@ Colorado Springs Airport, CO
January 2014
Jim Tobul’s Corsair was getting some work done when I toured Westpac Restoration located at the Colorado Springs Airport. The gull-wing design of the F4U Corsair makes the aircraft one of the most distinctive fighters of World War II. First flown on May 29, 1940, it was the first single-engine fighter able to exceed 400 mph in level flight. This example was discovered dismantled in an orchard and underwent a ten-year restoration by Jim and Joe Tobul. In 1991 “Korean War Hero” took to the skies and went on the airshow circuit until a crash in 2002 that killed Joe Tobul. Jim stored the wreckage for six years, then a three-year restoration effort got her airworthy once again. This Corsair is part of the U.S. Navy Legacy Flight program where it is part of airshow heritage flybys. Nikon D300 w/18-200 mm, processed with Photomatix Pro and Aperture.
