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Erickson Aircraft: Grumman FM-2 Wildcat (photo diary) [1]

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Date: 2024-03-01  

The Grumman Wildcat, the first of the Grumman “cats”, marked the U.S. Navy’s transition from biplanes to modern carrier-based planes. The FM-2 Wildcat is essentially an improved version of the Grumman F4F-4. In the Pacific, the Wildcat was inferior in many ways to the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero. However, the Wildcat, with its relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, could survive more damage than the Zero.

The Wildcat on display in the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon was accepted by the Navy in 1945 and transferred to Naval Air Station Tillamook to be put into storage. In 1946 it was sold as surplus.

According to the Museum:

“Two interesting features of the Wildcat are wings that fold back along the fuselage to allow for easier carrier storage and the manually operated landing gear. A pilot had to crank a cockpit-mounted wheel 29 times to raise or lower the apparatus.”

The Wildcat has a maximum speed of 331 mph and a range of 845 miles.

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Museum of Flight: World War II carrier-based airplanes (photo diary)

Museum of Flight: Some World War II fighters (photo diary)

Air Force Museum: World War II Japanese planes (photo diary)

Air Force Museum: World War II German Planes (photo diary)

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