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Our Fighter Factory Origins

When you fly into Akron-Fulton Airport and land on our runway, you’re actually entering a realm of hallowed aviation history. Not only will you have the hump-backed Goodyear Blimp Airdock in your sights from miles away, but when you enter our building at Summit Air Ohio, you’re stepping foot in a former World War II fighter factory.

When it was introduced in 1940, the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair had the biggest, most powerful engine and the largest propeller of any fighter in history. According to the Fighter Factory Aviation Institute and The Fighter Collection, the Corsair was developed by the Chance Vought Corporation during the late 1930s. The Corsair’s inverted gull wings and abnormally large propeller put the Vought Corsair in the record books as the first U.S. war plane to exceed 400 mph. The wartime demand for these airplanes required Vought to contract out primary production to the Goodyear aircraft plant in Akron, Ohio… the present site of Summit Air.

The earliest XF4U-1 prototype was tested in 1938. Three years later, the U.S. Navy placed its first order for 584 aircraft. The first F4U-1A Corsairs were powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine that produced 2,000 hp. The strong engine and large propeller pulled the Corsair at speeds up to 425 mph. There was no difference in the design of any of these different aircraft, except those manufactured at the Goodyear plant were designated as an FG-1D.

The final World War II version was the F4U-1D, considered the ultimate wartime Corsair, due to its larger Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W engine and its increased armaments. The F4U-1D often had four rocket-launching stubs under each wing for five-inch HVAR rockets. It also had two wing root pylons to carry large bombs, 154-gallon drop tanks, or even napalm. The F4U-1D was the first version of Corsairs assigned to carriers, and quickly replaced the Grumman F6F Hellcat. There were 3,682 “D” variants built, mostly at the Goodyear plant.

The Corsair was used by the United States, England, and the Royal New Zealand Air Forces during the War. Manufacture of the Corsair was phased out in 1952, after boasting the longest production run of any American piston-engined fighter.

After the War, many Corsairs were exported to other countries. El Salvador and Honduras last used Corsairs against each other during a conflict in Central America in the early 1960s. Because of the high speeds and handling of the Corsair, many were eventually used at air races, starting with the Reno Air Races in the 1960s. Many have been lovingly restored in recent years for display at air shows around the country.

Just as the use of the Corsair has evolved over the years, so has the use of its manufacturing plant. Not too long ago, this building was used as a warehouse for Sam’s Club. Summit Air is proud to restore the building’s original purpose, to promote and support aviation.

To learn more about the Corsair, check out these websites:

• http://www3.uakron.edu/majuro/Butterfield/Historic_Img-Goodyear.htm
• http://www.fighter-collection.com/pages/aircraft/corsair/index.php
• http://www.fighterfactory.com/airworthy-aircraft/navy-fg-1d-corsair.php