This F6F-3 Hellcat, BuNo. 41834, was built at Grumman's Bethpage, New York, factory in February 1944. It was delivered to the U.S. Navy on February 7 and sustained damage in a wheels-up landing at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii. After repair, it was assigned to VF-83 where it was used in a training role until February 21, 1945. A team of volunteers at Grumman Aerospace completely restored the aircraft in 1983.
Grumman F6F-3
Hellcat
The F6F was a tough, uncomplicated, easy-to-manufacture aircraft. The Hellcat was superior to the Japanese Zero in most performance categories, especially at high altitude. The lightly armored Zeros were also no match for the Hellcat's rugged construction and six .50 caliber guns.