Vultures Row Aviation’s painstaking restoration of Vought -Sikorsy F4U-1 Birdcage Corsair Bu.No. 02449 has reached another series of major milestones, bringing the historic fighter significantly closer to completion. When Vintage Aviation News last spoke to Vultures Row Aviation’s owner, Chuck Wahl, in September 2025, the fuselage and tail section had recently been joined, the original-style birdcage canopy had been test-fitted, and the restoration team was preparing to move into the next phases of structural assembly. Since then, substantial progress has been made across nearly every section of the aircraft.
(Image credit: Vultures Row Aviation/Chuck Wahl)
According to restoration lead/owner Chuck Wahl, the Corsair is now sitting on its landing gear for the first time in more than 83 years. “The two main landing gear are all installed and completely rigged for airworthy flight,” Wahl explained. “The tailwheel is rigged, and all the up and down locks are adjusted.”
Inside the cockpit, the restoration has advanced to approximately 95 percent completion. Wiring, hydraulics, instrumentation, and other cockpit systems are now largely in place. Since the tail assembly was attached to the fuselage in 2025, the team has completed the aircraft’s tail rigging, including the rudder, elevators, horizontal stabilizers, and vertical fin. Fairings for the empennage have also been permanently installed and riveted into place. Next steps for the tail section include final installation and adjustment of the arresting hook, along with fabric covering for the rudder and elevators. Fabric work is expected to begin later this year.
Progress has also accelerated on the Corsair’s center section and outer wings. The center section and fuel bay are now complete, while restoration crews are preparing to begin work on the aircraft’s Quick Engine Change (QEC) system and engine accessories. Wahl hopes the engine can be mounted to the airframe for the first time between September and the end of the year. The outer wings are also nearing completion. Ammunition bays and gun bay structures have been restored, while the truss ribs outboard of the ammo cans are currently being permanently fitted to the aircraft. As with the original Birdcage Corsair design, the outer wing flaps will receive fabric covering due to the aircraft’s wet-wing configuration.
“The ailerons are complete,” Wahl noted, “and the final restoration of the trailing-edge ribs near the aileron and wingtip areas is being finalized.” The restoration team expects both wings to come out of their assembly jigs by late summer or early fall, after which they will be prepared for fabric covering and final paint. Whether fabric work begins this year or waits until spring 2027 remains undecided.
(Image credit: Vultures Row Aviation/Chuck Wahl)
Despite the visible progress, Wahl emphasized that the project has now entered the phase where countless smaller tasks dominate the restoration effort. “It’s getting down to ‘95 percent done, 95 percent to go,’” he joked. “There’s just a lot of little details day after day that have to continue to get done in order to become an airworthy airplane.” Meanwhile, Vultures Row Aviation has also begun production of accessory and power-section cowlings for the various Corsair restorations currently underway in the shop. Restoration and fitting of the oil cooler covers is expected to begin later this summer. Over the next 9 to 12 months, the Corsair is expected to make several more visible leaps forward as major components continue to return to the airframe. Even so, the painstaking detail work required to return one of the rarest surviving Birdcage Corsairs to flying condition continues to define the restoration.
Great News, all the more power to their vision and efforts, we can Never Have Too Many War Birds!