Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Five powerful American made Naval Fighter Aircraft from World War Two, were shown off in this segment during Sywell Airshow 2024. Three Chance Vought/Goodyear Corsairs, a Grumman Wildcat and a Grumman Bearcat.
Corsairs:-
1/. The Flying Bulls Collection Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair, registration OE-EAS, flown by Eric Goujon.
The Flying Bulls' Corsair c/n 9149 was built in 1945 for the United States Navy, allocated with Bureau Number (BuNo) 96995. It didn't see action in World War 2, nor is it known whether it was used during the Korean War. Her first civilian owner was Robert Bean from Hereford, Arizona who registered her as N5221V.
In 1960 she was delivered to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to serve with the Fuerza Area Hondurena as FAH 614. In July 1969 she was sent into action during the so called "Soccer War" with El Salvador. The Corsairs were eventually phased out during the early 1970s and she was stored and recovered from Honduras in 1979.
Bought by Robert L. Ferguson and Howard E. Pardue, Breckinridge, Texas in 1979 she was registered as N4908M. After a year she was sold to J.K. "Buck" Ridley, of Abilene, Texas, where she would fly as an air racer until 1989.
In 1990 she was sold to Siegfried Angerer of Tyrolean Jet Service, and registered as OE-EAS. Siegfried Angerer is now the Chief Test Pilot of the Flying Bulls and consequently the F4 followed him to the Red Bull stables. She is flown as US Navy "BR-37" wearing large "Red Bull" logos.
2/. Chance Vought F4U-5NL Corsair, F-AZEG, from the Les Casques de Cuir Collection, flown by Baptiste Salis.
The aircraft (BuNo 124724) was constructed in 1951 and delivered to the US Navy that September. It was based with composite squadron VC-3 ‘Blue Nemesis’ at Moffett Field, California, in April 1952. With that unit it was sent to the Korean theatre in December 1952 aboard the USS Valley Forge for a 6 month tour, mainly used for night time interdiction and radar intercept work. It returned to Korean War duty from August to November 1953 on USS Boxer. It returned to mainland USA and was put into storage at Naval Air Facility Litchfield Park, Arizona.
In 1956 it was delivered to Honduras and saw action in the “Soccer War” with El Salvador, operating with Fuerza Area Hondurena as FAH 600. After retirement it passed through the hands of a number of civilian owners before being bought by Jean Salis’ Les Casques de Cuir (Leather Helmets) collection based in La Ferté-Alais, France in 1986.
Restoration began in 2008, and the aircraft returned to the air on 9 May 2018. It again wears the same US Navy colours of VC-3 which it originally had in the 1950s.
3/. Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, KD345, G-FGID, was owned by The Fighter Collection at the time of this film but has since been reportedly sold to an as yet undisclosed new owner in Alabama, USA, to where it was shipped in May 2025. It's flown here by Brian Smith.
This Corsair was built under licence by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio as C/N 3111 and allocated bureau build No.88297. She was accepted by the US Navy on 9th April 1945 and delivered two days later. She was initially dispatched to Guam in the Pacific, allocated to the Aircraft Pool Airwing 2. She went to a Repair Depot in the Philippines, possibly Samar, in October 1945 and was then returned to the USA before being allocated to various US Naval Air Reserve squadrons and stored. The aircraft was sold in 1956 after 1652 flying hours.
She was bought by ALU-MET Smelters in 1959 and then by legendary stunt-pilot Frank Tallman in 1960. He sold her in 1966, and she passed through a number of other owners until joining The Fighter Collection fleet in 1986. It was sold during 2025 to a new owner in Alabama, USA.
This Corsair has never been restored and has the distinction of being one of the few still flying with the original part fabric outer wings.
Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, G-RUMW, from The Fighter Collection, flown by Stu Goldspink. This was built in 1945. Nicknamed 'That Old Thing',
it currently wears the scheme of JV579, a Wildcat V of 846 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm based on board HMS Tracker during D-Day 'Operation Overlord' in June 1944.
Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat, G-RUMM, from The Fighter Collection, flown by Pete Kynsey. This was built in 1948 for the US Navy. It was modified to F8F-2P standard in 1952. This was a Photo-reconnaissance version of the F8F-2, with camera equipment and only two 20 mm cannons. It also had a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W engine, redesigned engine cowling and a taller fin and rudder.
After US Navy service it went through two civil owners in the US. In 1981 it joined The Fighter Collection.
It has the markings of Bearcat BuNo.95318, '201-B', flown by Lieutenant Commander Caldwell the Air Group Commander of VF-19, on board USS Boxer (CV-21) in 1947.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
Five powerful American made Naval Fighter Aircraft from World War Two, were shown off in this segment during Sywell Airshow 2024. Three Chance Vought/Goodyear Corsairs, a Grumman Wildcat and a Grumman Bearcat.
Corsairs:-
1/. The Flying Bulls Collection Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair, registration OE-EAS, flown by Eric Goujon.
The Flying Bulls' Corsair c/n 9149 was built in 1945 for the United States Navy, allocated with Bureau Number (BuNo) 96995. It didn't see action in World War 2, nor is it known whether it was used during the Korean War. Her first civilian owner was Robert Bean from Hereford, Arizona who registered her as N5221V.
In 1960 she was delivered to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to serve with the Fuerza Area Hondurena as FAH 614. In July 1969 she was sent into action during the so called "Soccer War" with El Salvador. The Corsairs were eventually phased out during the early 1970s and she was stored and recovered from Honduras in 1979.
Bought by Robert L. Ferguson and Howard E. Pardue, Breckinridge, Texas in 1979 she was registered as N4908M. After a year she was sold to J.K. "Buck" Ridley, of Abilene, Texas, where she would fly as an air racer until 1989.
In 1990 she was sold to Siegfried Angerer of Tyrolean Jet Service, and registered as OE-EAS. Siegfried Angerer is now the Chief Test Pilot of the Flying Bulls and consequently the F4 followed him to the Red Bull stables. She is flown as US Navy "BR-37" wearing large "Red Bull" logos.
2/. Chance Vought F4U-5NL Corsair, F-AZEG, from the Les Casques de Cuir Collection, flown by Baptiste Salis.
The aircraft (BuNo 124724) was constructed in 1951 and delivered to the US Navy that September. It was based with composite squadron VC-3 ‘Blue Nemesis’ at Moffett Field, California, in April 1952. With that unit it was sent to the Korean theatre in December 1952 aboard the USS Valley Forge for a 6 month tour, mainly used for night time interdiction and radar intercept work. It returned to Korean War duty from August to November 1953 on USS Boxer. It returned to mainland USA and was put into storage at Naval Air Facility Litchfield Park, Arizona.
In 1956 it was delivered to Honduras and saw action in the “Soccer War” with El Salvador, operating with Fuerza Area Hondurena as FAH 600. After retirement it passed through the hands of a number of civilian owners before being bought by Jean Salis’ Les Casques de Cuir (Leather Helmets) collection based in La Ferté-Alais, France in 1986.
Restoration began in 2008, and the aircraft returned to the air on 9 May 2018. It again wears the same US Navy colours of VC-3 which it originally had in the 1950s.
3/. Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, KD345, G-FGID, was owned by The Fighter Collection at the time of this film but has since been reportedly sold to an as yet undisclosed new owner in Alabama, USA, to where it was shipped in May 2025. It's flown here by Brian Smith.
This Corsair was built under licence by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio as C/N 3111 and allocated bureau build No.88297. She was accepted by the US Navy on 9th April 1945 and delivered two days later. She was initially dispatched to Guam in the Pacific, allocated to the Aircraft Pool Airwing 2. She went to a Repair Depot in the Philippines, possibly Samar, in October 1945 and was then returned to the USA before being allocated to various US Naval Air Reserve squadrons and stored. The aircraft was sold in 1956 after 1652 flying hours.
She was bought by ALU-MET Smelters in 1959 and then by legendary stunt-pilot Frank Tallman in 1960. He sold her in 1966, and she passed through a number of other owners until joining The Fighter Collection fleet in 1986. It was sold during 2025 to a new owner in Alabama, USA.
This Corsair has never been restored and has the distinction of being one of the few still flying with the original part fabric outer wings.
Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, G-RUMW, from The Fighter Collection, flown by Stu Goldspink. This was built in 1945. Nicknamed 'That Old Thing',
it currently wears the scheme of JV579, a Wildcat V of 846 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm based on board HMS Tracker during D-Day 'Operation Overlord' in June 1944.
Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat, G-RUMM, from The Fighter Collection, flown by Pete Kynsey. This was built in 1948 for the US Navy. It was modified to F8F-2P standard in 1952. This was a Photo-reconnaissance version of the F8F-2, with camera equipment and only two 20 mm cannons. It also had a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W engine, redesigned engine cowling and a taller fin and rudder.
After US Navy service it went through two civil owners in the US. In 1981 it joined The Fighter Collection.
It has the markings of Bearcat BuNo.95318, '201-B', flown by Lieutenant Commander Caldwell the Air Group Commander of VF-19, on board USS Boxer (CV-21) in 1947.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
