W.A.R. F4U Corsair

War Aircraft Replicas Int, or W.A.R, produced a line of scale aircraft from 1973 up through to recent years. This particular model is a flyable 50% scaled version of the famous Vought F4U fighter aircraft of WW2. Fabricated from aircraft plywood, fiberglass, and foam it is a relatively light airframe and as such this particular plane was suspended from the ceiling of a local companies factory when the owner retired it from flight status.

It was however incomplete, and missing various components to make it a relatively accurate display piece; Most notably the engine and prop. The owner, David Prescott of The Hangar at 743, contracted us to replace missing exterior panels, create a dummy engine and propeller, and requested that the propeller rotate via an electric drive. With the mindset that we wanted to keep it as light as possible but also create as much of the actual look of a real Corsair, we designed and 3D printed the forward half of the real radial engine that powered the F4U from ABS plastic. This replica was supported by a tubular steel structure that we designed and fabricated utilizing the original cradle as the mounting point. The electric drivetrain consists of your typical household ceiling fan motor driving a belt and chain reduction to spin the propeller at a consistent 65RPM by nothing more than a couple amps of 110v AC power.

The propeller was also created in house to replicate the original three blade Hamilton Standard Prop on the F4U as the flight worthy ultralight propeller was far from visually accurate. A steel hub was made, and the composite blades were modified and bonded into the hub permanently. The original Hydromatic hub was recreated, again using 3D printing, and we even went as far as sourcing scale decals of the Hamilton Standard logo as per the original. This aircraft, and many others, can be seen on display at The Hangar at 743, located at Albany International Airport.