Iconic Corsair recalls Goodyear's essential war effort

AKRON—The Japanese called it "Whistling Death" for the sound its iconic gull wings produced in a dive.

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps pilots called it the best air-to-air fighter in the Pacific theater during World War II.

Goodyear and Chance Vought Corp. called it the Corsair.

It remains the only heavier-than-air aircraft that Goodyear ever built, and it inspired a country when it came online in 1942, replacing the underpowered Grumman Wildcat on carriers and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk on the islands of the South Pacific.

"The aircraft is a testament to Goodyear's commitment to innovation, engineering and manufacturing," Karla Rhoads, account executive for Goodyear Global Aviation, told Rubber News. "Wartime production was a true Herculean effort. The war effort was in full-swing and there was high engagement to participate."

More than 12,000 Corsairs were produced during the war, including the very FG-1 ("Fighter Goodyear") variant that stole the show at Akron's Props and Pistons Festival Aug. 12-13 at Akron Fulton International Airport.

In fact, the particular Corsair at the show was manufactured in 1943 by Goodyear Aircraft only about 1,000 yards from where it was parked for static display. Today, the plane is owned and operated by a Dallas-based non-profit, the Commemorative Air Force.

The full-circle moment was not lost on Col. John "Tater" Currenti (USAF, retired), a former F-16 pilot who flew the Corsair demonstration at KAKR.

"A lot of Rosie the Riveters worked on this airplane," Currenti said. "It is a beautiful airplane to fly, well-harmonized and super maneuverable."

There were only seven or eight airworthy Corsairs flying just a few years ago, though that number has increased to 19 or 20 today thanks to very large investments from wealthy private owners.

"People put a lot of money into getting these airplanes back up in the air again," Currenti said.

As a tail-dragger, the Corsair excelled as a carrier aircraft, but it was not easy to land and take off.

On terra firma, Currenti has to S-taxi—meaning he does lateral sine curves while taxiing slowly because he can't see directly in front of him. In flight, the Corsair boasts a bubble canopy, although the pilot is restricted from looking behind.

"As you can see, it is not the easiest plane to see over the nose," Currenti said. "I've got 235 gallons of fuel in front of me, and the cockpit is pushed pretty far back."

The gull wing design, one of the most noticeable nuances of the Corsair, accomplished two goals.

It brought the main landing gear lower to the ground, making the gear more robust for landing on the pitching deck of a carrier.

The gull wings also raised the nose, allowing the Corsair's enormous three-bladed propeller to clear the ground.

"The biggest thing was the prop," Currenti said. "They needed to make the propeller big to take a bigger bite of air."

The initial pitch on takeoff—a bit of down elevator on the takeoff roll to bring the tail up—puts the propeller to within inches of the runway, Currenti said.

"When I'm running down the runway and that tail comes up, that prop is clearing by six inches," he said. "Which is not much."

The 2,400-horsepower Pratt & Whitney radial engine excels here, as the Corsair's substantial torque results in a remarkable climb rate for a heavy fighter.

In comparison, the famed North American P-51 Mustang—considered one of the top fighters of the European theater, along with the British Spitfire—had a 12-cylinder inline engine known as the Merlin, which produced about 1,500 hp.

In a straight line, with a third of a tank of gas and no ordnance, a Corsair can make 430 mph.

"The Corsair was an important aircraft for the Navy because of its high speed, high rate of climb and ability to fold its wings (to save critical space on carrier decks)," Rhoads said. "And its power and maneuverability in the air made it a good contender against the Japanese pilots."

Goodyear did modify the airframe slightly from Chance Vought's original design; this was to take advantage of the power of the Pratt & Whitney engine during take-off.

In the early days of Goodyear and through WWII, there were many divisions of the company.

Goodyear Aircraft made tires, as well as many other aircraft components, as it continues to do today.

"Corsair production was not the only war effort that Goodyear participated in," Rhoads said. "We continued to produce tires for civilian and military vehicles and, as always, consumer and commercial applications."

In February 1942, Goodyear signed a letter of intent to make the Corsair for the U.S. government, in partnership with the East Hartford, Conn.-based Chance Vought.

"Within one year's time, the U.S government was already flight testing the first Goodyear-manufactured Corsair," Rhoads said. "Goodyear's expertise in technology, commercialization and engineering proved to be beneficial and (they) poured all the company's ingenuity into aircraft manufacturing."

Goodyear Corsairs were assembled mostly by women, at least during the war—the famed Rosie the Riveters who played such a critical role in 1940s manufacturing across the U.S.

"Nearly 60 percent of the production of the Goodyear Corsairs was done by women in Akron," Rhoads said. "The Wingfoot Girls was the first employee-resource group that was organized by women who worked in Goodyear's office and factories, to cultivate the social, intellectual and physical development of its members."

While Goodyear celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, the Goodyear Women's Network celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

"I believe the sense of pride to support and contribute to the war effort was strong," Rhoads said. "The innovation, collaboration and support are key pieces to Goodyear's continued success."

During the war, the massive Goodyear Airdock was the production site for rigid, lighter-than-air airships—much larger than the current, non-rigid Goodyear Blimps.

Around the giant hangar that sits within a couple miles of Goodyear's headquarters were myriad smaller annexes where the mighty Corsair was built.

"Every day there were staff meetings to discuss the prior day's events and communication to ensure the job was complete and at a high standard," Rhoads said. "The plant was set up like a large conveyor belt that ran at a low speed. As components were finished, they were used to construct the airplane."

Some aircraft parts were manufactured in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, however they all came together in Akron.

In total, Goodyear Aircraft produced about 2,100 Corsairs (up to 4,000 with Chance Vought and Brewster partnerships), including both the F2G and the FG-1 variants.

The term "essential business," popular in today's vernacular thanks to the pandemic, was never more apt than during WWII.

Goodyear stepped into that role, quite literally with flying colors.

"First off, you had all the rubber works here," Currenti said. "Nearly every tire on every airplane came from Goodyear.

"To build an iconic airplane like this, manufacturing capabilities are needed in a big way. The Goodyear Corsair is just as good as the Chance Vought Corsair ... and it had a long production run.

"It is just a very robust airplane, and that is the reason it has been around so long."