The F4 wildcat and F-6 hellcat

[TankBuster]

Without a doubt, my favorite aircraft in navy service throught out history will be the F-4 wildcat of WW2. This short, tubby little fighter has been thought of as a joke because of the success of the brilliant(but nowhere near as beutiful) F-6.

[Bombardier]

Indeed a great aircraft
While in service with the British Fleet Air Arm this aircraft was designated " THE MARTLET" and had its first Kill on Christmas day 1940 when it destroyed a Junkers 88 over Scapa Flow naval base. (Y)

http://www.militaryimages.net/photopost/data/521/Wildcat.jpg

[Unregistered]

What about the FM2?

Better aircraft and many Japanese pilots didn't recognize the difference.

Posthumously, of course.

[Unregistered]

May question concerns both the F4 & F6. It would appear that in both theaters where this received its baptism, its primary nemisis was not only lighter, but more agile.

How difficult was it for the pilots to make both these a/c perform in an outstanding fashion. Was it a combination of the power plant and pilot skills? Was it tactics?

As a private pilot flying cessna 172s, I am familiar with a fraction of aerodynamics; but these a/c appear that it took the talents of superb flyers to make these machines perform.

Thank you in advance.

Michael L. Milligan
Triangle, VA USA
mike280@comcast.net