The moment you walk onto the hangar deck of the Intrepid Museum, there it is — a newly restored World War II FG-1D Corsair fighter-bomber.

Corsairs were among the most flown aircraft from the flight deck of the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1974, now docked on the west side of Manhattan.

What You Need To Know

  • The Intrepid Museum is opening a new permanent exhibit on its hangar deck

  • The centerpiece is a restored Corsair fighter-bomber from World War II

  • Corsairs were among the most flown aircraft from the flight deck of the carrier

“Corsair was so important to the war, and to Intrepid, and the many, many pilots that flew this aircraft off of this carrier,” Kate Good, associate curator of aerospace at the museum, said.

The Corsair is the centerpiece of a new permanent exhibition at the museum showcasing the Intrepid’s history in the Cold War, the Space Race, the Vietnam War and, of course, its first action in World War II.

“There are over 50 artifacts and photographs that have never been seen before from our collections, so there is a new representation of artifacts, oral histories,” Danielle Swanson, director of collections, said.

The Corsair is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. It was restored by the Intrepid’s team in the restoration hangar on the flight deck, painted with the markings of an aircraft flown by Intrepid pilot Alfred Lerch during World War II.

Lerch achieved “ace in a day status” by downing seven enemy aircraft in one day of combat. After restoration, the task of getting it from the flight deck to the hangar deck was a challenge, but they made it work.

“Me and the team we all loved doing it. It was an honor to work on such a legendary machine,” Peter Torraca, manager of aircraft restoration, said.

Torraca says restoring the Corsair took four months. 

While there are the machines, the exhibit is really about the folks who made them work and served on the Intrepid.

“What we are really hoping that people take away from this experience is a deeper connection with the overall history of the ship and also how the ship changed over the years,” head curator Jessica Williams said. “The Navy kept it going for 30 years, and how did that happen?”

Plan your visit here.