WIX Archives

Re: Three seat Wildcat

Posted by Ron Henry on Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:57:39 AM

In reply top Re: Three seat Wildcat posted by Tim Savage on Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:08:10 AM

: : Reading the current posts on the 2 seat Corsair took me
: ba
: : ck to a ride I had back in the 1970's in a three seat Wi
: ld
: : cat. Well there were seats for at least two passengers b
: ut
: : there may have been more. I dread to think what this di
: d
: : to the C of G! The passengers sat facing rearwards, thei
: r
: : backs up a against a diaphragm bulkhead behind the pilot
: .
: : Once airborne, I recall unstrapping and standing talking
: t
: : o the pilot through a hatch at head level. You could jus
: t
: : reach through and jiggle the stick - p.u/t.
: : The controls were obviously re-routed under the rear cab
: in
: : floor and there were a couple of mini windows through w
: hi
: : ch I got some reasonable photos of the Champlin Hellcat
: an
: : d Rudy Frasca's Wildcat in formation. From my log I see
: it
: : was N11FE of owner pilot Fred Edison. Is this machine s
: ti
: : ll about I wonder.
:
: Still around, last I heard owned by Dick Foote out of Flor
: ida, and still configured for passengers.
:
: I have to say, you are a brave sole to ride around in that
: beast :)

Yes, I'll second that opinion on your bravery! I always think of the Wildcat as very compact, so perhaps it would have been rather tightly packed with 2 pax on board?! Indeed, I'm really surprised that anyone would have contemplated installing 2 pax seats. Nevertless, that sounds quite luxurious compared with the Firefly which I understand that Bob Diemert converted, IIRC, to take 6 pax!! For some obscure reason, I believe he also replaced its Griffon with a Merlin. AIUI, it was never flown, and hence a potential major warbird accident was thus avoided! ;-)

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