F6F-3 for sale, 1965

[Warbird Kid]

Okay, added. See below:

Actively Flying
Friedkin Family Comanche Warbirds
CAF SoCal Wing
Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum
Lone Star Flight Museum

Under Restoration to Airworthy
Collings Foundation
Yanks Air Museum
Lewis Air Legends
Allied Fighters

Airworthy but not Flown
Yanks Air Museum
Palm Springs Air Museum
Kalamazoo Air Zoo Museum

In Storage
Kermit Weeks

[Zac Yates]

Nice work Chris! But I have to ask....has anyone activated the JohnTerrell Signal?

[kalamazookid]

Calling the Kalamazoo Air Zoo Hellcat airworthy would be a huge stretch. It hasn't flown in 17 years. I doubt there's anything about it that's airworthy at this point.

[JimH]

The same people restoring Dottie Mae has a complete Hellcat project that will be restored to flying condition.

Jim

[C VEICH]

The Rod Lewis Hellcat came from Duxford based The Fighter Collection.The Allied Fighter F6F is the x-Bill Compton aircraft one I think.

Doh, of course! I had completely forgotten that the TFC Hellcat had been sold Stateside.

[C VEICH]

Calling the Kalamazoo Air Zoo Hellcat airworthy would be a huge stretch. It hasn't flown in 17 years. I doubt there's anything about it that's airworthy at this point.

I suppose it's quite possible that could be said for all three of the Hellcats in the "Flyable but not flown" category of this list. I guess maybe the Pond aircraft could still be flyable as the aircraft was still operating at least as late as 2006. However, I don't think the Yanks Hellcat has flown in 30+ years.

[Jerry O'Neill]

The same people restoring Dottie Mae has a complete Hellcat project that will be restored to flying condition.

Jim

Yes. Jack Croul has Bill Compton's old F6F. I don't know if it's currently being worked on. I think it's the oldest known Hellcat.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/f6fregis ... 08825.html
Jerry

[stryper]

Now that the Quonset Air Museum is closed, what became of the one they were restoring to airworthy?

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/f6fregis ... 70185.html

[T J Johansen]

However, I don't think the Yanks Hellcat has flown in 30+ years.

Must have been that long since Stan Hoeffler fried the engine of the plane on the run- up at Chino. Funny thing about Yanks is that they never made their restorations in the 1990s airworthy. For instance the P-39 never any got wiring installed nor did the P-47 as I remember. I knew a couple of their employees back then but they just shrugged their shoulders and said "That's what Nichols want". Even Stan acknowledged that their fighters weren't made for flying. The only one I've ever seen airborne was the P-51D which gave a lot of rides for the Nichols family one day in the summer of 1991, flown by the late John Crocker.

T J

[bdk]

If I'm not mistaken they have run the engine in the P-39, and not just on a test stand but actually in the airplane.

[CJAM427]

I saw the CAF SoCal Hellcat fly at the Planes of Fame show two weeks ago. It dawned on me afterwards that it was the first time I've seen one fly. Definitely need more flying ones out there, what an awesome airplane!

DSC_2259-Edit by Connor Madison, on Flickr

DSC_5382 by Connor Madison, on Flickr

DSC_5521-Edit by Connor Madison, on Flickr

DSC_9279-Edit by Connor Madison, on Flickr

[OD/NG]

However, I don't think the Yanks Hellcat has flown in 30+ years.

Must have been that long since Stan Hoeffler fried the engine of the plane on the run- up at Chino. Funny thing about Yanks is that they never made their restorations in the 1990s airworthy. For instance the P-39 never any got wiring installed nor did the P-47 as I remember. I knew a couple of their employees back then but they just shrugged their shoulders and said "That's what Nichols want". Even Stan acknowledged that their fighters weren't made for flying. The only one I've ever seen airborne was the P-51D which gave a lot of rides for the Nichols family one day in the summer of 1991, flown by the late John Crocker.

T J

That's very ironic considering how hyper-sensitive Yanks is about calling the vast majority of their collection "airworthy". It couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know if it's still up, but either on Yanks' facebook page or youtube, there was an interview with Yanks personnel and they talk about how many of their aircraft are airworthy. It gave the false perception that the vast majority of their collection flies.

I don't have a problem with what Nichols does or to what standard he restores his airplanes, but at least be honest about it!