Hose Nose
One nickname for a Corsair is “hose nose”, chosen because of its long nose. This photo illustrates how long the nose is—the pilot’s seat is aft of the wing. On many other fighters of the same era the pilot’s seat is in line with the wings.
The long nose made it difficult for pilots to see an aircraft carrier’s deck while landing on the carrier. That issue contributed to a slow deployment of the Corsair to U.S. Navy carriers. Fortunately, the Royal Navy adopted changes in the aircraft and operating procedures that made it much easier for Corsair pilots to make a carrier landing, and the U.S. Navy adopted those changes. Since the U.S. Marines flew from fixed landing strips, they were able to adopt the Corsair more quickly than the U.S. Navy.
The cockpit in the prototype of the Corsair was further forward. However, the production Corsair incorporated more guns in the wings, which did not leave room for wing fuel tanks. To compensate, an additional fuel tank was placed in the fuselage. To maintain an appropriate center of gravity, that fuel tank was placed in front of the pilot, shifting the cockpit aft 32 inches (0.8 m).
This Goodyear FG-1D Corsair was built in July, 1945 and left military service in 1956. It joined the Confederate Air Force (forerunner to the Commemorative Air Force) in 1960. Its paint scheme depicts a plane with Marine Fighter Squadron 312 (VMF-312), the “Checkerboards”.
Seen at the 2024 Thunder Over Michigan airshow. #ThunderOverMI
Hose Nose
One nickname for a Corsair is “hose nose”, chosen because of its long nose. This photo illustrates how long the nose is—the pilot’s seat is aft of the wing. On many other fighters of the same era the pilot’s seat is in line with the wings.
The long nose made it difficult for pilots to see an aircraft carrier’s deck while landing on the carrier. That issue contributed to a slow deployment of the Corsair to U.S. Navy carriers. Fortunately, the Royal Navy adopted changes in the aircraft and operating procedures that made it much easier for Corsair pilots to make a carrier landing, and the U.S. Navy adopted those changes. Since the U.S. Marines flew from fixed landing strips, they were able to adopt the Corsair more quickly than the U.S. Navy.
The cockpit in the prototype of the Corsair was further forward. However, the production Corsair incorporated more guns in the wings, which did not leave room for wing fuel tanks. To compensate, an additional fuel tank was placed in the fuselage. To maintain an appropriate center of gravity, that fuel tank was placed in front of the pilot, shifting the cockpit aft 32 inches (0.8 m).
This Goodyear FG-1D Corsair was built in July, 1945 and left military service in 1956. It joined the Confederate Air Force (forerunner to the Commemorative Air Force) in 1960. Its paint scheme depicts a plane with Marine Fighter Squadron 312 (VMF-312), the “Checkerboards”.
Seen at the 2024 Thunder Over Michigan airshow. #ThunderOverMI