Question: Where did the Moffet Field Hellcat go?

[O.P.]

Orvis,

The Coutches still have the Bearcat at Hayward. Although it hasn't flown in a long time, it has a really sharp looking paint scheme. Ron Olsen has a picture of it that I scanned for his site at: http://www.ronsarchive.com/guest04/index_2.htm

It's beautiful! Is it still painted the same way? Maybe we should link up for an exculsive interview with pics with Mr. and Mrs. Coutches. I'm in Mountain View. A couple ten beers can't hurt anyway. I'm going to dream machines in half moon bay. Are you going to be over there?

[T J Johansen]

The Hellcat you're referring to is Bill Compton's F6F-3 B/N 08825 N4965V. Bill flew the airplane was quite a while hence the fuel selector wasn't assembled wrong but i do believe it failed during the flight. Bill still has it and has refused all offers (lots of offers) to sell over the years and has collected enough stuff including new wings, cowlings, prop ect to rebuilt it. But, he'll never do it and enjoys having it and the attention it brings him. After his passing I do NOT believe the family will sell it. Jeff aka jcw lives only about 1 mile from Bill and like myself has known him for years. I'm going to try and see Bill this weekend.
By coincidence I dug up the newspaper story of the crash and will post it if there's an interest. The crash occured in June 1977. This F6F flew with VF-37 on the USS Sagamon escort carrier. It was flown by LT Jim Ritchie
who scored 3 kills and won the Navy Cross. It is the most historic of all surviving Hellcats.

Hey Jack,
I for one would love to see the newspaper article regarding the crash. This has been one a/c which hasn't been mentioned very often. I kinda liked the "out of uniform" colors of white/gold it wore with the name "Little Nugget"!

T J

[JohnH]

The Hellcat you're referring to is Bill Compton's F6F-3 B/N 08825 N4965V. Bill flew the airplane was quite a while hence the fuel selector wasn't assembled wrong but i do believe it failed during the flight. Bill still has it and has refused all offers (lots of offers) to sell over the years and has collected enough stuff including new wings, cowlings, prop ect to rebuilt it. But, he'll never do it and enjoys having it and the attention it brings him. After his passing I do NOT believe the family will sell it. Jeff aka jcw lives only about 1 mile from Bill and like myself has known him for years. I'm going to try and see Bill this weekend.
By coincidence I dug up the newspaper story of the crash and will post it if there's an interest. The crash occured in June 1977. This F6F flew with VF-37 on the USS Sagamon escort carrier. It was flown by LT Jim Ritchie
who scored 3 kills and won the Navy Cross. It is the most historic of all surviving Hellcats.

There might be some others that have surfaced but if I remember correctly....this is the oldest surviving Hellcat.

John

[Jack Cook]

I was at that show and the F6 crashed on the way home. His family has never asked for $$$ for it's restoration and has never had a website. They're not that kind of folk. Sounds more like the gas station bomber.
Lenhardt traded his FM-2 to the Navy Museum for a C-47, Otter and a T-28. When they started getting Wildcats it became excess and they sold it to Jeff Clymna hence the N number 45JC. Clyman sold it soon after to John Dimmer who has it at the Olympic Flight Museum. Nothing has been changed except for some paint touch ups since Jack Lenhardt's restoration in the early 70s. Jack flew it again in 2003.

[mrhenniger]

Nothing has been changed except for some paint touch ups since Jack Lenhardt's restoration in the early 70s.

Here are some pictures of it from earlier this year...
http://community.webshots.com/photo/253 ... 8842NgadxD
http://community.webshots.com/photo/253 ... 5840ZZrQgQ
http://community.webshots.com/photo/253 ... 9201CYwblC
http://community.webshots.com/photo/253 ... 8651DfdmWm

Mike

[Jack Cook]

Mr. Henniger, are we to assume correctly that you don't know the difference between a F4F-3 and a FM-2? This is a sad day indeed in WIXIE Land.

Jack Lenhardt flying his FM-2 shortly after restoration over Hubbard, Oregon.

[mrhenniger]

Mr. Henniger

Actually the "mr" in "mrhenniger" is short for Michael Ross. I accept Mike.

...are we to assume correctly that you don't know the difference between a F4F-3 and a FM-2? This is a sad day indeed in WIXIE Land.

Ouch!

Did I get the c/r correct? There is a F4F-3 registered as NX3210D with s/n 12296 to John C Dimmer. Does he have two Wildcats? Our pictures definitely show two different airframes.

Any info you can share would be most appreciated so I can me the necessary corrections.

Regards,

Mike

[Jack Cook]

John Dimmer's personal motto is......................... If one Wildcat is good,
then two must be really-Really-REALLY good!

[Jack Cook]

Here ya go Mike.........

John C. Dimmer Tacoma, Wa
FM-2 Bu/No 86690 N49JC
F4F-3 Bu/No 12296 N3210D
He also has a SNJ-5, 450 hp Stearman
and a lot of vintage race cars.

To show you what kind of guy he is...he brought both Wildcats to a couple of our airshows here and showed up with almost full tanks. It cost
us 60 gallons of gas, 2 tee shirts and a couple hamburgers for both. He couldn't say enough about how nice we were to him!

Last edited by Jack Cook on Fri Apr 22, 2005 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[C170BDan]

Wow... this guys web site has some GREAT pictures. This looks to be the Hellcat in question.

http://www.ronsarchive.com/wb02/pages/7408ck15_1936.htm

[TimAPNY]

Doesn't look Like Tillamook is hurting for room

Wouldn't you love to hear these sing?
http://www.ronsarchive.com/TAM2/pages/a018_15A3.htm

[Jack Cook]

Yes Dan,
That's before the final paint was added to the stars and bars along with the number 32. I have a bunch of slides taken at Lenhardt's of both the F6 and FM flying. I'll get some prints made and posted. When I go see Bill I'll taken some shots of the wreckage. BTW it's a VERY viable project but he WILL NOT sell.

[Roger Cain]

It's beautiful! Is it still painted the same way? Maybe we should link up for an exculsive interview with pics with Mr. and Mrs. Coutches. I'm in Mountain View. A couple ten beers can't hurt anyway. I'm going to dream machines in half moon bay. Are you going to be over there?

Orvis,

I've met Mike a few times, along with his son's Steve and Robert. Their very friendly people, and I also met Mrs Coutches last year at the Clearlake Seaplane fly-in, and she let me know that she is the owner of their "D" Mustang, although Mike or Steve usually get credited for it, since they are the ones that fly to the shows. Yes the Bearcat still wears that scheme.

As long as this weather doesn't get any worse, I'll also be at the Dream Machines Show on Sunday. Drop me an email a personal email, and I'll try to hook up with you at some point. Tomorrow I plan to go to the Warbird Fly-In up at Petaluma, and then over to the Military Museum/store...........Roger

[Jack Cook]

Salem Newspaper Article

Rear fuselage in Bill's barn the following week

Jack starting the FM with Bill in F6

IF BILL HAD ONLY KEPT THE GEAR UP!!!!!

[HarvardIV]

What a terrible loss, that is too bad.