Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat | |
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![]() ![]() ![]() These pictures were taken in US mission 01 at Maloelap atoll in the Marshall islands. These screenshots were created with a Hercules 3D Prophet III Titanium 500.. |
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Pilot's Notes | The Wildcat is a competent fighter with some excellent strengths and some glaring weaknesses. Dogfighting in the Wildcat can get you killed. Teamwork and team tactics make all the difference.
Stick together with your squad-mates. Four—or even two—Wildcats can provide mutual protection; a single Wildcat is a tempting target for marauding enemy fighters. Use team tactics to defeat harder-turning, faster-climbing Zeros and Hayabusas (“Oscars”). Use the weight and power of your plane to dive away from trouble. Lightweight Zeros and Hayabusas can’t keep up with you in a dive, but trying this move against a Shiden is very risky. If an enemy fighter latches onto your tail, you probably can’t evade by maneuvering or out-climbing him, so turn in to him to go head-to-head. You’ve got the firepower to do a lot of damage and the armor to withstand more hits, so playing “chicken” isn’t as crazy as it sounds. If you score hits on the enemy’s fuel tanks and you can see unignited fuel vapor leaking out, fire at the plume to ignite it with your tracer |
Empty/Max Weight: | 5,785 / 7,951 lbs (2,630 / 3,614 kg |
Dimensions | Wing span 38' (11.6 m) Length: 28' 9" (8.8 m) |
Engine | Pratt and Whitney R-1830-86 Twin Wasp 14-cyl. radial, 1,200 hp |
Armament | Six .50-cal Browning M2 machine guns plus two 100-lb bombs |
Max speed @ altitude | 277 knots/318 mph (512 km/h) @ 19,400 ft (5,913 m) |
Ceiling | 34,900 ft (10,637 m) |
Initial climb rate | 1,950 ft (594 m)/min |
Range | 770 miles (1,239 km) |