> COLLECTION > AIRCRAFT > SECOND WORLD WAR > Wildcat
WILDCAT FM-1
Image: RAY BURROWS
Time-lapse & drone video of the Wildcat's starboard wing being attached by UAS volunteers for the first time in three decades, during May 2022.
Filmed & Edited by EDGAR ENGLAND. Production Editor: Mark J. Cairns
UAS Grumman Wildcat fighter's crash
Recovery from Portmore Lough in 1984
The only Second World War aircraft in the collection, it was based at RAF Long Kesh with 882 Sqn when it had an engine fire on Christmas Eve 1944 when en route to Lough Neagh for some dive-bombing practice.
It was ditched in Portmore Lough by the then 19-year-old pilot, Peter Lock, who survived to tell the tale well into his 80s.
JV482, has a fascinating story that unfolded years after its 1944 crash. Forty years later in 1984, the Ulster Aviation Society embarked on a remarkable recovery mission to retrieve JV482 from its resting place in Portmore Lough in Northern Ireland.
The Grumman Wildcat FM-1 fighter is one of the most important airplanes in aviation history.
Designed by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation it served as a carrier-based fighter for the United States Navy and Royal Navy during the Second World War.
It gained fame for its reliability and combat effectiveness with its distinct gull wing design (primarily for carrier use) and exceptional manoeuvrability that allowed it to outperform many other aircraft types.
The US Navy’s early war years were supported by this fighter which served as their backbone. It played a crucial role in protecting American carriers from enemy planes especially in the Pacific theatre.
Pilots trusted it because even after taking heavy fire from enemies it still managed to come back home undamaged.
So much so that they considered them reliable partners throughout missions flown over hostile territories where survival rates were low, due to the absence of any protection against flak bursts or enemy fighters attacking from below.
Apart from the USA, these planes also reached British skies under the name “Martlet”, a name given by Royal Navy while serving there.
The Martlet's performance and versatility made it a valuable asset in the defence of British territories and the disruption of Axis shipping routes.
Many different versions of Wildcats were received by the British as part of a Lend-Lease programme.
They played significant roles during the Battle of the Atlantic by protecting convoys destined for UK shores, against German submarines.
BBC Newsline, News report, Christmas Eve 2019 on RSPB Reserve on Portmore Lough, Northern Ireland where the Ulster Aviation's Grumman Wildcat was recovered after its crash 75 years earlier. Late pilot Peter Lock crash-landed there, and the Wildcat sat in the mud until the 1984 when the UAS recovered it.
Manufacturer: Grumman
Model: Wildcat FM-1
Registration: JV482
UAS Location: Hangar 2
UNDER RESTORATION
Served with: 882 Squadron, Maze Long Kesh
Maximum Speed:
318 mph at 19,400 ft
Engine: Wright Cyclone
Service Ceiling: 39,500 ft
Length & Height: 8.76m x 3.61m
Wing Span: 11.58m
Armament: 4 x .50" Browning machine guns with 450 rounds per gun; wing racks for two 250 lb (110 kg) bombs or six rockets.
Production: 1943 - 1944
Notes: FM-1 was first version with "Sto-Wing". Identical to F4F-4 but with 4 guns instead of 6 guns.
Grumman Wildcat’s Background
Original Wildcat JV482 pilot in 2008, then 83-years-old Peter Lock (left); Harry McKillop (centre) and Ray Burrows MBE, Chairman (right) pictured beside the aircraft at the UAS hangars 15 years ago.
The Ulster Aviation Society’s keepsake of JV482 not just saved the aviation history but proved the fact about the unexhausted energy of the society.
It took four decades for some UAS volunteers to bring this Grumman Wildcat FM-1 back to life after its discovery, by working on it step by step out of respect for what went before.
They wanted to show off the engineering and illustrate the Second World War pilots’ skill and bravery.
The aircraft's wreckage remained partially hidden and submerged for decades in the muddy waters around the edge of the Lough.
With meticulous effort and dedication during 1983 - 1984, the Ulster Aviation Society successfully salvaged the wreckage with the help of Ulster Sub Aqua Club, Heyn Group, Belfast and a British Army Air Corps' Lynx helicopter (below), plus other organisations and individuals.
Image: MARK J. CAIRNS
But today, even with no help from the US Government who won’t release “classified” designs of this type from the Second World War, JV482 is well advanced in her restoration!
This means that all plans or schematics needed to restore it have had to be worked out by UAS volunteers from scratch.
It also represents resilience and serves as a salute to the Wildcat and Second World War pilots’ contributions.