The Flying Heritage Collection’s F6F Hellcat, under restoration for years, returned to the skies on March 27th for the first time!
This aircraft was designed to be flown as an unmanned drone for anti-aircraft target practice, but was instead used for training. It has never undergone a thorough restoration, so is very close to its original condition. It is one of only a few surviving Hellcats, the Navy’s fighting workhorse of the Pacific Theater battles.
Flying Heritage Collection’s F6F Hellcat ran for the first time since restoration today, and this video catches the first three engine runs. This video is purely for my fans who LOVE airplane noise! It’s about 14 minutes of static engine runs. Also, you get to see how the wings fold and unfold on the Hellcat.
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Flying Heritage Collection test flew their newly restored Grumman F6F-5N for the very first time on Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 with Steve Hinton at the controls. The Hellcat is their latest addition to the collection and will be flying for the 2013 season here at Paine Field in Everett, Washington.
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Photo Gallery
The first Grumman Hellcats appeared in October, 1942 and were considered the best all-around fighters in the Pacific. The Hellcat was called the “Aluminum Tank” by its pilots because of its ability to absorb incredible punishment and still bring its pilot safely back to his ship. The Hellcat was designed for one primary purpose – to outperform the Mitsubishi Zero-Sen, and both Japanese and American pilots agreed that it succeeded. Its enormous wing size gave it extra lift, accommodating the slow take-off and landing speeds on aircraft carriers. To compensate for their size, the Hellcat could “fold” its wings for hangar and deck storage. In total, At one point, Grumman was manufacturing one Hellcat per hour – an aircraft production record that has never been equaled.
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For more information
Visit the Flying Heritage Collection web site.
Or, stop by if you’re in the Seattle/Everett area:
Paine Field
3407 109th Street SW
Everett, WA 98204
[Directions]
