Bob Jarrett’s Vought F4U-1 Corsair Bu.02270 at Parafield Airport, near Adelaide, Australia now has her engine installed! (Photo by David Rasmus)
We have been following the restoration of Vought F4U-1 Corsair Bu.02270 at Parafield Airport near Adelaide, Australia for some years now. Owned by Bob Jarrett, the fighter is a USMC combat veteran from the Pacific Theatre, and spent many years partially submerged in a brackish mangrove swamp on Vanuatu following her wartime loss due to fuel starvation. Jarrett recovered what remained of the airframe, which essentially consisted of her centre section and outer wings, back in 2009, adding to this with fuselage parts from other wrecks on the island. He and his team have steadily restored the aircraft to its present state over the past eleven years and recently reached the point where they could finally re-install the massive Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine. Just like field mechanics would have done in wartime, the restoration team chose to bolt the engine first to its tubular mount while the latter was separate from the airframe, then winch up the entire assembly to the aircraft’s firewall and carefully guide it in to the four fuselage attachment points. While the Corsair is under rebuild to static display condition only, the restoration team has gone to great lengths to ensure her accuracy; she will serve as a marvelous example of this all-but-extinct variant of the type.
As the restoration team recently reported, they will be working on the engine cowls, propeller rebuild, canopy sliding section and other cockpit details this year… and then they will have the joy of repainting the aircraft to resemble her original wartime scheme from the period when VMF-321’s Captain Jim Vittitoe ditched her in the lagoon on his way back from a training mission on May 5th, 1944.
Photo Gallery by David Rasmus
Many thanks to our Antipodean correspondent, Phil Buckley, for providing us with this announcement!
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.
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.
Be the first to comment
Graphic Design, Branding and Aviation Art