# any F4F Wildcat fans out there?



## SloDown (Mar 10, 2009)

Now that I have some F4F Wildcat photos I need some Hellcat and Bearcat photos also. Seen at the Willow Run Ypsilanti, MI airshow.


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## Vassili Zaitzev (Mar 11, 2009)

Cool thanks. The F4F is my favorite allied aircraft.


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## 109ROAMING (Mar 11, 2009)

Super shots 8)


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## Wildcat (Mar 11, 2009)

I like em too


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## twoeagles (Mar 11, 2009)

Very nice! Can't have too many Grumman 'Cats!!!

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## Thorlifter (Mar 11, 2009)

Nice pics SloDown.


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## Gnomey (Mar 11, 2009)

Nice shots!


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## timshatz (Mar 11, 2009)

Love the airplane. Cool little bird. Heard it is like flying a sportscar. Except, the landing gear. Looks like it would making any landing that wasn't carrier based (with a roll out) a bit tricky.

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## Amsel (Mar 11, 2009)

Great photos. I love the Wildcat.


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## Sweb (Mar 15, 2009)

FM2's.

Chicago's O'Hare Airport has an F4F-3 on display in one of the terminals. It was found in Lake Michigan some years ago and restored to static display condition. IIRC, the -3 variant didn't have folding wings. That came along with the -4? Little hazy there.


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## evangilder (Mar 15, 2009)

Love the Wildcat!

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## ONE_HELLCAT (Mar 16, 2009)

Beautiful airplane, one of my favorites. The folding wings came with the -4, along with two other guns. Are there any F4F-4s flying?


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## evangilder (Mar 17, 2009)

You know, I could swear I have seen a photo of an F4F-4 somewhere in a museum. I don't recall where and whether or not it was flying.


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## Ferdinand Foch (Mar 17, 2009)

Nice pictures slodown and evanglider. Man, I wouldn't mind flying one of those babies someday.


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## Geedee (Mar 17, 2009)

UK based Wildcat at Duxford in 2006/7


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 17, 2009)

Great shots guys, keep them coming please. You don't see the Wildcat much.


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## Gnomey (Mar 18, 2009)

Nice shots Gary and Eric, keep them coming.


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## Ferdinand Foch (Mar 18, 2009)

Kinda off topic, but I wonder if there are any brewster buffaloes, or TBD devastators still around?


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## ONE_HELLCAT (Mar 18, 2009)

The Finnish Humu Buffalo (a low cost version with plywood wings) and a Finnish Buffalo recovered from a lake are going to be displayed in Finland. The recovered one will be displayed as is despite the original plan to put it in American colors for the Navy museum in Pensacola. 

As for Devastators, I'm sure there's one in a museum.

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## Ferdinand Foch (Mar 18, 2009)

Thanks, OH. That's cool that there are still a few Buffaloes out there. Probably be a lot of restoration work, though.

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## R Leonard (Mar 18, 2009)

Nope, no TBDs in any museum. Only a couple known to exist. One parked off the reef at Jaluit and the other some feet down somewhere east of Miami.

The F2A recovered from the lake in Russia that, by whatever means, ended up in Pensacola was never intended to be repainted or otherwise restored as a USN or USMC plane. 

The folks at NMNA decided early on to leave it in Finnish livery and only perform such painting or parts replacement as necessary to prevent further deterioration or to camouflage any necessary structural repairs. This plane is now on temporary loan, and my suspicion would be that it will probably end up being de facto permanent, to the Finnish Air Force for commemorative purposes.

Oh, and I am a big F4F booster, too.


Rich

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## storm_eagle (May 1, 2009)

Actually a General Motors FM-2. BuNo 74512 Serial Nbr 4704. Under active restoration in The Museum of Flight Restauration Center Paine Field Everett


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## javlin (May 1, 2009)

I just heard that Pensacola Naval Station/Museum got another bird out of the bottom of Lake Michgan,I think?Was on the local news two nights ago and is parked out back and is going to be restored.


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## Doughboy (May 1, 2009)

SloDown said:


> Now that I have some F4F Wildcat photos I need some Hellcat and Bearcat photos also. Seen at the Willow Run Ypsilanti, MI airshow.


Nice shots.


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## vikingBerserker (May 1, 2009)

The Wildcat always looked like it would just be a blast to fly.


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## Doughboy (May 2, 2009)

vikingBerserker said:


> The Wildcat always looked like it would just be a blast to fly.


Exactly.


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## Pong (May 3, 2009)

Great pics. Thanks for sharing.


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## Ivan1GFP (May 4, 2009)

I believe the NASM in Washington DC has a F4F-4. I work within walking distance from the museum.

- Ivan.


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## fly boy (May 5, 2009)

one of my more wanted for a model for sure


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## storm_eagle (May 5, 2009)

Few more pix from Paine Field Everett


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## ccheese (May 6, 2009)

That little sucker did a damn fine job, in the early part of WW-II, mixing
it up with Zero's. I'll bet it goes like a finely tuned sportscar.

Charles


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## Cota1992 (May 21, 2009)

Ivan1GFP said:


> I believe the NASM in Washington DC has a F4F-4. I work within walking distance from the museum.
> 
> - Ivan.



It's upstairs in the carrier war section, it's a nice plane but something happened to my camera the last visit and my photos came out blurry. I'll try to get down there again and get better shots.
I'm posting one crappy shot just to give a view of the one that's there...


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## wheelsup_cavu (May 21, 2009)

Sweb said:


> FM2's.
> 
> Chicago's O'Hare Airport has an F4F-3 on display in one of the terminals. It was found in Lake Michigan some years ago and restored to static display condition. IIRC, the -3 variant didn't have folding wings. That came along with the -4? Little hazy there.


It is probably part of the memorial to Butch O'Hare.


Wheelsup


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## Ivan1GFP (May 21, 2009)

Here are a couple Wildcats I built for Combat Flight Simulator.

- Ivan.


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## Shinpachi (May 22, 2009)

Nice job, Ivan1GFP.


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## Cota1992 (May 22, 2009)

Got motivated this morning and got a better shot of the F4F at the Air and Space Museum on the Mall.

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## Ivan1GFP (May 22, 2009)

Thanks Shinpachi.


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## Catch22 (May 27, 2009)

This thread must have an anti-Terry field!

Thanks for going and getting the pic Cota, it really is a sharp looking bird.


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## Cota1992 (May 28, 2009)

Catch22 said:


> Thanks for going and getting the pic Cota, it really is a sharp looking bird.



Sure thing!
I wish I could have gotten a better photo of the other other side but with the light problems and the crowds (It was the Memorial Day Friday I would have to block most of the enterance to the exhibit) it just wasn't going to happen...
I'll head back again the in Off season and try for a better job,
Art


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## grumman-cats (May 31, 2009)

Here's a nice early morning and formation pic from thunder over michigan as well.


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## Ivan1GFP (Jun 7, 2009)

Hi Cota1992,

I only work a few blocks away from the museum (near the Washington Marina).

- Ivan.


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## Cota1992 (Jun 8, 2009)

Ivan1GFP said:


> Hi Cota1992,
> 
> I only work a few blocks away from the museum (near the Washington Marina).
> 
> - Ivan.



It can be a small world!
I'm up in North West.
Art


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## Greg Boeser (Sep 29, 2018)

Finnish B-239s were armed with a single .30 cal and single .50 cal in the nose, plus a single .50 cal in each wing. The .30 cals were later replaced with a second synched .50 in 1942.

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## Greg Boeser (Sep 29, 2018)

Pretty common for US pre-war fighters. P-36, P-35, F3F, F2A.

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## Wurger (Sep 30, 2018)

Tagas said:


> Still no pics from first post.... Odd.



No wonder... the thread was started nine years ago. The poster didn't upload his pics onto our forum server but kept them on the external one. So it is very likely these images could have been moved or just deleted.

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## swampyankee (Sep 30, 2018)

Of course there are F4F fans out here!


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## R Leonard (Sep 30, 2018)

True, VF-5 was a Yorktown Air Group squadron, but VF-5 never operated F4Fs with either the YAG or from Yorktown. VF-5 was stationed ashore transitioning to F4Fs when the war started for the Americans. Yorktown left Norfolk for points west on 15 Dec 41 and the VF squadron assigned to the YAG was VF-42, an erstwhile Ranger/RAG squadron which had been operating off Yorktown since late June 1941. VF-5 never did catch up with Yorktown, arriving at Pearl Harbor in the days immediately after the ship's loss at Midway. You may note the early Atlantic Fleet paint job and markings.


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