously be seen perched high atop a pedestal near the main gate at Cecil Field Naval Air Station where it had been since 1976. However, Cecil Field was closed in 1999 and the historic Corsair II was scheduled to be scrapped!

Along came Don Garlics to the rescue and he got permission to move the Corsair II to his Drag Racing Museum in Ocala where it is now on display.

Don Garlits is a well-known drag racer who was asked by President Nixon in 1971 to go to Vietnam to cheer up the troops for the holiday season. Don raced against a Corsair II aboard the USS Lexington for a Navy recruiting poster. Don has also raced against an F-16 at NAS Lakehurst where the Navy has a land-based steam catapult. Ever since, Don has wanted to acquire an A-7 for his Drag Racing Museum.

This particular A-7A was first displayed at Ocala in full CAG markings of VA-105 as it had been seen at Cecil Field. Oddly, the colorful Corsair II was then taken down and repainted in a rather non-standard scheme and then placed back on the pedestal. It is a shame that this aircraft was considered scrap by the Navy and it seems that it should have been put on indoor display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola. However, we all owe Don Garlits a big thanks for saving this historic aircraft from the smelter.