The Buttonville Flying Club COPA Flight 44

 
The Airplane of the Day is the Grumman FM-2 Wildcat.
 
The most distinguishing feature of the Wildcat is the very tall vertical fin. The large size of the fin was an absolute necessity due to the 1,350-horsepower Wright R0-1820-56 “Cyclone” engine. The climb rate of the Wildcat was 3,650 feet per minute which was remarkable considering the airplane was originally designed in 1935.
 
General Motors took over production of the FM-2, under the name Eastern Aircraft Division, at the company’s East Coast plant in 1942 because Grumman needed the space and the personnel to build the F6F Hellcat. GM built 4,700 FM-2’s for the US and was produced from 1943-1945. The Wildcat is one of only 14 of the World War II fighters still flying in the world.  The Eastern Aircraft Division received contracts to build F4F-4 Wildcat fighters and TBF-1 Avenger torpedo planes. The F4F-4’s were re-designated FM-1 and FM-2’s.
 
FM-2 "Wildcat" characteristics:
Dimensions: Wing Span, 38 feet; Length, 28 feet 11 inches; Wing Area, 260 square feet.
Weights: Empty, 5448 pounds; Gross, 8271 pounds
Power plant: One 1,350 horsepower Wright R0-1820-56 "Cyclone" single-row radial engine.
Armament: four .50 calibre Browning machine guns; Two 250-pound bombs or six 5-inch rockets.
Performance: Maximum Speed, 332 mph (@ 28,800 feet).
 

 
Al Robinson