Grumman FM2 Wildcat

The Military Aviation Museum's FM2 Wildcat prepping for the 2016 Warbirds Over the Beach Airshow. The FM2 is the version of the F4F was built by General Motors. This aircraft was actually stationed at Pungo Field, about 3 1/2 miles north of the Museum, during WWII.
Start-up, unfolding the wings, taxiing, flyby (at the wrong end of the complex to get take-off & landing).
The Military Aviation Museum is in Virginia Beach, Virginia
militaryaviationmuseum.org

[@jimgoff1170]

The unsung hero of an aircraft that held the line during the hardest part of the war, just enough speed, fire power and maneuverability, with a lot of ruggedness.

[@johnosbourn4312]

By the way, it's Eastern Aircraft that built the FM-2, not Grumman, hence the "M" in the designation. If this little fighter came from Grumman, the designation would've been F4F-8, because, in the old, pre '62 Navy Aircraft Designation System, Grumman Aircraft was assigned the letter "F" as the identifying symbol, and the aircraft that became the FM-2, was originally built by Grumman as the Lightweight XF4F-8, but, with Grumman getting flooded with orders for the Hellcat, production of the Wildcat, and Avenger were shifted to Eastern Aircraft Corporation, instead.

[@brutusmuerto]

Dat sound

[@331SVTCobra]

When I used to do videos it never failed to amaze me that people would be so clueless as to walk right in front of the camera and look at what I was looking at. It happened once or twice. I would issue a quick tap to their shoulder because I was getting paid and the customer didn't want to see two "gentlemen" blocking my shot. Interestingly, it was second nature for kids and teens to stay out of the shot. They have a camera awareness that seniors don't have.

[@steveboros1961]

FM-2 tall vertical stabilizer ..

[@stephengardiner9867]

Be it Martlet or Wilcat, this old bird was a slugger.

[@Lily-ym3ro]

Im going to haul one of these next week, wings folded I was told 14 foot wide , sound right ?

[@pmg757]

I found a few references with 14'3" as folded width for the F4F-4 and FM-2 Wildcats. The early model F4F-3 did not have folding wings

[@acrophobic892]

Why's the thumbnail a bearcat

[@pmg757]

The thumbnail is straight off the video. I suppose the camera angle is the culprit

[@acrophobic892]

pmg757 Oh ok thanks for clarifying.

[@pmg757]

Actually, I just realized that the thumbnail is a Skyraider (the Wildcat is in the background). It's what KZbin picked from the video. I changed it to an image of just the Wildcat

[@brucekilmer1096]

The FM2 is not a Grumman aircraft. It was built by General Motors and had many improvements from the older F4F including a more powerful engine.

[@nethanelmasters5170]

@@pmg757 that is a bear cat it's to small and shaped wrong to be a skyraider.