Here Are The Latest Pics Of The Birdcage Corsair Under Restoration

Comin’ Together.

We just saw these great pictures on the Chance Vought F4U Corsair Facebook page and we figured you folks would appreciate this. One of the members of that community went over to the Navy Museum in Pensacola (yes, right by the Blue Angels) and stumbled into the restoration hangar. Not wasting any time, he took these great photos so we can all see what’s going on after 7 years of restoration.

First, let us give you a little bit of background about this warbird. According to an excerpt we read from the Hidden Warbirds II by Nicholas A. Veronico, this bird was fished out of Lake Michigan in 2010. How she got there you can imagine.

As Lake Michigan was a training ground for Navy pilots to learn how to land on carriers, there are many aircraft at the bottom of it. This particular one got there on June 12th, 1943. Ensign Carl H. Johnson was qualifying in this particular Corsair BuNo 02465 after logging in 57 hours in said aircraft. He lost sight of the LSO on approach and ended up crashing the then “factory-fresh” Corsair into the water.

He survived and was fished out of the water, but was later killed fighting in the Pacific Theater.

As for this Corsair, she won’t be restored to airworthiness but will have her own spot on the museum floor once she’s done.