Discovery Channel – Showdown Air Combat – F4U Corsair vs. Zero (2008)

Fighter pilots…warriors of the sky. Jousting on aerial steeds made of steel, speeding through the skies at hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles per hour. Their goal? To get the other guy before he gets them. Hosted by U.S. Air Force Major Paul "Max" Moga of the Air Combat Command’s 1st Fighter Wing, "Showdown: Air Combat" recreates some of history’s most compelling aerial combat manoeuvres with restored aircraft from every era of airborne warfare. The series also offers a compelling insight into each aircraft’s strengths and weaknesses, its place in the evolutionary time line of design innovation, and the ground-breaking battle tactics employed in each confrontation.
Unquestionably the most iconic Japanese fighter of World War II, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter was used from the initial raid on Pearl Harbor up to the Kamikaze attacks at the end of the war. Facing off against the likes of the Wildcat, Corsair and Hellcat the Zero gained a legendary reputation amongst Allied pilots due to its incredible manoeuvrability.
To have a shot of winning the war, the U.S. Navy needed to somehow beat this fast, nimble, and lightweight killer. Their solution: exploit the Zero’s flaws by pitting its agility against the muscle of the F4U Corsair.
The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair proved a scourge of Japanese aircraft in the Pacific. It was the first American single-engined fighter to exceed 400 mph and establish dominance over the legendary Mitsubishi Type Zero-sen.
Ace "Pappy" Boyington scored most of his victories flying one of the best combat aircraft of World War II the F4U Corsair. But the Japanese Zero was still a formidable opponent. On January 3rd 1944 Pappy tangled with a group of Zeros in a dramatic fight.

Traveling Light Media Production for The Military Channel/Discovery Communications, LLC.