Honduran Air Force Vought F4U-5NL No. FAH-609 Corsair flown by Cap. Fernando Soto when he shot down three Salvadoran Air Force planes. Corsairs flew their final combat missions in 1969 during the "Football War" between Honduras and El Salvador, in service with both air forces.

Widely regarded as the most capable carrier-based fighter of the Second World War, the F4U Corsair was designed to employ the largest engine and propeller ever fitted to a fighter up to that point. First flown on May of 1940, its entrance into the combat arena with the US Navy was delayed due to concerns about visibility and landing ...

The F4U-5NL was a winterized version of the F4U-5N airplane. It was basically the same as the F4U-5 airplane except that it included provisions for both night-fighter and cold weather operations. The winterization facilities are identified by the installation of de-ice boots on the wings and empennage, and de-ice shoes on the propeller blades.

F4U is the military designation for Corsairs built by the Vought -Sikorsky division of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) until the end of 1942, afterwards by the Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation.

It is an American twin-row eighteen-cylinder radial engine with water injection, two poppet valves per cylinder, a variable-speed supercharger with fluid coupling, a Stromberg injection carburetor fuel system, and an air cooling system. It produces a maximum takeoff thrust of 2,380 hp and drives three or four-bladed propellers.

Ground Marines in Korea quickly came to accept the Corsair as a standard weapon. Corsairs operated from both carriers and fixed bases in support of infantry. The F4U-5, F4U-5N, F4U-5P, and the F4U-5NL versions of the Corsair came available …

The F4U-5NL was a winterized version of the F4U-5N airplane. It was the same as the F4U-5 airplane except that it included provisions for both night-fighter and cold weather operations. The winterization facilities are identified by the installation of de-ice boots on the wings and empennage, and de-ice shoes on the propeller blades.

Vought engineers selected the new 2,000 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R2800 engine for the project that would become the Corsair. The powerful engine required a large 14-foot diameter propeller, which necessitated changes in the design to assure ground clearance was met during carrier landings.

The F4U-5NL Corsair was manufactured by Chance-Vought in 1948 and delivered to the USMC in March of that year. The “Dash 5” was fitted with a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-32W engine with dual supercharger to provide 2,350 hp at altitude.

The Vought F4U-5 was an improved version of earlier F4Us that first flew at the end of 1945 and the -5N version was equipped with radar. Argentina acquired its F4U-5s in 1956 and 1957 including eight F4U-5NLs in May 1957. They served with the Argentine navy until they were replaced by Grumman F9Fs in the mid 1960s.