anybody know anything about this wildcat

[laminar]

Caught it on its way through mojave today. Apparently it came out of lake michigan.

Any info is appreciated, or just enjoy the pictures.

Race 68

[JET1]

doesn't look like it was ever submerged to me...

...it sort of looks like the one that lived in blacfoot idaho at the airport there along with a p-51 and a t-6

[AirDOGGe]

Re: anybody know anything about this wildcat

The only wildcat-pulled-from-lake-michigan info I could find is for a Wildcat that has already been restored. Did they find another one in there?

In 1994, the number three FM-1 Wildcat (BuNo 14994)-delivered on November 2, 1942, by General Motors-was pulled out of Lake Michigan.

Understandably badly damaged and corroded, it was restored by the Grumman "Gremlins" at the Valiant Air Command Museum at the Titusville, Florida, airport.

Its "coming out" party on June 16, 2001, clearly demonstrated that the 21,354 hours spent on rebuilding it were well worth the effort. This General Motors FM-1 is now, without a doubt, the most accurate "original" Wildcat in existence.
Related Results


The restoration team was led by Harold Larkin. A lead-plane captain in the Grumman experimental hangar for many years during and after WW II, Harold's knowledge lies behind the plane's present, better than new condition. His team finished the cockpit with the WW II instruments, switches and controls that would have been in an original aircraft. He found the 17 electrical switches he needed by calling one of his previous fellow workers who had "liberated" them when he left Grumman more than 40 years ago.

article link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n8962128/

[AirDOGGe]

Re: anybody know anything about this wildcat

The only wildcat-pulled-from-lake-michigan has already been restored. Did they find another one in there?

In 1994, the number three FM-1 Wildcat (BuNo 14994)-delivered on November 2, 1942, by General Motors-was pulled out of Lake Michigan.

Understandably badly damaged and corroded, it was restored by the Grumman "Gremlins" at the Valiant Air Command Museum at the Titusville, Florida, airport.

Its "coming out" party on June 16, 2001, clearly demonstrated that the 21,354 hours spent on rebuilding it were well worth the effort. This General Motors FM-1 is now, without a doubt, the most accurate "original" Wildcat in existence.
Related Results


The restoration team was led by Harold Larkin. A lead-plane captain in the Grumman experimental hangar for many years during and after WW II, Harold's knowledge lies behind the plane's present, better than new condition. His team finished the cockpit with the WW II instruments, switches and controls that would have been in an original aircraft. He found the 17 electrical switches he needed by calling one of his previous fellow workers who had "liberated" them when he left Grumman more than 40 years ago.

article link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n8962128/

The plane in your photos look awfully nice for one that has supposedly sat underwater for decades. Perhaps it was a recent dip in the lake?

[Jason S.]

Re: anybody know anything about this wildcat

It looks like they’re pulling a lot of Wildcats out of Lake Michigan; here are some pics from the Pima Air and Space museum from 08










Jason

[laminar]

Re: anybody know anything about this wildcat

great pictures!! Its so cool to think all that stuff is original from the factory, very cool.

55404 is the one here in mojaves number, I tried poking around on the interweb for info about it, no dice, but I thought maybe you guys would know the sites better.

race 68

[Jason S.]

Re: anybody know anything about this wildcat

great pictures!! Its so cool to think all that stuff is original from the factory, very cool.

55404 is the one here in mojaves number, I tried poking around on the interweb for info about it, no dice, but I thought maybe you guys would know the sites better.

race 68

If you post the pictures on the WIX board http://warbirdinformationexchange.or...cf9ad10abf4cdd you’ll probably get a quick life history of the plane. There are some historical nuts on that forum with tons of info.
Jason

[johnnyrace]

Re: anybody know anything about this wildcat

It looks a lot like the Wildcat project that I saw in the hanger deck on the USS Hornet museum in Alameda...