Airtids wrote: Prop has something like a 9 foot radius, and I was told if you went to power too quickly, she'd just flip onto her back.

Actually its a 13 foot radius, and you would have to try VERY hard to put her on her back. The landing gear is angled far forward of the CoG, to allow for full power pull for carrier launch.
Very nice pics. Always nice to see shots of one of "the girls" not taken by us or one of our photogs. One of these days I'll remeber to take my camera with me when I'm stuffed in her guts to take some shots for the modellers out there.
Had to hunt, but I finally found the watermarks.... VERRRRRRYYYY sneaky!!!!
Oh yeah... also.. Our "Big 'Ol Blue... B*@&h" as she's sometimes called is a FG-1D, Built by Goodrich under licence for Vaught, which was what Hammy Grey (Good 'ol Cannuck boy that he was!) Flew. Most of the Corsairs that are left are Chance Vaught -4s.