Howard Pardue's Grumman FM-2 Wildcat

Howard Pardue is the owner and operator of this beautifully restored Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, which is available for airshows, flybys, film and for a 10-15 minute warbird aerobatic airshow routine throughout Western and Central USA and is also a member of the United States Navy Legacy Flight program, one of the most popular airshow aerial displays.

The small, tubby F4F/FM-2 Wildcat is one of the important, yet often forgotten Allied fighters of World War II. Designed in 1935 by the Grumman Aircraft Corp., the XF4F-3 was the first all-metal, carrier launched, monoplane fighter purchased by the U.S. Navy. The F4F beat out competing designs from Brewster and Seversky. The robust and agile F4F was the primary front line fighter of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps at the onset of World War II. This Wildcat proved to be dependable and was loved by pilots and maintenance crews alike.

When the U.S. entered WWII after Pearl Harbor, the Wildcat was the backbone of the U.S. Navy's air power. Although already outperformed by its major adversary, the Japanese Zero the Wildcat and the brave pilots who flew them held the line until the F6F Hellcat could be introduced into service. Through full utilization of its strengths and adaptive tactics, the Wildcat emerged from the war with an impressive 7 to 1 kill ratio. In addition to serving the U.S. Navy, the F4F served as a key fighter of the Fleet Air Arm of the British Royal Navy, and in fact was the first U.S. made fighter to down an enemy aircraft (a German Ju-88) while in British service. With relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more than its lightweight, unarmored Japanese rival. One Japanese Zero pilot reportedly emptied out his magazines trying to bring down a Wildcat during the Battle of Midway, only to see the Wildcat survive.

By late June 1942, Grumman found itself hard pressed to maintain maximum production of both the F4F and TBF Avenger, while also beginning to tool-up the F6F Hellcat production lines. As a result, production of the Wildcat was transferred to five East Coast General Motors automobile plants. The General Motors FM-2 was the most numerous Wildcat variant produced. From mid-1943 to the end of the war, General Motors built 4,777 FM-2s -- nearly 70% of all Wildcats produced. The FM-2 differed from the original Grumman F4F in a number of ways. The FM-2 had a lighter, yet more powerful Wright R-1820 radial engine. Additionally, the plane carried four rather than six .50 caliber machine guns and was often fitted with HVARs (High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets) for use against ground targets, ships or surfaced submarines. The FM-2 also had a larger tail than the standard F4F to counter the increased torque produced by the Wright engine.

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