Wildcat Awakened

For nearly half a century, Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat BuNo 12260 rested on the bottom of Lake Michigan, a relic of World War II Navy aircraft carrier training. More than 30 years after it emerged from the chilly waters of the lake and 28 years after the restoration, the aircraft is still airworthy, and is the only known flying F4F in the world.

Connect with us on social:

#EAA #aircraft #aviation #warbirds #warbird #grumman #worldwarii

[kirkmooneyham]

My two favorite WWII aircraft when I was a kid were the P-40 Warhawk and the F4F Wildcat. Neither were "the best", but they were tough and reliable, and kept the USA in the fight during dark days. Awesome to see this one brought back to life and in the sky again, where it belongs.

[Warrior_Pilgrim]

What a beautiful story, beautiful aircraft, and beautiful video. Such a good thing the recovery groups do.

[Bluenose]

A little back story. Once recovered, it was sold to Dick Hansen. The aircraft has flown since the late 1990s. First, out of Aurora Municipal in Sugar Grove, IL. Next, it was sold to Rod Lewis, the current owner, in the mid to late 2000s. Both gentlemen have taken great care of this Wildcat

[DWA]

Along with the Hawker Hurricane, the Wildcat is one of the most unappreciated, and overlooked aircraft of all time! Both the Hurricane and Wildcat did their duty far better than could be expected, holding their own against more recent designs, keeping the Axis Powers at bay, in the desperate early years of WW2. Wonderful to see a beautifully restored F4F still flying!

[gtdcoder]

Wow, the original engine! And it’s flying! Awesome aircraft.

[garrygballard]

😵 beautiful air shots. Beautiful wildcat. Nice work done by all. 👍

[track]

Hard to believe this plane sat on the bottom of Lake Michigan!

[itseliasyall]

Being such a buff 💪🏽 and rugged aircraft with an infamous reputation, the wildcat naval program is under appreciated, it is great to see this ol warrior airborne once more !! One of my personal favorite variants of this aircraft is the fm2 however nothing beats this sight ❤
rip Butch O’ Hare

[pavarottiaardvark]

Don't forget it's service in the Royal Navy, where it served as the Martlet. The legendary pilot Eric Brown said of it "I would still assess the Wildcat as the outstanding naval fighter of the early years of World War II ... I can vouch as a matter of personal experience, this Grumman fighter was one of the finest shipboard aeroplanes ever created."

[spudskie]

My favorite naval fighter. So underrated.

[Riccardo_Silva]

This old chap has been under the water for fifty years and you brought it in the sky again...what can be said about that? MARVELOUS, incredible achievement! And, BTW, how beautiful it is, in its light blue camo? Great video!!!

[anonymeguy]

So this aircraft proves twice that you should never give up ? Roger that. Inspiring.

[natesturm]

I love that people will go out of their way to resurrect a fallen fighter. Even more so from water. It's a testament to those who decided to take to the skies in a time where flight was still quite in it's adolescence. Those people hold the mantle in maintaining the remembrance of our fathers in a time of unknown.

[adamweaver]

This is amazing. Incredible restoration.

[mingology]

I cannot believe they salvaged this airplane from the deep and restored it to flying condition! The amount of love and dedication are written all the airplane…

[BoringAngler]

At 1:32, I love that there is a burbot, just camped out in the plane. Great work getting this plane up and restoring it.

[propellix]

What an unbelieveable beauty! Remembering and upholding the bravery of those who flew them against a merciless enemy. We owe it to these men, that we may freely write and talk in every way today.

[kvproductions]

Its easy to underappreciate the "in flying condition" part until you see it flying, it looks... just magical

[Deviation]

Absolutely brilliant A2A footage. Forgot to mention it is also the only flying Wildcat with the double row 14 cyl engine (R-1830). Very different music than what the Wildcat usually makes.

[kurkruk]

Wow! What a beautiful old bird! The restoration job that was done is just incredible! The F4F was always my favorite plane after I read a book about the Battle of Midway in 3rd grade way back in 1978. She was not the best looking or fastest bird flying in the Battle, but she could take a punch and bring her pilot home. Awesome video!