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| Signatures on this item | |
| *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
| Name | Info |
 Vernon E Graham (deceased) *Signature Value : £65 | Vernon E. Graham, a Colorado native. After two months of training in San Diego the new squadron deployed to Maui, where, under the command of Charles Fenton, the squadron commenced a comprehensive training program. While in Hawaii several of VF-11s pilots came up with a squadron insignia which depicted two Grumman F4F Wildcats blasting a rising sun into the Pacific. Thus VF- 11 became known as the Sun Downers. The Sun Downers first combat tour would be land-based, flying out of Guadacanal with the Marines. This was a bit upsetting to some member of the squadron as the Marines were flying the state-of-the-art F4U Corsair, while VF-11 was equipped with the older Grumman F4F Wildcat, an aircraft somewhat inferior in dog fighting capability to the Japanese Zero. During the first several weeks of its first combat tour the Sun Downers had more than their share of misfortune. Several aircraft were lost without enemy opposition. This was all to change in a hurry for the young Vern Graham. Graham had flown about thirty missions without incident. Returning from a long escort mission Graham and his formation of sixteen Wildcats responded to a request for help from four Marine Corsairs which had encountered nearly forty Japanese Zeros while on patrol near Russell Island. Only eight of the Wildcats had sufficient fuel to engage the enemy. Disregarding his critical fuel situation, Graham and his wing man got involved in assisting the Marines. Graham bagged his first Zero with a diving attack while his adversary was more preoccupied with the Corsair he was tailing. Minutes later a second Zero succumbed to a high side attack, and a third exploded in mid-air during a head-on pass. Graham bagged two more prior to his engine quitting due to lack of fuel. Without power Graham was a sitting duck, and in no time two Zeros were on his tail. Fortunately, Grahams Marine buddies bagged one and chased the other off. In serious trouble, Grahams only hope was to glide his Wildcat to Russell Island where an emergency airstrip was available. Not knowing that one of his wheels had been shot away during the engagement, Grahams Wildcat flipped over during the emergency landing. Knocked unconscious with a fractured skull, Graham was cut from the wreckage of his F4F, and sent to a military hospital. With five confirmed aerial victories during this single mission, Graham had achieved the unusual distinction of becoming An Ace in a Day. Vern received the Navy Cross and returned to the States to recover. He would later return to active flying after requalifying in the F41J Corsair. Sadly Vernon Died on the 2nd January 2006 |
| The Aircraft : | |
| Name | Info |
| Zero | |
| Corsair | The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the finest naval aviation fighter of its era. Work on this design dates to 1938 and was headed-up by Voughts Chief Engineer, Rex Biesel. The initial prototype was powered by an 1800-HP Pratt & Whitney double Wasp radial engine. This was the third Vought aircraft to carry the Corsair name. The graceful and highly recognizable gull-wing design of the F4U permitted the aircraft to utilize a 13-foot, three-blade, Hamilton Standard propeller, while not having to lengthen the landing gear. Because of the rigors of carrier landings, this was a very important design consideration. Folding wings were also required for carrier operations. The F4U was thirty feet long, had a wingspan of 41 feet and an empty weight of approximately 7,500 pounds. Another interesting feature was the way the F4Us gear rotated 90 degrees, so it would lay flush within the wing when in the up position. In 1939 the Navy approved the design, and production commenced. The Corsair utilized a new spot welding process on its all aluminum fuselage, giving the aircraft very low drag. To reduce weight, fabric-covered outer wing sections and control surfaces were fitted. In May of 1940 the F4U made its maiden flight. Although a number of small bugs were discovered during early flight tests, the Corsair had exceptional performance characteristics. In October of 1940 the prototype F4U was clocked at 405-MPH in a speed test. The initial production Corsairs received an upgraded 2,000-HP radial giving the bird a top speed of about 425-MPH. The production models also differed from the prototype in having six, wing-mounted, 0.5 caliber machine guns. Another change was a shift of the cockpit about three feet further back in the fuselage. This latter change unfortunately made naval aviators wary of carrier landings with the F4U, due to its limited forward visibility during landings. Other concerns were expressed regarding a severe port wing drop at landing speeds and a tendency of the aircraft to bounce off a carrier deck. As a result, the F4U was initially limited to land-based USMC squadrons. Vought addressed several of these problems, and the Royal Navy deserves credit for perfecting an appropriate landing strategy for the F4U. They found that if the carrier pilot landed the F4U while making a sweeping left turn with the port wing down, that sufficient visibility was available to make a safe landing. With a kill ratio of 11 -to- 1 in WW 11 combat, the F4U proved superior in the air to almost every opposing aircraft it encountered. More than 12,000 F4Us were built and fortunately a few dozen remain in flyable condition to this date. |
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