Warbird Information Exchange

I've got nothing to do with it, I was just surfin' on Barnstormers and
there it was (there's a few pictures on the Barnstormers listing). Neat find....

Bela P. Havasreti

F4F WILDCAT FM2 WARBIRD • $550,000 • AVAILABLE FOR SALE • Complete Wildcat FM-2,
found in barn, not flown in 50+ years.

Hi Bela,

If that's this aircraft's engine lying on the shop floor in the photo, it's interesting to note that the nose case is almost completely dissolved away, kinda like it was underwater for a long time...though the prop is straight. Any chance this could be an ex Lake Michigan bird?

Dan

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

I would naturally defer to Craig Q or other people who work on these things regularly, but to me, this DEFINITELY looks like a bird which was in the water a while... although I'm not sure it's a Lake Michigan recovery, because most of those seemed to carry an M## code.

Pics:















It's cool, and I'd surely love to own it, but that price seems a bit high to me considering how much you'd have to do to get the aircraft airworthy.

Lynn

Hopefully some more information will be forthcoming (like a BuNo for example).

Are the Wildcat main gear (and tail) wheels made of magnesium? I'd think those
would have dissolved long ago if this aircraft had been submerged for decades.
Perhaps it was underwater and was recovered decades ago (?).

Interesting that the prop looks straight (as does most of the airframe). Usually,
when an aircraft enters the water at speed (even during a "perfect" ditching) there is
significant hydraulic damage to the airframe....

Bela P. Havasreti

It certainly looks like 55404. It was in storage at P'cola last year when I looked at it with a customer who was in negotiations to purchase it. If it is 55404, then it was part of a trade deal and has clear title from NAVY, and it is a lake michigan recovery. Aircraft was resting in the silt on it's back (notice the grunge line on vertical stab, and across canopy/fuselage backbone), then also it certainly was not "in a barn" for 50 years, Davey Jones Locker perhaps, but not a barn. The wings were remarkably good shape, the prop was straight and the fuse was damaged, but not too bad. The worst thing about it was the deterioration of all the steel (notice the red-oxide applied by NAVY all over to prevent further decay). We planned on replacing all fittings and tube structure (engine mount and gear) with new steel.

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

Is it possible that this is currently owned by a young, very wealthy software engineer that sometimes posts on this forum???

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Jack McDonnel

T-6/SNJ Hoarder

99% sure it is 55404. Look at the cowl panel to the left of the engine, it looks like the stencil says 55404 which coresponds to how P'cola marked the parts while in storage.

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

It was not owned by some young kid with tons of money when I looked at it. I do know that the owner was at that time actively trying to sell it.

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

Well, the listing says it was "Found in a barn" (maybe it was, like last week!) and that it hasn't flown in
50 years (that part is no doubt true). The listing doesn't say it was *in* the barn for
50 years... But based upon who is selling it, I'm not surprised about the inaccurate /
implied "Found in barn after 50 years" comment on the listing...

Bela P. Havasreti

Bela,
I agree with your assesment of the seller (having dealings with him before). That is not who owned it when I was looking at it. I misread the advert, but agree that the intent is there.

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

FM-2 Bu55404 ditched Lake Michigan off training carrier
NMNA, NAS Pensacola FL: stored 93/04
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Here are a few pictures of it at Pensacola.

Glad to see at least one more Wildcat escape the Navy museum's extensive inventory and make it into the civilian market. That would make this the third civilian Wildcat from the Lake Michigan recoveries, correct?

Any idea what was traded to the museum in exchange for the Wildcat?

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Nieuport 28 VIA Howard Wells, IIRC.

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Expert:
Ex: Former.
Spurt: A drip under pressure.

Why the BS about it being found in a barn? Then not to include the BuNo either? I sense the presence of a large red flag.

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Always looking for WW2 Half-Tracks and Parts.

Caveat Emptor!

Bela P. Havasreti