Martlet

Recordings

Grumman Martlet, 2005

Recorded during 2005 using Sony Minidisc and AT-822 microphone. The aircraft was displaying as part of a group of Naval fighters at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden, UK.

The aircraft has a very distinctive sound from its Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 double-row radial engine and is very easy to pick out when flying with other aircraft, even other radial engined. This aircraft is the a FM-2 (Bu. No. 86711) based at Duxford, England, UK and operated by The Fighter Collection (at the time of recording). This is the only flying example of this type in Europe.

When recorded, this aircraft was carrying the colours and markings of the Fleet Air Arm with D-Day invasion markings.

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy (as the Martlet) in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat was the only United States Navy or Marine fighter in World War II 1941-42 in the Pacific Theater besides the brief appearance of the F2A Buffalo. With a top speed of 318 mph (512 km/h), the Wildcat was outperformed by the more nimble 331 mph (533 km/h) Mitsubishi Zero, but its ruggedness and tactics such as the Thach Weave resulted in an air combat kill-to-loss ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the entire war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_Wildcat

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