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FM-2. 57039 - Restoration is being done by Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan. While conducting training on 28 December 1944, the FM2 Wildcat malfunctioned and rolled off the deck of the training aircraft carrier USS Sable. The pilot, ENS William Forbes, escaped from the aircraft before it sank into Lake Michigan.
Recovered by A and T Recovery from Lake Michigan in 1990. Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless 2106 (Midway Madness) National Naval Aviation Museum; Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat 4039 National Naval Aviation Museum; General Motors FM-2 Wildcat 55052 USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum; Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat 12320 City of Chicago O'Hare International Airport [20]
[11] [12] The museum moved to a nearby 900 sq ft (84 m 2) space, where it reopened on 7 July 2006. [13] [14] In December 2012, a General Motors FM-2 Wildcat, BuNo 57039, was recovered from Lake Michigan. The group partnered with another organization, Bring It Home, Glenview, to advocate that it should be placed in the museum. [15] [16] [a]
[13] [failed verification] [14] [failed verification] The East Campus is now being used as the Restoration Center, which is noted for its work on aircraft including a Douglas Dauntless, a Sopwith Camel, and the museum's latest project: An FM-2 Wildcat that had been lying at the bottom of Lake Michigan for 68 years. [15]
At first, GM produced the FM-1 (identical to the F4F-4 but with four guns). Production later switched to the improved FM-2 (based on Grumman's XF4F-8 prototype, informally known as the "Wilder Wildcat") optimized for small-carrier operations, with a more powerful engine and a taller tail to cope with the increased torque. [24]
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Among such projects was a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan 50 years after a Navy ensign, ... Grumman FM-2 Wildcat 55627 ...
An FM-2 Wildcat upended on USS Sable during a training flight May 1945. Together, Sable and Wolverine trained 17,820 pilots in 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were on Sable alone. One of the pilots qualified on Sable was a 20-year-old Lieutenant, junior grade, future president George H. W. Bush. [5]