Favorite US Naval (carrier) bird

Which of the following did you like

  • Total voters
    134

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Voted the Wildcat. I saw this plane in a museum in Palm Springs. Small stubby fighter. When I saw the bicycle chain for moving the gear I was sold Simple and effective! Must have been hard for the pilots though, taking off from a deck, cranking up the gear while still flying low and slow. Something to admire.
The pland stood it's ground against the Zero, quite an accomplishment.
 
Think that was a pain? What about the Wildcat's 90 gallon external tank that had to be hand pumped until dry. Now that would be a pain in the @ss.
 
I like both the Hellcat and Corsair, But since I'm partial to anything from Grumman, I picked the Hellcat. One tough, mean plane that took it to the enemy.
 
F4U of course...and I see most of the Forum agrees. Tremendous performer, multirole, and it also brought you back home!
 
I like the Wildcat for its chubby and rugged look, and the Hellcat for the kill/death ratio. Anyway i did not vote for the corsair cause its more expensive to produce.8)
 
The Hellcat's score in the Pacific speaks for itself. Nothing else came close for ruggedness, ease of operation, and excellence in all categories. Just ask the Japanese at the bottom of the ocean who shot them down?
 
FM2-Yeah, it was only a Wildcat upgrade, but it was a damned good one. If it had been brought into the war 6 months earlier, there would have been a much larger number of aces made.

The more powerful engine and lighter weight created a much better fighter that caught more than a few enemy pilots by surprise. Turn, climb and speed performance were improved quite a bit.

The F4F/FM series produced 25 Navy and 34 Marine aces, several of whom who were awarded the Medal of Honor (eight). Navy pilot Butch O'Hare was the only Navy Wildcat pilot to be so decorated. The medal of Honor was presented to more Wildcat pilots than any other single-engine aircraft flown by the US armed forces in WWII.

Not too shabby!
 
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