|
US
Marine Vought A-7 corsair of VA146 Squadron
in aviation art print by Ivan Berryman. Vought A7 Corsair about to land on
USS America during the Vietnam War.
The Vought A-7 Corsair could carry a
heavier payload and longer range than its predecessor the Douglas A-4. the
A-7 first flew on the 27th september 1965 and entered Service near
the end of 1966. First deployed in Vietnam in November 1967 in the gulf of
Tonkin. with VA147 aboard USS Ranger. Squadrons equipped with the A-7
Corsair during Vietanm were as follows. VA22 Fighting Redcocks, VA-25 Fist
of the Fleet, VA-27 Royal Maces, VA-37 Bulls, VA-56 Champions, VA-82
Marauders, VA-86 Sidewinders, VA-87 Golden warriors, VA-93 Blue Blazers,
VA-94 Mighty strikes, VA097 Warhawks, VA-105 Gunslingers, VA-113 Stingers,
VA-146 Blue Diamonds, and VA-147 Argonauts
USS America by
Ivan Berryman A Vought A-7 Corsair of VA-146 makes its final
approach to the sprawling deck of the USS America, (CVA-66) as she
skirts Vietnamese waters in company with a little Rock-class missile /
command cruiser. The A-7 became the Navys prime weapon toward the end
of the war, playing a vital role in the anti-radiation Linebacker
Raids.
Early Top Guns by Stan Stokes.Prior to 1950
Chance-Vought had solidly established
itself, along with Grumman, as one of the two leading suppliers of
aircraft to the US Navy. Following WW II, however, the Texas-based
company was less successful with its XF6U Pirate and later with its F7U
Cutlass. In September of 1952 the Navy issued a requirement for its
first supersonic, carrier-based, air superiority aircraft. Russ Clark
and the design team at Vought submitted a proposal utilizing some
radical design concepts. Most unique was a high mounted wing which could
move 7 degrees in incidence. To make the craft more pilot friendly
during carrier landings droops were designed into the leading edges of
the wings. The cockpit was also located as far forward as possible
providing excellent visibility. A Pratt & Whitney J57 was the
proposed power plant. The Navy selected the Vought proposal from the
eight submitted. In March of 1955 the first of the more than 1,200
Crusaders which would be built, made its inaugural flight, and went
supersonic. The Crusader, often called the Gunfighter, was an
unqualified success. It restored some prestige to the Navy, which had
been criticized by Air Force supporters for not having any aircraft
capable of taking on Migs in Korea in aerial combat. The F-8 set many
speed records, including a cross country, carrier-to-carrier, trip in 3
hours and 28 minutes. At the time of the Vietnam War, the F-8 was a
proven aircraft. Despite being relegated to a secondary mig-killing
role, the F-8s downed 19 Migs in Vietnam. Their victory ratio was
6-to-1, which was superior to any other aircraft. F-8 pilots were well
trained in air combat maneuvering skills, whereas pilots on more modern
aircraft had been taught to rely on long range air-to-air missiles.
Recognizing this need the Navy began transferring F-8 instructors to its
F-4 program as a way to teach F-4 pilots dog fighting skills. This was
the beginnings of the Navys Top Gun School. As depicted in Stan Stokes
painting, a USMC F-8 piloted by Gen. Drax Williams chases a pair of
Mig-21s during an A-6 escort mission during the Vietnam War.
|
| Time to Head Home by William S Phillips. F4-U4 Corsair VF791 belonging to the Fighting rebels. in Korea. Signed limited edition of 1500 prints. Image size 35 inches x 25 inches (89cm x 64cm). Price £150.00 ITEM CODE AX0055 |
| Gull Winged Warrior by Stan Stokes. The F4U Corsair once again in the subject of Stans talents. This time during the Korean War. This Gull-Winged Warrior in on final to the Philippine Sea. Limited edition of 300 giclee paper prints. Size 20 inches x 15 inches (51cm x 38cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 300 giclee canvas prints. Size 40 inches x 30 inches (102cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 300 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 300 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0069 |
| Golden Gate Corsair by Stan Stokes. The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the finest naval aviation fighter of its era. Work on this design dates to 1938 and was headed-up by Voughts Chief Engineer, Rex Biesel. The initial prototype was powered by an 1800-HP Pratt & Whitney double Wasp radial engine. This was the third Vought aircraft to carry the Corsair name. The graceful and highly recognizable gull-wing design of the F4U permitted the aircraft to utilize a 13-foot, three-blade, Hamilton Standard propeller, while not having to lengthen the landing gear. Because of the rigors of carrier landings, this was a very important design consideration. Folding wings were also required for carrier operations. The F4U was thirty feet long, had a wingspan of 41 feet and an empty weight of approximately 7,500 pounds. Another interesting feature was the way the F4Us gear rotated 90 degrees, so it would lay flush within the wing when in the up position. In 1939 the Navy approved the design, and production commenced. The Corsair utilized a new spot welding process on its all aluminum fuselage, giving the aircraft very low drag. To reduce weight, fabric-covered outer wing sections and control surfaces were fitted. In May of 1940 the F4U made its maiden flight. Although a number of small bugs were discovered during early flight tests, the Corsair had exceptional performance characteristics. In October of 1940 the prototype F4U was clocked at 405-MPH in a speed test. The initial production Corsairs received an upgraded 2,000-HP radial giving the bird a top speed of about 425-MPH. The production models also differed from the prototype in having six, wing-mounted, 0.5 caliber machine guns. Another change was a shift of the cockpit about three feet further back in the fuselage. This latter change unfortunately made naval aviators wary of carrier landings with the F4U, due to its limited forward visibility during landings. Other concerns were expressed regarding a severe port wing drop at landing speeds and a tendency of the aircraft to bounce off a carrier deck. As a result, the F4U was initially limited to land-based USMC squadrons. Vought addressed several of these problems, and the Royal Navy deserves credit for perfecting an appropriate landing strategy for the F4U. They found that if the carrier pilot landed the F4U while making a sweeping left turn with the port wing down, that sufficient visibility was available to make a safe landing. With a kill ratio of 11 -to- 1 in WW 11 combat, the F4U proved superior in the air to almost every opposing aircraft it encountered. More than 12,000 F4Us were built and fortunately a few dozen remain in flyable condition to this date. Open edition prints. Print size 26 inches x 22 inches (66cm x 53cm). Price £74.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 27 inches (91cm x 69cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 20 inches (69cm x 51cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0068 |
| Working the Night Shift by Stan Stokes. Cdr. Guy P. (Lucky Pierre) Bordelon was the only naval aviator to attain ace status during the war in Korea. Piloting Annie Mo, his F4U-5N night fighter version of the Corsair, Bordelon recorded five aerial victories. In so doing Bordelon became the last Corsair ace, and the last pilot to become an American ace while flying a propeller driven aircraft. Navy and Marine aviators were primarily focused on ground support and ground attack missions during the war, leaving the job of mig killing to the USAF. During three years of combat in Korea, naval aviators flew more than 250,000 combat sorties, delivering more than 326 million pounds of bombs to their targets. Naval aviation is generally credited with destroying 2,600 enemy vessels, 2,000 bridges, 250 tanks, and 74 aircraft destroyed on the ground. These missions were not without a price as more than 500 aircraft were lost to ground fire during the war. The U.S. Navy utilized a wide array of aircraft in Korea, as it transitioned from prop to jet power. In addition to the Corsair other prop aircraft included the Douglas AD-2, AD-3 and AD-4 Skyraiders, the twin-engine Grumman F7F Tigercat, the TBM and TBF Avenger, the Convair PB4Y Privateer, and the PBM Mariner. In the jet aircraft department the Navys primary vehicle was the F9F Panther. F2H Banshees and Douglas F3D Skynights also saw service. Night attacks by North Korean forces on ground positions held by UN forces were referred to as Bed Check Charlies by the US pilots. In July of 1953 one of these Bed Check Charlie missions hit a fuel dump at Inchon, which resulted in the loss of five million gallons of fuel. The attack was made by slow flying Yak 18s which were difficult targets for the much faster jets. The Navy dispatched a pair of night fighting Corsairs from the USS Princeton under the leadership of Guy Bordelon to an airfield just south of Seoul. In a three week period Bordelon flew three night interdiction missions and bagged five Bed Check Charlies. Bordelons Corsair, Annie Mo was left behind when his unit returned to the Princeton. Unfortunately, the aircraft was destroyed, and therefore did not survive the war. As depicted by Stan Stokes, in the artists highly-detailed painting entitled Working the Night Shift, Bordelons Annie Mo returns to the Princeton at daybreak after a late night mission in June of 1953. In the background can be seen a Sikorsky HO3S-1 which provided plane guard duties for returning naval aviators in Korea. Signed limited edition of 4750 prints. Print size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm) Supplied with signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.. Price £37.00
Signed limited edition of 225 prints. Size 16 inches x 11.5 inches (41cm x 30cm). Price £124.00 Signed by USN Cdr Guy Bordelon
Limited edition of 100 giclee paper prints. Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm). Price £109.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 45 inches x 30 inches (114cm x 76cm). Price £624.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 36 inches x 24 inches (91cm x 61cm). Price £484.00
Limited edition of 100 giclee canvas prints. Size 27 inches x 18 inches (69cm x 46cm). Price £294.00 ITEM CODE STK0056 |
|
