CARF F4U-1D Corsair (All Silver / Folding Wings ARF)

SKU: CARF 793000

The ARF version of our folding wing Corsair is in our opinion the way to go. Extreme value is added for affordable extra cost. A very complex plane with folding mechanics readily installed. All required hardware is included. On top of the usual kit prefabrication so much more is already done for you:

- all flaps with their offset hinges are readily installed.

- all control horns are installed

- cowling is factory installed

- stab is completely installed

- landing gear installation is prepared up to simply bolting the gear in place

- gear doors are all hinged

- tail gear former and servo mounts are installed

- folding mechanics and hinges are readily installed

For you left to finish are mainly installation jobs, such as:

- one glue joint fin attachment (not glued on for packing and shipping reasons)

- linkage, servo and other RC installation

- engine installation

- retract installation and final gear door cylinder installation

- wing fold hydraulic installation and plumbing

- canopy and cockpit installation

- final scale detailing and painting

All parts are detailed, silver painted composite components, light weight and not only “prefabricated” but really ARF’ed. Why bother with hundreds of building hours if you can get around it for as little upcharge as it is? A detailed instruction manual not only guides you through the remaining build, shows you how much work you’ve saved...

Note: You need to order the hydraulic pump&valve set (Item No. 790400) separately to operate the folding wings!

The Corsair has been one of the most breathtaking Warbirds ever built . However, the typical gull wing was a nightmare for every modeler to build, so prior to the composite age, not too many Corsairs have been made. What a shame...

Well, things can change in an instance!
Our 1:4.5 Scale F4U-1D Corsair features all our latest molding and manufacturing technologies, which have elevated our ARF Aerobatic Planes and Sport Jets above all competition. The CARF Models Corsair is a true marvel. Absolutely scale in outline and in panel lines, it even features the scale fabric surface on outer wings, elevator and rudder right out of the molds. This scale is not too big for a safe flying weight below the 25 kg (55 lb) limit of many countries.

With the CARF-Models F4U-1D Corsair a dream comes true for us – and maybe for you, too.

Wings

On top of that, we have engineered a wing folding mechanism which can make your CARF Corsair the absolute highlight on every flying field and every airshow.

It is your choice if you order the economical plug-in wings or grab a bit deeper into you pocket to go with the folding wings. We at CARF think, it’s worth it. Both the kit and the ARF version of the Folding Wing Corsair include our folding wing mechanics as well as the full electric and hydraulic installation package.

The CNC-milled precision mechanics are engineering masterpieces and manufactured from highest quality materials to tightest tolerances. The down lock works like a retract system, where a cross bar slides into a slot and locks the unit completely load free. Cylinders use only Festo Push-In fittings for safety reason. wings

The ARF version has them readily installed, the kit version requires installation by the builder. Why hydraulic?

Only hydraulics would give you the constant speed of movement during the folding cycle. Pneumatics would have enough power to fold the wings, but they would flap like a bird, looking really funny. The hydraulics have become a very reliable system.

A pump is fed from a flexible reservoir and only tries via sensor to keep the pressure in the system constant. A servo driven valve feeds the fluid to the cylinder in a constant volume stream, and the backflow is collected in a flexible reservoir, ready to be pumped back into the system. No end switches or locking devices are necessary. Simplicity is the key.

Features

The CARF Corsair has quite some impressive features, only noticeable at second glance. For example the hidden linkages. No linkage, no control or servo horn is visible throughout the plane. Elevator and rudder have torsion linkages and the servos are mounted in the rear part of the fuselage. Ailerons and flaps have control horns, which due to the thick wing can be hidden beneath the surface.

Retract

The retracts for our Corsair are made by the renowned scale retract manufacturer Sierra Giant Scale. They are designed exclusively to fit our Corsair. We strongly recommend to use this gear with your CARF Corsair, as both kit and retracts are a perfect match and designed for each other. CNC-machined from aircraft grade aluminum and stainless steel the gear features a precise and strong 90-degree rotating mechanism, oleos exactly matched to the predicted aircraft weight and prepared for scale sized wheels. Painstaking design work and brilliant machining makes the main and tail gear a real master piece of engineering. It also features a pair of scale main wheels with aluminium hubs. The struts lock down with the same mechanism as the full scale. The whole gear and geardoor system is operated with air. The scale retractable tail gear for our Corsair is a light weight design, to not jeopardize the centre of gravity of the plane. It still is very scale and the tyre is up to the task, too. The unit has an oleo and it retracts with a pneumatic cylinder, hidden in the fuselage.

Painting

The all silver finish of the composite parts is a perfect base for any type of scale paint job. Without using further primers, the final coat can be applied directly on to the scuffed surface, so that panel lines and other details don’t get filled. Moreover can these details be scratched and sanded, so that the silver base coat shines through. An authenticly weathered scale finish can be obtained with very little effort.

Engine

Well, for a Corsair many say there is only one engine: It’s round with an odd cylinder count. Our Corsair was designed around the Moki 250 cc radial engine. It fits perfectly, balances the plane perfectly and has so much power that it drives a 32” diameter 3-blade brop with authority and scale sound.Which doesn’t mean that any other engine wouldn’t work! From any 100 cc twin up to 150 cc twins all is possible. For the climax of scale features we are happy to be able to supply our scale propeller as a set with Moki 215/250 adapter, our own alu-hub and spinner, as well as a set of our own made all carbon 32” prop blades. But be aware that the cowl diameter is just a bit over 300 mm – a tight or impossible fit for the spark plug caps of some 150s.

ARF Advantage

The folding wing corsair is a very complex piece of engineering. Why bother doing all the work, risking mistakes or problems, if you can get it all done in the factory? The photo shows you the parts which the factory already installs for you, opposed to the kit version, where you have to do all this yourself. Here is an array of photos which show you how an ARF Corsair comes out of the box. Not much else to say than: Why Bother?

Flight charactaristics

A Corsair is a well flying airplane by principle. Most important is that airfoils and incidences are chosen to resemble the original angles of attack and speeds in flight. After flying the plane at TopGun ’08, we have the proof that this one was done right! Even in windy conditions the CARF Corsair tracks like on rails, and the control surface’s efficiency is perfectly smooth. Stall characteristics are uneventful, and due to the huge flaps the landing speed if very slow. In the air, though, with the throttle fully open, and the beast comes alive and shows what she was designed for. At Topgun 2009 there were already 2 more CARF Corsairs flying. Jason Shulman and Marco Benincasa. Beautiful birds where the pilots had only great things to say about the flying characteristics. The CARF Corsair is a dream plane to fly. Smooth and agile, fast and slow, and it performs scale aerobatic maneuvers with authority.