As regular readers will know, we have been following the airworthy rebuild of combat-veteran Vought F4U-1D Corsair BuNo.82460 at Mareeba, near the city of Cairns in northern Queensland, Australia for some years now. Following news of further engine runs earlier this month, we reached out to the aircraft’s owner, Mike Spaulding, for a progress report on the aircraft’s status. We got some pretty exciting news, too!
Mike Spaulding: “We are doing fine here and our Corsair is finished. Our test pilot is interstate, which is currently locked down so as you can see in one of the attached pictures our Corsair is parked in our hangar awaiting its first flight since the war. We have started our next project which is a Texan T-6D, which we are anticipating to be a little easier and quicker!”
So this means that the restoration work is complete and that the aircraft is clear to make her first test flight. The only difficulty is that the proposed pilot for the first flight lives outside of Queensland, and presently, interstate travel is effectively impossible until the lockdown lifts. According to the latest news, that should be sometime in mid-October, so hopefully soon after, we shall get to see this remarkable aircraft back in the air again!
Many thanks to Mike Spaulding for the update and images, with additional images most gratefully received from Jonathan Williams (via Phil Buckley). Many thanks to Phil as usual! For details on the aircraft’s history.
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Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
Great news, wishing you a successful maiden flight.
Great looking aircraft! Love the Corsair it’s a legend.
A real beauty! Good luck on your first test flight!