Corsairs Over Connecticut
by John
Sponauer
Published in the March 2005 issue of
The original Atlantic Flyer article can be found here.
While organizers make it clear that they’re not planning
a traditional ‘air show,’ this June’s “Veterans Salute – Corsairs over
Connecticut” event will likely bring aviation enthusiasts out in numbers to
see aviation history recreated.
Eight F4U, FG-1, and F2G Corsairs, as well as several other warbirds from across
the nation, have been confirmed for the three-day event (June 3-5) at Igor
Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport, CT.
The airport is located across the street from the now-vacant
Vought-Sikorsky factory, where thousands of Corsairs rolled off assembly lines
in WWII at a rate of nearly six aircraft per each eight-hour shift.
This unique setting allows organizers to host a wide range of educational
events commemorating the ‘home front’ during the war, ranging from a mock
assembly line and factory floor with re-enactors in period dress, War Bond
Rally, daily ‘test flights,’ speaking presentations by Corsair pilots, and
other related exhibits.
“Corsairs over Connecticut” will be the air display portion of the citywide
“Veterans Salute” event planned in Bridgeport that weekend, commemorating
the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII with a series of fireworks,
parades, and other activities.
At the airport, organizers will use some of the original hangars, which date
back to the 1920s, to recreate a Corsair production line using re-enactors and
actual Corsair components borrowed from several aircraft restoration sources
across the country, along with original Vought-Sikorsky shop equipment from the
WWII era. The location is
historically significant, as much of the physical infrastructure of the wartime
Vought-Sikorsky plant remains to this day.
During each day of the event, the Corsairs ‘produced’ on that day’s
shift will take to the air and overfly the city’s Veterans Salute events,
perform missing man tributes, and other aerial demonstrations.
Audience members will also be invited to watch a daily simulated test flight of
the Corsairs as well, as a pilot describes what the procedures were on the
ground and in the air for period test pilots; during the flights, radio
communication to and from the tower will be broadcast for the crowd to listen in
as the ‘new’ aircraft is put through its paces.
“The Corsair is a uniquely Connecticut product, and is a uniquely popular
aircraft,” says Jerry O’Neill, Display Coordinator for Corsairs Over
Connecticut. “It was
designed here and built here. In
fact, it’s one of the only, maybe the only, mass-produced fixed-wing aircraft
of the era that can be easily identified with just one state.
It’s also just a pretty romantic airplane; from the Black Sheep
Squadron to the gull wing, it’s a very distinctive aircraft with a well-known
history.”
By the time production ended in 1952, more than 12,500 Corsairs had rolled off
assembly lines at Vought-Sikorsky, as well as Goodyear and Brewster, which both
also produced variants; only about two-dozen remain flying today.
During WWII, Corsairs claimed more than 2,100 ‘kills,’ with an
overall kill / loss ratio of approximately 11:1.
Throughout its life, they were flown in the service of the US Navy and
Marine Corps, as well as a slew of other nations including France, Britain, New
Zealand, Argentina, Honduras, and El Salvador, the latter two countries using
their aircraft in combat as late as 1969.
O’Neill said among the other aircraft scheduled for the event are several with
historical Connecticut connections. The
American Airpower Museum’s P-47 Thunderbolt will represent the 103rd
Fighter Wing, a post-war Connecticut-based P-47 unit, and the newly-restored
B-17 “Liberty Belle,” which was a five-engine testbed for Connecticut-based
Pratt and Whitney, is tentatively scheduled as well.
Other aircraft will include a B-25, T-6, PT-23, a static Sikorsky R-4
helicopter, and possibly a Sikorsky flying boat, which was used by the Civil Air
Patrol during the war.
While the list of speakers isn’t confirmed yet, several Corsair pilots have
been contacted, including surviving members of VMF-214 ‘The Black Sheep,’
and VF-17 ‘The Jolly Rogers.’ Among
the guests of honor will be members of Chance Vought’s family, who O’Neill
said are “very excited” about the event honoring the work of Vought and his
employees.
“This event is about what America did, in the sky and in the factories at
home,” he said. “It’s a
tribute to the men and women who built and flew these aircraft, and to honor
those who saved the world.”
Organizers are still seeking sponsorships to defray the costs, and more than
40,000 people are expected over the course of the three days.
Increased sponsorships will allow Friday, June 3 to be a free admission
day for senior citizens and qualified school groups, as part of the educational
focus of the event. Those
seeking the sight of warbirds arriving early should plan to watch the skies over
Bridgeport the day before as the participating aircraft fly in from across the
nation.
For more information about the Veterans Salute or “Corsairs over
Connecticut,” visit the event’s web site ( http://www.veteranssalute.org
) or email Bob.X.Beckwith@health.net
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