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Author Topic: Hellcats verses F for yous  (Read 1137 times)

Offline eric conley

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Hellcats verses F for yous
« on: November 19, 2006, 11:45:41 AM »
Hey I just have to tell this story about my experience with Hellcats and Corsairs. Way back in the late 40s my dad decided that I should be a pilot(for a little while) and he took me out to Sunset Beach airport in southern California for lessons. When I started my lessons there were two instructors and three Aeronca 7ACs. My first and formost instructor was a realy easy going fellow that I would have to wake up when we reached the practice area. The first time this happened I flew around for quite a while waiting for his instrutions and finally turned around and there he was fast asleep. We got along pretty good. Now the other guy was a nervous wreck and he smoked like it was his last day on earth and HE never slept and usualy had both hands on the back of my seat leaned as far forward as he could get and telling me to do this and then that and boy this guy could get to you. So these two guys hire a woman to instruct( she was a war time ferry pilot) and man I was suddenly in love, never mind she had a mustache, what the heck it was red like her hair and man she could fly and she liked the way I flew. So one day we were taking off for the practice area(me and my girl) and after we got up about 300' the stick goes over to the left and I correct and then it goes over to the right and I correct and then it was out to the practice area and return to the strip. Now stay with me cause we are getting close to the Hellcat/Corsair thing. We get out of the plane and she says what did you think about the stick moving from side to side on the climb out? Well I couldnt tell her I was thinking about how lucky I was to have drawn her for my instuctor that day so just stood there dumb and drooling and she says you have such an easy hand on the stick. So I broke my silence and said something like it must have been Abe my first instuctor cause he was so easy going and it certainly wasnt because of old smokestack. Oh she says you noticed the difference in those two guys, you have to remimber that Abe flew Hellcats in the war and smokestack flew Cosairs. So thats what I know about Hellcats and Corsairs. eric
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Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Hellcats verses F for yous
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2006, 06:53:20 AM »
I guess I missed the point of your story.

Best I can figure:

Hellcats were mostly Navy and,
Corsairs were more Marines ????

Something based on the traditional rivalry of the two navy branches?
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Offline Michael Boucher

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Re: Hellcats verses F for yous
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2006, 11:14:02 AM »
You could relax flying a Hellcat, but not a Corsair.  Am I correct?  What did the Lady Instructor ferry during the world? :)
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Offline eric conley

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Re: Hellcats verses F for yous
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2006, 11:18:32 AM »
Well your real close to the point about the Marines verses the Navy although I hadnt thought about it quite that way. My thoughts were on the rivalry between the manufactures of the two planes and how they flew and what the pilots said about them and your right the two points of view were as different as ''Navy pilots'' verses ''Marine pilots''. The Hellcat was known as a very forgiving gental plane to fly and the pilots loved them(Navy pilots). On the other hand the Corsair was know as a twichy plane that the pilots had to stay well ahead of or find themselves in trouble(not heard from any able bodied Marine). The Corsair did have some trouble early on with landing on carriers as they would bounce when making contact with the deck. Thats when the Navy thought it would be a good idea to give them to the Marines( who would never say they weren't the best plane in the sky). Later in the war the landing gear was improved and they let the pilot sit a little higher in the plane so he had a better view of the deck while on the approach to land and they were again deployed aboard carriers. When I was a around 11 years old we(my buddies) would ride our bicycles out to Miles Square landing sight and watch the Marines bounce( practice carrier landings with an LSO) Hellcats, Avengers, and Corsairs. It was the Corsair guys that would bounce on landing and the plane would pitch foreward ever so lightly and the prop would stike the runway and leave a bunch of chewed out places( 3 bladed propelers) in the asphalt. The poor guy would have to taxi over and shut down and then they would inspect the prop for damage and if it was too bad they would leave it there overnight to be repaired the next day and that really got the guy mad that had to stay there all night to guard the plane(it was never the pilot that had to stay). Sooooo the point I was trying to make was the difference in the two planes but you were right in that it depended on whether you were talking to a Marine pilot or a Navy pilot. eric
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Offline eric conley

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Re: Hellcats verses F for yous
« Reply #4 on: December 10, 2006, 08:51:42 PM »
Gosh Michael we must have posted at about the same time so I didnt see your post until just now. Yes you are correct about the Hellcat/ Corsair thing as far as I know. I did talk to Abe the Hellcat guy and he laughed at what the red head had said and told me he sure did like his time in the Hellcat. He never said a word about smoke stack and the Corsairs.
Michael, I guess I was always to starry eyed to ever make enough conversation with the red head to find out what planes she had flown during the war. She did have this real neat leather jacket that she wore most of the time(she was so cool) and I just followed her around like a little puppy. I was 15 at the time I think and she was a OLDER woman maybe 25 to 30years old. I have a good story about Cessna 140s and Grumman Avengers that I will get to when I get some time. eric
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