458 to 57

I have a great deal of research material on the F2G Corsairs that were made in my home town of Akron, Ohio at Goodyear Aircraft Corporation. My father was one of about 1,200 men and women that worked on the Corsairs during WW-II. I got to go out to the factory
on many week ends like other kids did. We became week-end warrior's delivering parts to different locations on the half mile long assembly line. Somehow my dad was able to get me out on the flight line. I sat in a Corsair and they let me pull the trigger and test fire the 6 0.50"cal machine guns. I was only about 12 years old then.

They got the new R-4360-2 engines from Pratt & Whitney which had 28 cylinders in 4 banks. They put a 4 bladed prop on the F2G's and Don Armstrong was the test pilot, who wrote a book about his life and I got a signed copy of his book.

WW-II ended in September, 1945, so ended the production of the big engine Corsair. The ten versions of the "F2G-2's were sent to N.A.S.A, and 2 of them went to PEARL for carries test . As time marched on the F2G's were sold off and/or scraped. Someone wrote and said that they made 5 F2G-1's and 5 number two's. The "-1's were non folding wings & the 2's had hydraulic folding wings. Vought sent all the hydraulic wing sections to GAC and none of them were #1's.
Soon after the war America's National Air Races resumed at the Cleveland, Ohio airport and it was opened to the general public. My parents took me and my brother to the races and we got to see some WW-II fighters race, including Cook Cleland's Corsairs. The rest is history so enjoy #57/458. Rodney

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