Editing Vought F4U Corsair (section)

==Development==
In February 1938, the U.S. Navy [[Bureau of Aeronautics]] published two [[Request for proposal|requests for proposal]] for twin-engined and single-engined fighters. For the single-engined fighter, the Navy requested the maximum obtainable speed, and a minimum stalling speed not higher than {{nowrap|{{convert|70|mph|km/h}}}}. A range of {{convert|1000|mi|km}} was specified.<ref>Russell 1984, p. 25.</ref> The fighter had to carry four guns, or three with increased ammunition. Provision had to be made for antiaircraft bombs to be carried in the wing. These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations.
[[Image:XF4U-1 NACA 1940.jpeg|thumb|The XF4U-1 prototype in 1940/41, showing its more forward cockpit location]]

In June 1938, the U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype bearing the factory designation '''V-166B''',<ref name="f4ucorsair.com"/> the XF4U-1, BuNo 1443. The Corsair design team was led by [[Rex Beisel]]. After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 prototype of the [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp]] twin-row, 18-cylinder [[radial engine]], rated at {{convert|1805|hp|kW|abbr=on}} went ahead quickly, as the first airframe ever designed from the start to have a Double Wasp engine fitted for flight.<ref name="f4ucorsair.com"/> When the prototype was completed, it had the biggest and most powerful engine, largest propeller, and probably the largest wing on any naval fighter to date.<ref>Gunston 1980, p. 42.</ref> The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940, with Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The maiden flight proceeded normally until a hurried landing was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter.<ref>Johnsen 1993, p. 5.</ref><ref>Tillman 1979, p. 5.</ref>

On 1 October 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engined U.S. fighter to fly faster than {{convert|400|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} by flying at an average ground speed of {{convert|405|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} from [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]] to [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviationshoppe.com/f4u-corsair-p-259.html |title=F4U Corsair: The Marine's most famous fighting aircraft in World War II |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=aviationshoppe.com |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=31 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131221316/http://aviationshoppe.com/f4u-corsair-p-259.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref> The [[USAAC]]'s twin engine [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] had flown over 400&nbsp;mph in January–February 1939.<ref name = "demesa">Veronico et al. 1994, p. 11.</ref> The XF4U-1 also had an excellent rate of climb, although testing revealed some requirements would have to be rewritten. In full-power dive tests, speeds up to {{convert|550|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} were achieved, but not without damage to the control surfaces and access panels, and in one case, an engine failure.<ref>Guyton 1996, pp. 100–104.</ref> The spin recovery standards also had to be relaxed, as recovery from the required two-turn spin proved impossible without resorting to an antispin chute.<ref name = "demesa"/> The problems clearly meant delays in getting the design into production.

Reports coming back from the war in Europe indicated an armament of two {{cvt|.30|in|mm|2}} [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] engine cowling-mount machine guns, and two {{cvt|.50|in|mm|1}} machine guns (one in each outer wing panel) was insufficient. The [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]'s November 1940 production proposals specified heavier armament.<ref>O'Leary 1980, pp. 101–102.</ref> The increased armament comprised three .50 caliber machine guns mounted in each wing panel. This improvement greatly increased the ability of the Corsair to shoot down enemy aircraft.

Formal U.S. Navy acceptance trials for the XF4U-1 began in February 1941. The Navy entered into a letter of intent on 3 March 1941, received Vought's production proposal on 2 April, and awarded Vought a contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters, which were given the name "Corsair" – inherited from the firm's late-1920s [[Vought O2U]] naval biplane scout, which first bore the name – on 30 June of the same year. The first production F4U-1 performed its initial flight a year later, on 24 June 1942.<ref>Musciano 1979, pp. 40–41 (dates).</ref><ref>Tillman 1996, p. 17 (number of aircraft in first order).</ref> It was a remarkable achievement for Vought; compared to land-based counterparts, [[aircraft carrier|carrier aircraft]] are "overbuilt" and heavier, to withstand the extreme stress of deck landings.