Was the oil cooler outlet movable on the F4U-4?

[Max89]

I was looking through some close up pictures of the F4U-4 and noticed something that I haven't seen before.

 

In the attached picture, it looks like the oil cooler outlet has a little "flap" (circled in red) on it that's dropping down on one side but not the other.

 

Was this flap movable on the aircraft? Or is this just a loose panel?

 

[72modeler]

Yes, you are correct- those are the hot air exits for the oil cooler mounted in each wing leading  edge; by altering the angle of the exit flaps, the speed and volume of the air passing through the oil coolers can be regulated, with the smallest opening causing the least amount of drag. (How'd I do, @corsaircorp and @Corsairfoxfouruncle?) IIRC, the F2G's with the R-4360 four-row radial did not have these, as the oil coolers exhausted through an accessory section  dump door in the belly, as the wing inlets were much smaller due to the oil coolers being moved inboard.

Mike

[Ray_W]

1 hour ago, Max89 said:

Was this flap movable on the aircraft?

 

Short answer. Yes.

 

And just to add a little more information from the F4U-1D operation manual. Oil cooler flaps operated front starboard side within the cooling flap levers labelled Number "4".

 

 

Close-up and operation

 

 

And a hydraulic diagram for good measure - number 28.

 

 

Ray