Good Year F2G "Super Corsair".

High Performance Dead End:  The F2G “Super Corsair”

By

Scott Schwartz

     Diving one’s perfectly good airplane into an enemy ship may seem alien to our way of thinking. Nevertheless, the Japanese Kamikaze airplane and pilot was a frighteningly effective weapon.  Nearly three thousand Kamikaze attacks were launched during World War Two.  As a result of these attacks, thirty four American ships were sunk, and 368 were damaged.  In addition, almost 5,000 sailors were killed in Kamikaze raids.

By the end of the war, American ships had been equipped with numerous, quick-firing anti-aircraft guns that forced attackers to fly through a “wall of lead”.  The guns, combined with aerial interception, made Kamikaze and conventional attacks very difficult.  In spite of these defenses, 14 percent of attacking Kamikaze airplanes were able to reach their targets.  In addition, almost 8.5% of the ships that were hit by them actually sank.  Had the Japanese employed the Kamikazes earlier in the war, when American ships had relatively skimpy anti-aircraft defenses, the results would have been devastating. The outcome of the war may have even been altered.

It is no surprise then, that the U.S. Navy needed an aircraft that could take off and climb quickly in order to intercept Kamikaze attacks.  The F6F Hellcat, and the F4U Corsair were superb fighters.  Heavily armed, able to absorb a lot of damage, and fast, these two airplanes were the mainstays of the U.S. Navy’s fighter force from late 1943 onward.  The problem was that most Kamikaze attacks occurred at low altitudes, and with very little warning.  Neither the standard Corsair, nor the Hellcat, which were both equipped with the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18 cylinder engine, could climb fast enough to intercept the Kamikaze’s.  The Navy wanted a nimble airplane that could intercept them before they reached the fleet. 

Accordingly, the Goodyear Airplane Co. (the aircraft manufacturing arm of the Goodyear Tire Co.), which had already been building “standard” Corsairs known as FG-1’s (Vought Corsairs were designated “F4U-1”), modified an FG-1 to accept the massive Pratt & Whitney R-4360 28 cylinder engine  in early 1944. This engine produced 3,000 horsepower, compared to the 2,200 horsepower put out by the R-2800.    

Other modifications included a “bubble” canopy and increased fuel capacity.  The new airplane was designated as the “F2G-1” and boasted a climb rate of 7000 feet per minute!  The Navy ordered 418 F2G-1’s for use by the Marine Corps as land – based interceptors.  An additional 10 aircraft, designated as F2G-2’s, were ordered for operation from aircraft carriers.

Ironically, the increase in horsepower did not translate into a major increase in top speed.  The F2G had a top speed of 431mph, which was only about 15 mph faster than the F4U/FG-1 Corsair.  In addition, flight testing revealed that the torque produced by the huge engine made lateral control difficult at low speeds, where the vertical stabilizer was not very effective.  This problem, combined with the F2G’s unimpressive top-speed, and the impending end of hostilities, caused cancellation of the production contract.  As a result, only five F2G-1’s and five F2G-2’s were built. 

Ironically, the F2G found its niche in the civilian world for a few years.  A former Navy pilot by the name of Cook Cleland purchased four surplus F2G’s and flew them in the Cleveland National Air Races, which were held between 1947 and 1949.  The “Super Corsairs” were more than a match for the P-51’s and P-63’s that dominated the air racing circuit at the time.

However, a situation that is eerily similar to the one facing many airports today arose.  Urban development began to surround the race course. This and a couple of crashes sealed the fate of the Cleveland races.

After the Cleveland races ended, little use could be found for the F2G’s. After all, they were not the most practical ex-military aircraft to own and maintain. Due to the airplane’s limited production run, parts were scarce, and maintaining the R-4360 engine was challenging to say the least.  For example; like most aircraft engines, each of the R-4360’s 28 cylinders required two spark plugs.  That’s 56 spark plugs to change!

As a result, no one was beating a path to Cook Cleland’s doorstep in order to acquire the Super Corsairs.  He wound up donating two of them for use as firefighting training aids.  Both were burned in the process. One of the Super Corsairs crashed, and another was abandoned and eventually became part of a private collection.  The last of the Cleland F2G’s – “Race 57”, passed through several owners over the years without being restored.  This airplane wound up in the hands of the Lone Star Flight Museum, who, in 1990, sold the airplane to a couple of people who intended to cut it up for parts.  They wanted to use the parts for the restoration of an FG-1 that had once been used as a wind machine!

The war bird world is a small one indeed. North Dakota aircraft restorer Bob Odegaard managed to obtain what was left of “Race 57”.  By the time he got his hands on it, the airplane was missing most of its parts forward of the firewall.

Odegaard painstakingly restored the aircraft to flying condition.  He located a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engine, and had a new cockpit canopy made from scratch.  All in all, over 12,000 man-hours were invested in the project, and by 1999, “Race 57” was flying again.    

Today, “Race 57” can be seen at air shows, and is one of only three F2G's in existence.  

Although the F2G was not successful as a military aircraft, it was not the end of the Corsair line.  The last two versions of the Corsair were the F4U-7, and the AU-1.  The AU-1 was designed as a low-altitude ground attack airplane.  Both of these airplanes remained in production until 1952, giving the Corsair the distinction of being the last American piston engine fighter ever produced. 

Goodyear F2G Corsair specifications:

Top speed:  431 mph at 16,400 feet.

Range 1,955 miles- with external fuel tanks.

Service ceiling:  38,800 feet.

Armament:  Four .50 cal. machine guns.  The aircraft could also carry 8 rockets under its wings 1,600 lbs of bombs.

Engine:  1 Pratt & Whitney R-4360, 28 Cylinder (four rows of seven cylinders) radial air-cooled engine.

Restored Goodyear F2G - "Race 57" at one of the "Planes of Fame " airshows.
At the time that this photograph was taken, the aircraft was owned by Bob Odegarrd.
Photo by Scott Schwartz

Walt Bickel and Bickel Camp

See the photos that I posted with one of my earlier posts..

His Home Evermore

By

Scott Schwartz

“Lay me down in the soft sand, for I’ll be there evermore….”  These words are part of a song that was written by Walter Bickel, who lived in the Mojave Desert for over fifty years.  Bickel was a prospector who made his home in Last Chance Canyon, which is located in California’s El Paso Mountain range.  

The canyon is a sandy area that is surrounded by walls composed of both sedimentary and volcanic rock.  Summertime temperatures can top 100 degrees and winters can be freezing.  Yet, the area’s ruggedness is matched by its beauty.  At mid-morning, sunlight bathes the rocks in a warm, orange glow.  On clear nights, one can see the spiral arm of the Milky Way.      

Bickel, a Kansas native, was born in 1905.  At an early age, it was apparent that he was mechanically inclined.  For example, he built a race car from the parts of several junked vehicles while still a teenager.  The young Walt Bickel also built a rudimentary ducted fan aircraft engine. Although the engine apparently never found its way into an airplane, it produced enough thrust to blow out the wall in his father’s barn! 

Perhaps intrigued by the exciting opportunities out West, Bickel moved to California in 1923, initially finding employment with a pipe company.  Over the next several years, he worked in demolitions, becoming an explosives expert in the process.      

Bickel visited Last Chance Canyon for the first time in 1927, while en route to Nevada.  He apparently thought the area was worth a second look, because he returned in 1933 at the invitation of a Mojave man who had a mine in Last Chance Canyon.  Figuring that there was plenty of gold to be had, Bickel filed his own claim in 1934 and built a small cabin. The cozy little cabin stands to this day.

Although he dreamed of desert gold, Bickel had to find a way to feed his wife and children.  1934 found the country in the middle of the Great Depression. At the time, Bickel owned a machine shop in Los Angeles, but this business, like many others, succumbed to the country’s economic woes.  Bickel then worked a series of temporary jobs and commuted to Last Chance Canyon on weekends.  He managed to make his living in this fashion, until he joined the Army in 1942.

Walt Bickel was never sent into combat, but he received a medal for inventing a tool that enabled soldiers to rapidly change hot machine gun barrels during combat.  Discharged due to a back injury, Bickel returned to Last Chance Canyon in 1946. 

Now living in the canyon full time, Bickel spent each day working his mine until dark.  He would then have dinner, which usually included local herbs that he picked himself.  During the evening, Bickel would sit by the fire and play his harmonica.  He also passed the time by looking at the stars through his telescope.   

Walt Bickel built a life in Last Chance Canyon without many of the creature comforts we take for granted today. He did not have an air-conditioned sport utility vehicle and lived roughly 30 miles from the nearest grocery store.  When a piece of equipment broke down, Bickel could not simply drive into town to buy the part he needed.  Accordingly, he never discarded broken equipment.  Broken, worn out machinery provided Bickel with a huge inventory of spare parts.  His work shed contains components from dozens of small engines, which powered his dry wash sifting machines.  In addition, many a stranded motorist benefited from Bickel’s stock of spare parts.  Bickel’s resourcefulness also paid off when it came to life’s necessities.  He collected water from the infrequent rains and stored it in wine jugs for later use.  A water tank placed on a hilltop provided him with gravity fed, solar heated water for his shower stall. 

Besides practical assistance, Bickel treated visitors to his home-cooked meals and stories of desert lore.   He taught many city people how to pan for gold – and in so doing, provided a whole generation with a glimpse of a bygone era. 

The late 1980’s found the long arm of government bureaucracy reaching into Last Chance Canyon.  As part of a plan to keep “squatters” from living in cabins on public land, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) banned prospectors from living on small-scale claim sites.  The problem though, was that many “small scale” miners had been living on the land for decades and felt that they needed to live there in order to protect their equipment.  Nevertheless, the BLM chose September 2, 1987 to conduct an inspection of Bickel’s camp in order to determine whether his operation was large enough to warrant his living on the site.  Sadly, Bickel suffered a stroke, only hours before the inspection was to take place.  The stroke, in combination with advancing Parkinson’s disease necessitated Bickel’s moving to a nursing home.  The possibility of losing his home probably contributed to his declining health.  On top of all this, the BLM determined that Bickel’s operation was too small to justify caretaker residency.  This meant the possible demolition of the cabin, as well as the removal of most of Bickel’s equipment.  A cultural treasure would have been lost forever.

As a result of the BLM’s decision, Bickel’s friends and other interested parties mobilized and met with BLM officials in March of 1989.   As a result of the meeting, the BLM agreed to consider leaving the site as it was,  open it to public visitors (as a museum), and permit a “curator” to live on the premises. 

Walt Bickel lived to see his camp saved.  He died in 1996, leaving his son in law, Larry O’Neil as caretaker of the site.  O’Neil was also Bickel’s partner and spent many an hour explaining the intricacies of mining and desert life to visitors.  This writer was one of them. 

O’Neil has since moved off the site due to failing health and another caretaker is living there full time.  Bickel Camp is considered to be a museum exhibit and visitors can view the site, which is pretty much the way Bickel left it. 

It’s been said that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.  Walt Bickel’s work shed full of small engine parts and tools is more than a treasure.  They are artifacts which tell the story of one man’s ingenuity and self reliance.    

Do You Want To Take Better Photographs While On The Trail?

By Sand N Sky

Have you ever gotten home from an off-road trip, only to be disappointed with the photos that you took?  They may have looked good in your camera’s LCD screen, but upon viewing them on your home computer, the photos just don’t hold up.  Perhaps you didn’t capture the rich colors that prompted you to take the photographs in first place.  Or, perhaps, the images are slightly out of focus, too dark, too light, or some combination thereof.

Here are some suggestions that should help.

1.       Use a tripod.  You might have the steadiest hands in the world, but the truth is that it is impossible to completely eliminate movement when hand-holding your camera.  Generally, landscape photos require the use of slower shutter speeds (which are automatically selected by many “point and shoot” cameras), and many out- of- focus photos are the result of inadvertent movement of the camera when the shutter is triggered.

2.       If using a tripod, use a remote shutter release cord.  Pressing your camera’s shutter-release button with your finger can cause slight camera movement, even when the camera is on a tripod. 

If you don’t have a remote shutter release cord, set your camera’s self-timer (most modern cameras have this feature) to trip the shutter.  That snow-covered mountain is unlikely to move in the few seconds that it will elapse before the timer triggers the shutter.  The goal is to eliminate physical contact between you and the camera’s shutter-release button.    

3.       Timing is everything.  It is best to shoot your landscape photos in the early morning, an hour or so after sunrise, or in the late afternoon, roughly an hour before sunset.   During those times, the sun is lower in the sky, which makes the lighting softer and the colors richer.  High noon is probably the worst time to shoot landscape photos, because the sun is high in the sky.  Consequently, the lighting tends to be harsh, and colors get washed out. 

4.       If your camera’s shutter speed and aperture controls can be set manually, learn how to do this.  When you activate the shutter-release mechanism (either by pressing the button, using a remote shutter release cord, or by using the self-timer), the shutter opens for a specific time (usually in fractions of a second) and then closes.  The longer it stays open, the longer the film or digital sensors are exposed to the light coming through the aperture.  The length of time that the shutter remains open before closing again is known as “shutter speed”.    On many cameras, shutter speed can be selected manually.  The longer the shutter remains open, the more care will be necessary in order to avoid camera movement. 

The aperture the opening in the camera’s lens that controls the amount of light reaching the image recording medium (film or digital sensors).  The wider the aperture is open, the more light will be allowed in.  Accordingly, a wider aperture requires a faster shutter speed in order to avoid over-exposing the image (IE: making it “too bright”).  Conversely, a smaller aperture opening will require more time for the light to be gathered.  Therefore, a slower shutter speed (IE: a longer exposure) is needed with a smaller aperture opening.  On a camera whose aperture can be set manually, the aperture setting s are known as “f-stops”.  F-stops are typically expressed in the form of numbers which can be found on the camera lens and in many cases, on the camera’s LCD screen.  These numbers might range from F4.5 to F22.  Here’s where it gets confusing.  The smaller the number, the wider the aperture.  So, F4.5 is a much wider opening than F22. 

Why does any of this matter?  Because sharpness is almost everything when it comes to landscape photos.  And, the smaller the aperture (IE: the larger the “f” number), the greater the distance at which things will stay in focus.  This concept is known as “depth of field”. This is why most serious landscape photographers use very small aperture openings- they want the folds and creases on that distant mountain to remain in focus.  For example, I typically set my aperture at f.16 or smaller (IE:  a larger “f” number) for landscape work. 

How do you know how to match the shutter speed to the f-stop?   If you camera has an “Aperture Priority” setting, you can simply set the aperture, and the camera’s built-in metering system will automatically select the correct shutter speed.  Remember; a smaller aperture setting (IE: a higher “f” number) will result in the camera selecting slower shutter speed, which will make

If your camera’s aperture and shutter speed can be set manually (on some film cameras, this is the only option), there should be an indicator of some sort – usually in the viewfinder, that will tell you if your photo will be over- exposed (too bright), under-exposed (too dark), or if it will be properly exposed.  Setting the aperture and then changing the shutter speed (or vice-versa) until the indicator tells you that the image should be properly exposed is the simplest method of determining the proper exposure.

A fully automatic camera doesn’t give you as many options.  However, the odds are high that such a camera will have a “Landscape” setting, or something similar-which will automatically give you an aperture –shutter speed combination that will yield reasonable depth of field. 

5.        Stay focused!  If your camera is not equipped with an automatic focusing (IE: “auto-focus”) system, don’t forget to focus your camera manually. 

6.       Maintain your composure!   No, I’m not telling you to remain calm while taking your photos- although calmness helps!  Rather, I’m suggesting that you take the time to compose your photographs carefully.  In other words, pay attention to what’s actually going to wind up in the frame.  Did you want that trash can in the corner of the photo? Is the front of someone’s Jeep protruding into the frame? Take an extra couple of seconds to really see what is in your viewfinder.  If you want that trash can in the photo, that’s fine.  But don’t allow anything that’s unwanted to wind up in your photograph.

I hope that these suggestions help; naturally, this article is not meant to be a comprehensive photography course or “how-to” book.  If anyone has any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail message.

See you all on the trail!

Mojave Skyline Trail provides great views of Barstow and the surrounding desert..

but, there's evidence that unsavory people from the nearby city of Barstow drive along this trail too.

I suppose that I am bit naive, because I don't imagine that the kind of people who drive 4x4 vehicles as being the same kind of people who deface public property.  And, four wheel drive with low-range transfer case gearing is necessary to negotiate this trail.  

The trail itself is a testament to the work performed by local volunteers, who spent many hours building the "Jeep" trail and the hiking trail that runs along side it.

The trail head is only a few miles outside of Barstow, and it is only an hour's drive from my home in the Rancho Cucamonga, CA area.

All photos by Scott Schwartz.

The defunct drive-in movie theater near the base of the trail.

The city of Barstow, as seen from the Mojave Skyline Trail.

Vandalized, graffiti-covered picnic table.  Note the supports for the missing awning.

The author's Jeep Cherokee parked on the trail; four wheel drive with  low range gearing is recommended.  

The Mojave River, as seen from the Mojave Skyline Trail.  

Out of the Sun: My Airplane Was Jumped By A Gaggle of ....

....yellow jackets!   That's right.  And no, I'm not a fighter pilot.  I'm a private pilot, who was taking off from French Valley Airport, after having lunch at the French Valley Cafe.

It was Saturday, June 2, 20012.  For those who believe in such things, the poor service that I'd received at the restaurant that day may have been an omen.  Well, probably not.

At any rate, my rented Cessna 182 was just reaching rotation speed (the speed at which the nose is raised for take off) when it (and I) seemed to pass through a sudden snow storm.  Given that this was Southern California in June, that seemed unlikely.

In reality, a swarm of yellow jackets had decided to take off from runway 36.  I was using runway 18.

Although momentarily startled, I managed to concentrate on flying the airplane.  The big Continental engine was running smoothly.  The engine instruments were giving normal indications.  Most importantly, I could still see through the windshield, as the propeller had done a good job of mincing up my "attackers".

Did I mention that, luckily, none of the creatures wound up inside the cabin?

The flight back to my home airport in the Riverside area was uneventful.

Once the airplane was refueled and tied down, I had the unenviable task of cleaning the insect body fragments from the leading edges of the wings, the struts, and from the windshield.

Isn't flying fun?