Introduced into service in 1942, the Vought F4U-1 featured inverted gull wings and a massive 2,000hp engine spinning the largest propeller mounted on a fighter at the time. While the fighter?s performance and toughness was quite impressive, deficiencies such as inadequate forward visibility, restricted all-round visibility due to the early frame-like canopy, and the tendency for the left and right wings to stall at different speeds led to various improvements being added throughout production, eventually resulting in the F4U-1A version.
