One Comes Out of the Dark: MOF FM-2 Listed @ Courtesy

[Ryan Keough]

Was surprised and happy to see the FM-2 (s/n 51-235) that's displayed at Museum of Flight getting listed for sale at Courtesy - http://www.courtesyaircraft.com



Nice to see one come back to flying - hope it goes to a deserving home (hopefully around Phoenix - my own selfish desire)

[The Inspector]

And the most likely reason is....the restoration facility @ KPAE is just about finished with the restoration of another FM-2 in overall dark gloss blue. I used to play on that very airframe as a kid when it was in a playground in White Center, a neighborhood (emphasis on hood) South and West of KBFI. It's taken many, many years to bring this one back from a beaten up, sand and pee filled derilict to it's current status-

maybe 262crew has a picture of it in his files, I'm still trying (in vain) to figure out my new Fuji FINEPIX ands how to shift it over from MICROSQUISH MESSENGER (which NO ONE USES) to my COMCAST E mail account-

[Jack Cook]

You guys have gotten this one screwed up. This is John Dimmer's
and has flown alot since he bought it. It was on temp loan to MOF
but is a reguar flyer. NOT the one MOF has had for decades. This
is Jack Lenhart's a/c that I grew up with.

hope it goes to a deserving home

John's a great guy and both he and Ray Chalker flew both Wildcats regulary. I think he just decided he was getting a tad old for it but still has
his PT-17 450 and SNJ-6.

[mustangdriver]

I think the Wildcat is just a cool airplane. I love the scheme of the one in the pic. What does the one going on display look like?

[Pat Carry]

Speaking of coming out of the dark, where is Bu 46867 owned at one time by Doug Arnold?

Last edited by Pat Carry on Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Django]

It looks fantastic. Technically though, and FM-2 wouldn't have been painted like that.

[Jack Cook]

The original paint is still on it which was correct for Marion Carl who was from Hubbard where Jack Lenhart has his airfield. One of the first accurate paint jobs on a warbird. After the Navy Museum disposed of it the new owner added the red circles, stripes, Joe Foss's name and the reversed F on the fuselage there by screwing up a accurate paint job.

Last edited by Jack Cook on Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[The Inspector]

I was refering to having played on the airframe nearly finished @ KPAE, not Dimmers airframe. As a side bar, who took the gallery photo of the Dimmer airframe @ the basement of heros? That is absolutely the toughtest place to either see or try to photograph the displays because it is darker than the inside of a Holstien in a root celler, thanks again to Vulcan for making all the decisions on the structure (typical Allen weird) and the non existant lighting-
Last time I was there a group of High School students were on a field trip tasked with finding and identifying airplanes on display. I stopped near a group of about 15 who were trying to locate a Fokker DR1, I listened for a minute then pointed straight up, there it was, painted gloss black and hung about 19 feet from the dark rafters of the ceiling-nice job MoF

[BLR]

Here's a picture from last week and yes it is a bit of a struggle to get a decent photo in the place.

Brian

[spookythecat]

This is posted in front of the Wildcat in the Restoration Shop.



This is how it looked last October.

[Pat Carry]

That Wildcat looks great! Thanks for the photos.

[spookythecat]

I've always liked the clover and am excited to see it finished.

[Brad]

I was hoping John would give her to me as a wedding present!

Not the greatest, but here's a video I made of it a few years back. Bud Granley was flying and I was in the back of John Dimmer's T-6 with Brian Reynolds flying. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UrmTPvpP4Q

For those who don't know John Dimmer, he is a great guy. Learned to fly in his 60s in a Stearman, bought a T-6 and then two Wildcats. Finally beginning to slow it down on the upside of 80. From the day I showed up in Olympia, Washington (nearly 10 years ago) I had keys to his hangers and total freedom to do whatever I wanted with his airplanes. He has always been a great supporter of the Olympic Flight Museum and very generous with his airplanes and money. He's also a great supporter of the Museum of Flight.


I hope somebody buys this old girl, gives her a little TLC and enjoys her as much as we did up in Washington.


I can't find it right now but somewhere I have a picture of me and Jack Cook sitting under the Wildcat when we had her up at McChord for the airshow many years back. Jack and his tribe were up there with the B-25 and Jerry Janes and his band of Canadians arrived in the Albatross.

A few pictures from over the years...




















I hate dropping tools!




JCW doing the honors.



Me and JCW trying to get everything running right.

[Jack Cook]

That's a special a/c Brad. In fact we first met and chatted quite a while by it. You're right right about John, he's really a nice guy! Here's a couple of shots from the early days. I remember when I firat saw the airplane I was 12 or so and I screwed up my courage and asked Jack Lenhart if I could go 'look' at his airplane. He replied that if I could out how I could climb up and get in it! BTW Jack Lenhardt is a great guy also!

photo by Jack Lenhardt. Brad and I met right here about 30 years later!

Jack flying his Wildcat over Hubbard

with Bill Compton's F6F-3 at Lenhardt's Airpark

under restoration

ditto

[hang the expense]

Nice pictures you guys.Thanks for posting.I love Wildcats and top of the list is -3 fixed wing cats with lots of flat,flat paint.