I photographed these examples of the Grumman F4F and FM-1/2 Wildcat at the Museum of Flight’s Personal Courage Wing; at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor; on the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point; at the Smithsonian NASM; Palm Springs, the Pima Air Museum; and even an FM-2 listed as airworthy the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England. I took the pics at Charleston, SC, during the 447th BG reunion in October 2013. The National Air & Space Museum visit was in 2015 during the 447th BG reunion in Washington DC.
Note that there are three separate Wildcat examples in photos I have taken at the Museum of Flight. The first was 12296 I shot during the Personal Courage Wing opening in 2004 and I also shot that same airframe 10 years later at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor during a Hawaii trip in 2014. A second Wildcat (86690) was photographed at the Museum of Flight in 2010 and the third (74512) in 2016.
The first two planes are the only remaining F4F-3As in existence. They have non-folding wings and were built for export, but were issued to Navy and Marine squadrons due to the nation’s shortage of fighter aircraft.
Grumman F4F-3A Wildcat 3956
Patriots Point 2013
F4F-3 3872 (#0754)
Recovered from Lake Michigan in 1990. This example is one of only 285 F4F-3s built without folding wings.
Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola 2024
F4F-3A Wildcat 3969
Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola 2024
F4F-4 12114
Marine Corps Museum; Quantico VA 2026
1943 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat 12260
Lone Star Flight Museum, Houston 2024
Oshkosh 2025
Grumman F4F-3 12296
Museum of Flight 2004
Same plane moved from the Personal Courage Wing at the MoF (above in 2004) to the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor, where I photographed it in 2014
Pacific Aviation Museum 2014
Pearl Harbor 2025
F4F-3 12320 Wildcat
O’Hare Chicago 2018
O’Hare Chicago 2024
Grumman Wildcat FM-1 14994
Valiant Warbirds Museum 2024
Grumman FM-1 15392 Wildcat
National Air & Space Museum 2015
FM-2 Wildcat 16089
Recovered from Lake Michigan in 1993.
Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola 2024
General Motors FM-2 16161 Wildcat
Pima Air Museum 2017
1944 FM-2 Wildcat 47160
Oshkosh 2025
General Motors FM-2 55627
Palm Springs Air Museum 2018
General Motors FM-2 74512
Museum of Flight 2016
Museum of Flight 2023
1945 FM-2 Wildcat 74560 (#4752)
Oshkosh 2025
General Motors FM-2 86564
Yanks Air Museum, Chino 2018
FM-2 Wildcat 86572 (#5626)
Oshkosh 2025
General Motors FM-2 86690
Also found as: 1944 General Motors (Grumman) FM-2 Wildcat #51-235 for the Navy 1n 1973.
Museum of Flight 2010
McChord, around 1988
Grumman FM-2 Wildcat 86711
IWM Duxford 2008
FM-2 Wildcat 86747 #5805
Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola 2024
FM-2 Wildcat 86754
Erickson Collection, Madras 2017
1945 FM-2 Wildcat 86777 #5835
Rowland Freedom Center 2024
Oshkosh 2025
1945 FM-2 Wildcat 86819 #5833
CAF Mesa 2017
Royal Navy Martlet VI colors representing Fleet Air Arm unit 835 on HMS Nairana
Repainted with markings representing squadron VC-27 “The Saints” from the escort carrier USS Savo