A couple more Navy bird pics from Gerald.
And here is a story he related regarding a particularly eventful flight in the CAF Wildcat pictured earlier in this thread.
"The airplane had languished at Brownwood for a time and I was to get it, fly it to Harlingen for a big airshow. I appeared, checked the old thing out, prepared to depart, only about a two hour flight of some five hundred miles.
Everything appeared to be perfectly normal with the preflight checks and I assumed the position and took off for one of the unforgettable flights of my life. Wound the gear up, twenty eight turns of the crank, power and RPM set for a modest climb out to maybe ten K or so, and then noticed she wasn't climbing near to usual and at first I thought, just bad air, as all the indicators were in the green, pressure, temps, manifold pressure, RPM?? What ta hell is going on anyhow? Then, on the South side of the town, about five plus miles from the airport, a tremendous bang and black smoke issued forth from the left side of the cowling and the vibration was awful. I thought I had thrown a prop blade! Another bang and white smoke flowed from the right side of the cowl. Wow, there I was and my chute hadn't been packed since nineteen fortyfour! The country between me and the airfield is very rough and to top it off, all the gas drain valves are on the belly of a Wildcat, a flip upside down and fire just waiting to happen. I have to explain at this point the airplane has a Curtiss-Electric, thank God, prop. Easing the power off, trying to control the vibiration only succeeded in the engine seizing solid! And there I WUZ! A genuine Grumman Wildcat (not by choice) glider pilot. Although non feathering, I toggled the prop back as far as possible which greatly reduced the drag and quietly sailed along at one hundred thirty knots indicated toward that fine looking airport. Arrived overhead with altitude in hand, wound the gear down, did some S turns over the end of the runway to burn off some excess! altitude, made a completely normal, no flap landing and had enough speed at the turnoff which led straight to the fuel station and rolled to a stop right there. The ramp boy appeared and wanted to know if I needed more fuel as he had just filled er up?? No thanks, I said, I don't need anymore gas today!! Where's the bar?"
PS- And the reason given for the extended glider flight in the Wildcat.
"The master rod bearing had completely failed and on tear-down the inside of the case etc; was a cobalt blue, like your gun barrell. I was very grateful there was no fire, but the good Lord must look after itinerate dustcroppers I recokn. Adieu
GM"
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