Old Warbird from Biggin Hill – where now?

That actual F4U4 was the first warbird I ever got to sit in, almost exactly 26 years ago at Biggin Hill.

I’m sure you’re right Bruce, and that the paperwork, if little else, will resurface attached to a flying Corsair at some point in the future.

Its in my head that it was going to be rebuilt, but Mike tends to know better than me in these cases!

Obviously the Oshkosh accident was awful, with very serious consequences for the pilot, but I wonder was the aircraft destroyed? I remember seeing pictures on the web of the wreck taken a few months after the accident and it appeared to have broken up into remarkably recognisable sections, and I seem to remember that a long-term rebuild to flight was being talked about.

I’m relying on my grey matter, so there’s every chance I’ve mixed up two different wrecks. Can anyone confirm?

On the you tube video comments there was one from someone saying about their Grandad who died in a Spitfire at an airshow at Biggin Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFekECKMDf0

Mike is right. This is the F4U-4 Doug Arnold bought from Bob Yancey.

T J

I’m not sure he actually bought it, I seem to have a recollection of three ex-Halton Gnats going the other way. They were pretty sought after in the US at that time. I guess we’ll never know for sure.

Just found a video of the crash on Youtube. How sad. Thanks for all the info guys.

Tony.

Mike is right. This is the F4U-4 Doug Arnold bought from Bob Yancey.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairregistry/f4u-97280.html

T J

It is the ex-Bob Yancey F4U-4.

Well, two different answers so far. Here’s the video to refresh people’s memories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFekECKMDf0

Tony.

Alas it is no more. Destroyed in a collision with Howard Pardue’s Bearcat at Oshkosh some years back