Mighty Corsair, Connecticut

This is an original character concept, designed in 'Fabrica de Herois,' a free online illustration program from Portugal.

FdH allows users to design "supers" in the animated style of the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini Batman and Superman series.

FdH can be found here:
[link]

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Igor Sikorsky, designer and maker of the Corsair F4U, was a naturalized American citizen and CT resident. The Corsair -- often referred to by US fliers in WWII as the "Mighty Corsair" -- is the official state plane of Connecticut.

"...There is some solid evidence that...the F4U-4 Corsair was the finest all around fighter of the war. Certainly it qualifies as the best fighter/bomber...."

But Robert "Rory" Kingman, the young aerojock who now calls himself "Mighty Corsair", doesn't need a plane to fly. He just holds up his grandfather's dogtags and yells, "Fights ON!" -- the motto of the VMF-312 (Marine Fighter Air Squadron 312) Checkerboards -- and instantly appears in his heroic flying identity, complete with sabre, head-set and Service .45.

Rory's grandfather was a Marine lieutenant and Corsair pilot in WWII who served with VMF-312 "Checkerboards" in Okinawa. During a 1945 encounter with a Japanese Toryu fighter, the lieutenant pursued the enemy plane to extremely high altitude. When his guns "froze up" from the cold, the lieutenant closed with the Toryu and, in three seperate passes, chopped off the enemy plane's tail with the Corsair's big propeller.

Despite extensive damage to his Corsair -- including missing five inches off the end of his propeller blades -- the lieutenant managed to make a safe "dead stick" landing.

For his valour and extraordinary heroism, the lieutenant was awarded the Navy Cross -- and now, 63 years later, his grandson Rory is determined to emulate this remarkable American hero...but without a plane.