Warbird Information Exchange

Can someone update us as to where all the Wildcats in the US are located at now. A few have changed hands lately like the one now at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Hawaii and the one at the Fighter Factory.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Here's what I have as far as the airworthy population goes:

F4F-3 BuNo 12260- Rod Lewis, TX
FM-2 BuNo 46867- Mike Gillian, IL
FM-2 BuNo 47030- Fighter Factory, VA
FM-2 BuNo 47160- Greg Shelton, OK
FM-2 BuNo 74560- Tom Friedkin, CA
FM-2 BuNo 86572- Tom Camp-?
FM-2 BuNo 86680- Heard it was sold to a new owner in Florida?
FM-2 BuNo 86711- The Fighter Collection, Duxford, UK
FM-2 BuNo 86746- Rudy Frasca, IL
FM-2 BuNo 86777- Howard Pardue, TX
FM-2 BuNo 86819- Commemorative Air Force, CA
FM-2 BuNo 86956- Cavanaugh Flight Museum, TX

Airworthy but not flown:
FM-2 BuNo 86581- Kalamazoo Air Zoo, MI

Unknown:
FM-2 BuNo 86690- John Dimmer, for sale by Courtesy Aircraft
FM-2 BuNo 86741- Kermit Weeks, FL
FM-2 BuNo 86754- Tillamook Air Museum, OR
FM-2 BuNo 55627- Palm Springs Air Museum, CA

If anybody has any corrections or updates, let me know and I will correct/add to the list. Hopefully we'll see a few of these flying around a bit next year for the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation.

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Matt

FM-2 BuNo 86581 Airworthy but not presently flown, at the Kalamazoo Airzoo.

Is Bu 55627 at Palm Springs still a flyer ??

How about static Wildcats? Off the top of my head I can think of the San Diego Air & Space Museum, Planes of Fame, Museum of Flight, the NASM, Cradle of Aviation Museum, Pima, USS Midway Museum and the 5 on display at the NMNA. Which ones did I miss.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

U.S.S.Yorktown

Here's a couple more static examples:

U.S.S. Hornet @ former NAS Alameda.
Flying Leatherneck Museum @ MCAS Miramar

Also, it seems to me that there one at the NMUSMC @ Quantico. Need confirmation however


It's interesting that so many remaining Wildcats are the FM-2 model.

O'Hare Chicago IL

The New England Air Museum has an FM-2 that was never Civilan.

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

why this sits in storage and not by the other naval aircraft, i'll never know

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."

Because their is a Ownership dispute between the US Navy and NEAM hence why it's been in the storage building for the past 20+ years.

oh wow. i didnt know that. That darn navy! fighting over a 65 year old plane. How were they able to tailor it to locations such as the big e with the navy claiming ownership?

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."

oh wow. i didnt know that. That darn navy! fighting over a 65 year old plane. How were they able to tailor it to locations such as the big e with the navy claiming ownership?[/quote]

That was done prior to the whole NHC issue's.

Tico has a wildcat.


Mark F.

Dick Foote's Wildcat now lives at EFD Ellington Field, Houston, Texas. I don't remember the name of the Dr. who bought it from Dick.

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto