City - San Diego State - CALIFORNIA Country - United States
About
An 4F4 Wildcat in the hanger deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway museum.
The famous Grumman F4F Wildcat was the first line fighter for the Navy and Marine Corps at the outbreak of World War II. The first operational models, the F4F-3 and 3A were followed quickly by the F4F-4, the latter's salient improvement the incorporation of folding wings which essentially permitted doubling the complement of fighters aboard existing aircraft carriers.
While the Wildcat was considered inferior in maneuverability to the vaunted Japanese A6M Zero, the more heavily armed, better protected F4F proved potent as U.S. Navy and Marine pilots learned to deal with the Zero's strong points and exploit it weaknesses. By war's end the F4F kill ratio stood at a respectable 7 to 1.