Not a title you would expect to see on the Historic Forum!
As I mentioned in my last post on the thread I started about the USAF Museum, I found this on show within O’Hare airport while on my way through to Reno.
This Wildcat is one of the aircraft pulled out of the Great Lakes (mental-block as to which one :p – please tell me, anyone who might know!!) over the last few years. It’s the only one I’ve seen that does not have folding wings, being designed for land-based op’s (according to the display board).
Unfortunately it is on the wrong side of security, so the only way to get up close is to fly out of the airport! Positioning is also not too clever,with it being in a corner with windows behind, so I apologise for the photo’s not being too good.
By: ZRX61 - 29th October 2005 at 17:10
Former neighbor of mine was a flight instructor on one of the lake carriers. Also read that there are still at least 150 aircraft down there, USN alone lost 140+ Corsairs, Hellcats, Bearcats, Wildcats, SNJ’s, Stearmans, N3N’s etc etc etc
By: TMN - 29th October 2005 at 09:06
Thanks for the info on the lake ZRX61, it was bugging me as I couldn’t remember which one it was.
I believe this particular Wildcat is on loan from one of the bigger museums, but again, I can’t remember which (Should really make notes I suppose)
By: ZRX61 - 29th October 2005 at 03:54
This Wildcat is one of the aircraft pulled out of the Great Lakes (mental-block as to which one :p – please tell me, anyone who might know!!) over the last few years. It’s the only one I’ve seen that does not have folding wings, being designed for land-based op’s (according to the display board).
Steven Craig’s Wildcat is also painted in O’Hare’s scheme, it also came out of the same lake (Michigan) & has the none folding wings. It flies out of Van Nuys, Ca & also some place back in Kansas. The Craig Wildcat has a lot of the original paint on it (inside the fuselage, cockpit etc). That lake is so cold it really preserved the airframes.
erm… that ISN’T Craig’s Wildcat is it??? :confused: :confused:
By: Kansan - 28th October 2005 at 19:46
FWIW – This is why:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_O%27Hare
Lt. Cmdr. Edward “Butch” O’Hare (March 13, 1914 – November 27, 1943) was a United States Navy pilot who on February 20, 1942 became America’s first World War II flying ace. The O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, and USS O’Hare were named in his honor.
O’Hare’s most famous flight occurred on February 20, 1942. He was on board the aircraft carrier Lexington, which had been assigned the dangerous task of penetrating enemy-held waters north of New Ireland. While still 400 miles from the harbor at Rabaul, Lexington was discovered by a Japanese flying boat and a group of Japanese torpedo planes attacked the task force. As section leader and pilot of VF-3, O’Hare single-handedly shot down 5 or 6 planes and helped to save the ship. For this act he was promoted to lieutenant commander and awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration of his country.
R/K
By: ollieholmes - 28th October 2005 at 19:26
Prauge airport is the same. And it has some on external display.
By: EHVB - 28th October 2005 at 19:03
It’s the same at Barcelona, where they have a small museum/exhibition behind security, and even worse, in the corridor between 2 terminals. So even when you are within the “zone”, your chanches of missing it are very big. BW Roger
Sign In
October 28, 2005 at 6:54 pm