FM-2 Wildcats!

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:40 am

Just awesome! :drink3:

bluesky23 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:57 pm **Posts:** 22

It just seems to get better and better! Happy you have the drop tanks. Now, how about rocket launchers? The final paint scheme is terrific! Will you do any more flying before leaving for Oshkosh? P.S. Watch out for that tailwheel! Best of Luck and Cheers!

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:28 am

Ive got to say this little wildcat is 4 stars!!!!! I know its comming from a nobody in the warbird circle but the attention to authentic details just gets me excited!!! Going as far as stenciling the ship markings..............loving it!!!!
Up to now, my all time favorite warbird restoration had been Chuck Wahl's SNJ until seeing this little cat!!!

Hope to see it one day to take it all in................................so chuck you better step it up on the SBD or the SB2C, he has you beat by some "stencil overspray"

JohnCFord · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:44 am

Very authentic, and a very, very good job. :drink3:

~J~

bluesky23 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:57 pm **Posts:** 22

Geeeez! I hope this photobucket pic shows up! I usually don't due this but am trying to become more WIX literate(Please forgive me). Anyway if it shows up, I hope you like it. This is The Wildcat being pushed back into the hanger after its' first flight.

P.S. Let me know if you see it!

51fixer · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:05 pm

bluesky23 wrote:

Geeeez! I hope this photobucket pic shows up! I usually don't due this but am trying to become more WIX literate(Please forgive me). Anyway if it shows up, I hope you like it. This is The Wildcat being pushed back into the hanger after its' first flight.

P.S. Let me know if you see it!

It's there.
Good to see the staff is growing

bluesky23 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:57 pm **Posts:** 22

Thanks. I saw it as well. Noticed my grammar was a bit off and am not really a staff member.........just one who tries to get god photos whenever possible. Now I need pics with the finished paint scheme!

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:47 pm

I've noticed that the rest of the Wildcat projects have been sold on Courtesy. Any chance we can know who bought them?

If anyone we're to buy this Wildcat, I think an appropriate museum would be the Flying Heritage Collection. I believe this aircraft is definitely up to their standards.

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:19 pm

<<Clears Throat>> I think a better home would be the AAM at Republic across the Sound from you. :wink:

We don't have one. The west coast has been getting enough of our warbirds lately. :wink:

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:33 pm

I thought that when Dick Foote's Wildcat was for sale, that would have been a perfect addition to AAM's collection. I think the MAM (Lex Dupont) Wildcat would be a better match for the Collings Foundation.

Pogo · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 7:08 pm

Good lord, give this guy a brand new Wildcat and the first thing he does is break it. :roll:

Oh well, at least he glued it back together, guess we'll let it go this time.

But seriously .................................. :supz:

fighter_ace06 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 8:25 pm

I believe the best place for this Wildcat is in Uvalde.

Pogo, I tried really hard to control the violent explosion of cordite the best I could, I even snapped the start switch slow and everything. To clarify, the original part was glued together to use as a pattern for building a new one.

Yesterday we started it to check the new breech parts and prop governor. Both worked. This morning we tried to start again and had another failure. I built a few more parts and tightened up some tolerances to restrict the amount of unwanted blow by. I flew just a while ago and everything worked great. Prop governor worked flawless, a little slower to react than a hydromatic but it does the job. It was a beautiful day and I had a new gun sight and diamonds to look at, didn't have the sight lit up as I am still looking for a bulb fixture. I did a loop at 220 kts and on the down side I flew through my wake and the entire right wing disappeared in vapor for a split second, pretty cool how much random vapor this plane makes.

Travisd80elcam · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 8:43 pm

I didn't think of myself as a jealous type, but after the flight photos. I am very jealous.

Conrad, could you use a different material for the breach and tube? Maybe steel for safety sake. And just swap out the right one for display?

Travis

lmritger · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:04 pm

This 'Cat looks so amazingly awesome I can't even stand it. And Conrad, this photo proves to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you have both your head AND your heart in the right place... it must border on nearly spiritual to be up there dancing among the clouds in your little blue rocket, and this pic captures that nearly perfectly.

I envy you more than I can possibly explain, but not in a bad way- I just wish I had the ability to do something like that (rebuild a Wildcat, create starter parts from scratch, go flying in a fighter I restored in a beautiful summer sky... all of it)

Just amazing stuff, Conrad.

fighter_ace06 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:16 pm

All parts associated with the firing pin have to be non conductive. The primer is electrically operated, not a hammered pin like normal shotgun shells. The barrel and tubes are all in great condition and very beefy. I am having trouble with the mechanism that pushes the pin forward when the breech closes to contact the primer strip in the shell. The firing pin isn't mating properly with the rear faces of the breech, letting pressure bypass the pin and pressurize the rear assembly. If anyone has or knows were one of these breeches is I would love to have a spare.

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