American Aviation
- Thread starter Bootie
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Testing the floatation device on a Wildcat.
DId not know they had those. Was it universal or just experiment?
I found a few things from different sites.
"Early examples of the aircraft came with inflatable bags that could be deployed in the event the aircraft ditched in water. These were located in wings. They were completely removed from the design though, after there were a few cases of accidental deployments while the aircraft was in the air."
Also:
"Not wanting the enemy to capture anything from a downed plane, these were removed upon the start of the war."
"F4F Wildcat after ditching in San Diego Bay due to mechanical issues on May 17, 1941. Its wing floatation bags have been deployed, keeping the aircraft buoyant for longer. These were eventually removed the design to save weight."
"Early examples of the aircraft came with inflatable bags that could be deployed in the event the aircraft ditched in water. These were located in wings. They were completely removed from the design though, after there were a few cases of accidental deployments while the aircraft was in the air."
Also:
"Not wanting the enemy to capture anything from a downed plane, these were removed upon the start of the war."
"F4F Wildcat after ditching in San Diego Bay due to mechanical issues on May 17, 1941. Its wing floatation bags have been deployed, keeping the aircraft buoyant for longer. These were eventually removed the design to save weight."
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See his hand: a flight plan? Lt. Vernon R. Richards (1917/1989) a P-51 fighter pilot.
Is that cheating? 
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Wildcat undergoing maintenance in USS Enterprise's hangar deck, Oct 28, 1941.
Up, note spare propellers hanging overhead.
Up, note spare propellers hanging overhead.
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Interesting pic show how freight crews unload one of two Navy cub hospital planes from a huge Curtiss C-46 Commando transport at the Peleliu airfield. Shipped in sections and reassembled at the recently-captured airstrip, the 1,300 pound craft were part of the cargo on a routine flight from Guam. 1944
It looks like an RC toy!
Put together...
"An L-4 Grasshopper is fitted for medical evacuation use in July 1943. A trapdoor lifts the upper fuselage to permit the insertion of a stretcher, so a casualty could be flown to a medical unit or hospital." (National Archives)
"An L-4 Grasshopper is fitted for medical evacuation use in July 1943. A trapdoor lifts the upper fuselage to permit the insertion of a stretcher, so a casualty could be flown to a medical unit or hospital." (National Archives)