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This and other technical issues delayed the Corsair's deployment in Navy carrier-based squadrons. However, the long-nosed configuration posed visibility issues for pilots. The unusual wing not only gave the Corsair its distinctive shape but also reduced drag, allowing the "Bent Wing Bird" even greater speed. Instead of building long, awkward landing gear needed for propeller clearance, the bent-wing design of Beisel's team allowed for shorter, stronger gear for carrier landings. In 1941, with war on the horizon, Chance Vought lead designer Rex Beisel (a graduate of Seattle's Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington) was directed to design a fighter around the large Pratt & Whitney R-2800 "Double Wasp" 2,250-horsepower engine and massive propeller. The license-built Goodyear FG-1D is equivalent to the Vought F4U-1D Goodyear manufactured 1,997 FG-1Ds and a third of all Corsairs during the war. During the war, demand for Corsairs was so high that additional production lines were established by Goodyear and Brewster. The Corsair had an unusually long production run for a World War II-era aircraft with 12,571 examples, the last in 1952. Besides its role in air-to-air combat, Corsairs were used as night fighters and as fighter-bombers at the tail-end of World War II and throughout the Korean War. The Corsair, along with the Grumman Hellcat, are credited with turning the tide of the Pacific air war by overwhelming the once-fearsome Japanese Zero fighter. The Chance Vought F4U Corsair is considered the premier Navy and Marine fighter of World War II. Buy Tickets Site Search Search Toggle search box