Aircraft History
Built by Vought. Constructors Number 5247. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as F4U-1A Corsair bureau number 50000. Disassembled and loaded aboard USS Northfield as cargo. On May 10, 1944 departed the United States as part of defense aid to New Zealand.
Wartime History
Assigned to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) as Corsair serial number NZ5503. On May 29, 1944 reassembled at No.1 Assembly Depot BOC Unit 36 at Hobsonville Airfield. In November 1944, assigned to Corsair Conversion.
Postwar
Advertised for sale tender number 1704. On March 2, 1948, this Corsair was sold as scrap to Rukuhia Salvage Company in Hamilton, New Zealand. During 1960, purchased by Asplin's Supplies, Rukuhia, NZ and placed into storage in a scrap yard. In 1977, the fuselage hulk and components were transported to Auckland. In 1989 owned by Ross Jovitt, Auckland-Ardmore, NZ. In 1995, restoration was begun using parts from F4U Corsair NZ5527.
References
Navy Serial Number Search Results - F4U-1A Corsair 50000
"50000 (MSN 5247) to New Zealand as NZ5503"
ADF Serials - NZ Serials Corsair NZ5503
Warbird Registry - F4U Corsair/BuNo. 5000
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Last Updated
July 6, 2024
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