Warbird Information Exchange

Another great series of GoPro cockpit videos from Kermit Weeks "Kermie Cam". This time it is the Grumman Wildcat. Think a lot of you will enjoy this one. First two videos are pre-flight, and the third has take off and a short flight. Fun.

http://youtu.be/TrC3puZ8cwY

http://youtu.be/WT0MET8DIAY

http://youtu.be/cauchJnkvuE

The first two took me right back to 1965 and starting the F4F @ my A&P school, except our airplane had been 'modified' and 'improved upon' by previous classes so switches were all over that cockpit and you had to be like an octopus on speed to hit this switch while crossing over to push that to crank this, and just as that old 1830 started barkin' you could count on the student doing fire guard to stick his head over the inboard left wing root and shout 'FIRE!!! KEEP IT CRANKIN" and it wasn't the engine, it was the dirt under the airplane burning from years and years of oil and gas leaking and saturating the ground, after a minute or two the prop blast would blow the fire out.
All part of the fun of being 17, the airplane got traded to the Navy for a VERY VERY old BELL H-13 on castering wheels not skids.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Wont be the first time I've been wrong!

Best check the Register:

Grumman F4F-4 BuNo 12114
Holgate Technical School/Seattle Community College, White Center, Seattle, WA, 1955-1968.
Currently in the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

It was 1965 (my Junior year in High School, I was in a prevocational program where I went to High School 2 classes a day) when I first ran the 'Mildcat' and Holgate became Seattle Community College South Campus, was located on E. Marginal Way So. in Seattles Georgetown neighborhoood just North of KBFI not in Rat City...er, White Center.
The MoF's FM-2 under forever rebuilt/restore @ KPAE was in a playground in White Center, I lived about 3 1/2 miles from there and frequently played in and on it as a kid (an easy bike ride).

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Hate to be a nervous nellie, but I'd like to see Mr. Weeks wear some more protective flight gear. Poly socks and polar fleece turn into lava when exposed to flame...

-AEH

Glad to see it flying again! When I was there in '06 it was pickled.