How the F4U Corsair Defeated a Billion-Dollar Wall of Physics

To build the ultimate WWII fighter plane, American engineers had to smash through a billion-dollar wall of physics. The result was the legendary Vought F4U Corsair.
The engineering paradox was pure mechanics. Designers wanted to use the monstrous 2,000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney radial engine, which required a gigantic 13-foot propeller. But a propeller that massive would smash into the aircraft carrier deck during landing. If they made the landing gear longer to protect the propeller, the gear became too weak to survive heavy carrier landings.
The genius aerospace engineering solution? The Inverted Gull Wing. By bending the wings downward, they lowered the landing gear attachment point. This allowed for short, indestructible landing gear while giving the massive propeller perfect clearance. This single design innovation created a 400 MPH apex predator that dominated the Pacific War.

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