The AU-1, the final Corsair .
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AU-1:
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The AU-1 was a dedicated low-level attack version of the F4U. The XAU-1 was created by converting a F4U-5NL, and initially the contracts called it the F4U-6. The air scoops were again removed from the engine cowling.
The AU-1 project began life as the F4U-6 but was quickly redesignated by the Navy to reflect its ground attack role. The dash six was never built. The AU-1 was produced solely for the US Marines during the height of the Korean War. Deliveries began in January 1952 and a total of 111 were supplied during the year. The AU-1 was powered by an R-2800-83W Double Wasp with a single stage supercharger, developing 2,300 hp (1,716.4 kW) for take off and 2,800 hp (2,089.6 kW) for War Emergency. Extra armor was added for protection from the small arms fire which would be encountered at the lower altitudes where the AU-1 would be working. Its ground attack role was underlined by the statistics; max take-off weight was almost 10 tons (9071.9 kg) while the service ceiling was only 19,500 ft (5,943.6 m) and the maximum speed was a mere 238 mph (383 kph)! Ground attack required only enough speed to present a difficult target for ground fire and only enough altitude to properly aim its weapons.
The AU-1 was armed with 10 rockets or 4,000 lbs (1,814.4 kg) of bombs, in addition to four wing mounted 20 mm cannon with 230 rounds per gun. A fully armed AU was an awesome war machine!
Performance had, of course, decreased. The handling had suffered even more, and the AU-1 was unpleasant to fly. Only 111 were built between February and October 1952.
History of "Death Rattlers VMA-323,when flying Corsairs:
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Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. Three hard-charging fighter pilots killed a 6 foot rattlesnake, and hung its diamond-backed skin in the squadron ready room, giving rise to the 50 year-old unit the nickname of "Death Rattlers". VMF-323 immediately began training for combat in the Pacific theater with their Chance-Vought F4U Corsairs. Often hailed as the best all-around fighter of World War II, the "bent-wing bird" was armed with six .50-caliber machine guns and a lethal warload of bombs, rockets, and Napalm. In preparation for deployment overseas, VMF-323 moved west in January 1944, flying training missions from fields at El Centro and Camp Pendleton, Calif. In July 1944 the Death Rattlers departed for the Pacific aboard the escort carrier USS Long Island. For the next nine months, VMF-323 flew training missions from secure island bases in the South Pacific, perfecting their tactics in aerial combat, dive bombing, rocketry, and close air support.
On April 9, 1945 the Death Rattlers flew from an escort carrier into Kadena airfield to fly missions in support of Operation Iceberg, the campaign for Okinawa. Combat operations commenced the following day. Between April and the surrender of Japanese forces in August, the Death Rattlers shot down 124 Japanese planes in aerial combat without a single loss to an enemy pilot. Twelve VMF-323 fighter pilots became Aces - three of them in a single day. The deadly, effective close air support (CAS) the Death Rattlers gave the Leathernecks on the ground was just as important as the squadron's tremendous accomplishments in air combat. To the Marine riflemen engaged in the bloodiest close-quarter fighting of the war, Marine Corsairs became the "Sweethearts of Okinawa".
March 1946 found the Death Rattlers based at MCAS El Toro, Calif., and engaged in a rigorous peacetime training program. Operating from land and sea, VMF-323 participated in exercises throughout the western U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. The squadron also provided Hollywood, Calif., with Marine airpower for the 1949 classic, Sands of Iwo Jima.
June 25, 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea. Within a month, VMF-323 began combat operations from the escort carrier USS Badoeng Strait, in support of ground forces in the Pusan perimeter. Again proving the effectiveness of Marine close air support during heavy fighting at Pusan, the Inchon landing, the breakout of the 1st Marine Division from the Chosin Reservoir, and every major campaign of the war, the Death Rattlers further built on the combat reputation of the Marine Air-Ground Team. Flying alternately from Navy carriers and austere airfields ashore, VMF-323 flew primarily air-to-ground missions such as CAS, interdiction, and armed reconnaissance. Reflecting this change in its primary mission, the squadron was re-designated Marine Attack Squadron 323 (VMA-323) in June 1952. The Death Rattlers departed Korea in July 1953 after accumulating 48,000 hours of flight time, and once again serving with distinction in combat.
Installation:
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-Installation in CFS2:
Unzip " Corsair_AU-1" into a temporary file and move the "Corsair_AU-1" folder into the main CFS2\Aircraft directory. Copy the cfs2GPS.gau into your Gauges folder.You don't need the FS 2002 install file.
Installation in FS2002:
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-Unzip " Corsair_AU-1" into a temporary file and move the "Corsair_AU-1" folder into the main FS2002\Aircraft directory.
From the FS2002 install file :
Replace the aircraft.cfg and the Corsair_AU-1.air (in the Corsair_AU-1 FS2002\Aircraft directory) . Replace the panel.cfg (in the panel folder). Let them overwrite the original ones.
Let the "the hel_cors_blur.bmp" from the FS2002 install file overwrite the original "hel_cors_blur.bmp" in the texture folder.
For FS 2002 you needn't copy the CDP and Dp files.
The Corsair_AU-1 model:
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There are two models in the zipfile. The first one is a the grey N378 as flown from El Toro during 1957. The second one is nr 24 as flown by the "Death Rattlers" in Korea during 1952.
You have a realistic and difficult flyer with this model. It has a heavy wing loading, needs speed for take off and landing and can easily be set on its nose if you're a bit careless with the brakes. Enjoy..lol.
- Many thanks to Guy HULIN, who kindly allowed me to adapt his magnificent Corsair to CFS2/FS2002 .
- Panel.bmp, modified dashboard from Sergey " Araks " Golovachev adapted to standard gauges for CFS2/FS2002 by A.F.Scrub.
- Modified Mdl, Textures, Air and Dp file by A F Scrub.
- Sounds: Aliased to F4U1A_CORSAIR.
DISCLAIMER
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There is no warranty, guarantee or liability of any kind, and the authors of the contents of this archive are not liable for any problems on software or hardware you may encounter while using this software. You use this software at your own risk.
COPYRIGHT
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The copyright related to the contents of this zip-archive is property of the authors.
It must be respected in any case. All rights reserved.
This software product is freeware. As such it is given without any payments to the fellow users of Flight Simulator exclusively via the websites SurClaro and Simviation.
Any commercial use of this product is prohibited including any form of display.
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