Why Britain Used American Corsairs

The Corsair is one of the most distinctive planes of WWII. An American-designed Naval fighter bomber, its long nose and gull wing design made it distinct.

Why Did the Brits Choose the Corsair?

The Corsair was handed over to the Royal Navy in 1939 after being previously under the RAF. At this point, the British only had one truly dedicated fighter – the Sea Gladiator.

However, this was a bi-plane that owed its design more to the First World War.

As the war progressed, Britain found itself and its resources stretched thin; it was soon clear that it needed more planes, particularly when meeting enemy fighters on equal terms.

Finding a Solution

The most obvious way of solving the problem was using the Spitfire and Hurricane – but neither of these planes were ideal. Both lacked the range required for naval operations.

When the Corsair was suggested, they took one look at its performance figures, especially its range, and placed an order.

Modifications in British Service

The British made several changes such as introducing a variable rate bleed valve to the oleo strut from the undercarriage to stop it from bouncing.

A wide, curving approach was also introduced, leading the Corsair down on the deck with minimal risk of stalling, keeping the carrier deck visible until the last minute.

British carriers also had armored decks which meant fewer rooms in the hangars and eight inches needed to be clipped off the wings to accommodate them. This enhanced the aircraft’s roll rate in combat and sink rate on landing.

Top flaps on the cowling also had to be locked down to prevent splattering on the plane’s windscreen, the seat was raised to enhance visibility and a more roomy canopy was introduced.