![]() This aircraft is painted in the markings of one of the aircraft known to have been flown by the squadron. In fact, Pappy would always fly the plane in the poorest condition on every mission, just so a pilot under his command wouldn’t have to do so. He was the only pilot to hit three Japanese ships with bombs during the Battle of Midway 1 Early life Norman Jack Dusty Kleiss was born on March 7, 1916, in Coffeyville, Kansas. The Corsairs flown by VMF-214 were seldom flown by the same pilot every day. Norman Kleiss Norman Jack 'Dusty' Kleiss (Ma April 22, 2016) was a dive-bomber pilot in the United States Navy during World War II. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, the self-proclaimed “Black Sheep” of VMF-214 shot down 97 Japanese aircraft and damaged another 103 during the squadron’s two six-week tours of duty, making the Black Sheep one of the highest scoring flying outfits in the South Pacific at that time. F4U-4 Corsairĭue to the urgent need for fighter squadrons in the Solomon Islands area in the summer of 1943, Marine Fighting Squadron 214 (VMF-214) was unorthodoxly cobbled together in theater, utilizing replacement pilots intended for other squadrons. The F4U-4, with its more powerful engine, was the last Corsair variant to see service during World War II. Renowned for its speed, ruggedness, and firepower, the Corsair excelled as both a fighter and an attack aircraft in support of ground forces. The F4U Corsair entered combat in 1943, and gave Allied naval aviators a winning edge against their opponents. This allowed the SBD Dauntless dive bombers to attack from 15,000 feet just as the carriers were turning into the wind to launch their most experienced pilots. National Museum of Naval Aviation, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The air combat patrol for the Japanese fleet should have been above, but they were at sea level destroying the American torpedo bomber airplanes. Nearly 13,000 examples would be produced by the end of the F4U’s production run in 1952. 02106), c/n 632, 6, took part in the Battle of Midway. The Navy was sold on the speedy fighter and ordered Vought to begin production. On the Corsair’s maiden flight, she broke the speed record for a single-seat fighter aircraft by exceeding 400 miles per hour in level flight. ![]() ![]() By May 1940, Vought had produced a prototype the new fighter’s inverted gull wings gave the aircraft an unmistakably recognizable face when viewed head-on, and were designed to provide ground clearance for the massive 13-foot propeller. Development of the F4U Corsair began in early 1938, headed-up by Vought Aircraft’s Chief Engineer, Rex Biesel. ![]()
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