I love this plane, I met the widow of the man who designed the landing gear about thirty years ago she had a copy of the design in a frame mounted and hung on their living room wall. I'm retired now but then I worked in the field for a utility company and that's how I met her.
I know you spent a considerable amount of time doing these voice overs and I really appreciate it. I can't think of anyone else that takes the time to do this for everyone to enjoy. Think how many people you have touched. Thanks again.
you make an old man want to be young again. What a thrill that must be to fly. It is so awesome that you provide all the steps and then the experience. I wish you all the best. It gives a tiny feel for what our boys must have felt back in the day. The good and the bad. Thank you Sir!
I always loved the "flying cigar" I was told that when I saw a Wildcat come in give the pilot a cold water. This is a hot cockpit after flying for awhile. I promise you every time I hand the water there is an appreciative smile.
My flying days have been over for many, many years. Thanks to you, I can get back a little bit of the taste of seeing the world from the cockpit. However, your ride-alongs have put me in some of the warbirds I lusted over when I was a kid. I never thought I’d get to make a virtual trip in a Grumman Duck, one of my favorite model planes of all time. Thanks for all the TLC you put into all of your videos. We’re lucky to have you.
I enjoy your voice overs, it gives one a great appreciation for the men who flew these planes in less than ideal conditions. That is why they were called the Greatest Generation.
Brilliant video, had one of these up over King's Lynn Norfolk England today from the Imperial War museum, Duxford Cambridge, it made a beautiful sound!!
I believe I may have meet you before, Kermit. I was skydiving in Lake Wales, we were in a casa with the tail gate down and I saw a what I thought was a ww2 war bird. came up right behind us. LOVED see that plane in flight. Loved those days, great memory! if it was you thanks.
I always thought the FM-2/F4F would be a real sweetheart to fly! Thanx for confirming my suspicions! That was a real treat to watch! I haven't been to FoF in about 15 years. Looks like I'm due for another visit!
Not for nothing - I liked all your videos before, but WOW the voice over ones with the yellow-highlight explaination of each control and gauge is EXCELLENT! More please!!!!
Really appreciate the cockpit description - nicely done with the color markers... not sure quite how you did that. Looks in superb condition - presumably post restoration. Lovely flight - sounds super. I expect the Hellcat would be even more thrilling to fly. Thanks Kermit for the excellent video.
Thrilling to fly? A high speed war bird plane being babied at a snail pace...he should have opened up that throttle and buzz some car and boats at 400 mph......... might as well buy an ultralight at this speed..
The Wildcat was never a speed demon. It was only with creative fighter tactics that these aircraft were able to hold their own against the Japanese A6M Zeros. They called it the Thatch Weave. Look it up. Lots of history there. Great airplane there!
@@chadhaire1711 For one thing, buzzing other vehicles might surprise people trying to operate them and it's better for everyone if you don't use your piece of flying history to potentially put others into dangerous situations. Then there's wear on the aircraft. I can't speak for Weeks but if I were the owner I would be more interested in not putting the aircraft in situations where if there is a problem with the aircraft - which does happen - dealing with a problem likely magnified at greater speeds. Given Weeks' history as an aerobatic pilot and as fun as wringing out a WWII fighter might be, I don't think he goes up to fly seeking some extra thrill of pushing these rare machines towards their limits.
This was such a great video with all the cockpit controls explanation, it just made it more of a joy to watch!! Thank you for all you and your crew do to keep these historical planes flying! Some day I will make it down for a visit, I can’t wait!!
Thumbs up! I like the step-by-step, voice-over description of what you actually do in the cockpit. I'd like to see this for all your planes. Gives a real appreciation for how busy the pilot was while looking in six directions for bogies.
Love it had an uncle who worked in Grumman during the war and worked on wildcat in the bethpage plant .superb workmanship !on both the plane and your video .my uncle Tony Speciale would of loved it! Thank you mr Weeks
Thanks so much for this Kermit. I liked the original video too, but it's great to see every knob and dial in the cockpit along with an explanation. For those of us that are into building scale models of planes, it can be hard sometimes to get good reference materials to help us get the details right. Especially in cockpits. So this video is a boon to anyone who wants to accurately represent the FM-2's cockpit in a model. Next time I have a Wildcat on my workbench, I'll be studying this video even more. Thanks again. :)
Ever since my late father took me to the movie "Midway" (1970s w/Heston, Fonda, Mitchum...) the Wildcat was one of my favorite fighters. It was always my dream to fly. My eyes weren't ever going to be good enough for military aviation (I did serve as an MP/Force Protection type). In the early 90s my civy employer was paying for me to get my PPL, and was a couple months from being able to solo when I was hit by a drunk driver. I started to have problems with my leg or arm going "to sleep"... can't have that at any altitude. This must have been a joy to fly, even with the crank landing gear. A roomy, clean & well designed cockpit. This almost gives you the feeling of flying it !
Wow how i wish this place was up and running again...my son visited years ago said it was in a downward spiral...most of the hangars locked up... The old c-47 by I-4 ,has lost its rudder ....sad affair....appreciate kermies dedication.
As with Kermit's P-51 similar video incredible stuff. Though the Hellcat gets more accolades it was the Wildcat that served the entire duration of WW2 and an active participant in many battles from Pearl Harbor onward. The Battle of Coral Sea, Midway, land based of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, defending from escort carriers on convoy duty & during the the battle off Samar the Wildcat showed how important an airframe it was to the Allies during WW2. One thing that I've learned (& greatly appreciate..) from Kermit's video's is the evolution of aircraft flight controls and systems. Fascinating to see the advancements in aviation in such a short period of time (from say a WW1 Sopwith Pup to a WW2 Wildcat..).
Great video! I appreciate you taking the time to explain how everything works in the cockpit. Wish my wife's grandfather was still around to see videos like this - he worked in avionics for decades and loved this sort of stuff.
Thank you Kermit seems somewhat slack. I can add nothing that all the fans of you and these airplanes have already commented on. You help make people’s dreams come true in ways most know not. Gods speed and blessings.
You just nailed the perfect fly-along format! The still pics with the highlights & voice-over explanations were excellent! And then voice-over & pointing fingers during flight is the perfect complement. How awesome it is to get to "ride along" with you. If the day ever comes for you to film in 4K, you can go back and re-do all your planes -- that would be incredible!
I visited Fantasy of Flight just after my second tour in Iraq! What a super place! So much history and detailed displays! Loved it! Blue skies, Mr Weeks!
Thanks for voiceover and adding the cockpit tour. I wondered, why the cylinder head temperature gauges is there all the way to the left opposite to all the other engine instruments.
Formidable cette description du poste de pilotage, on se rend compte qu'à l'époque le pilote avait beaucoup de travail lors d'un décollage d'un porte-avions, ils avait beaucoup de mérite! Kermit, si vous voulez faire d'autres vidéos comme celle-ci nous seront plusieurs a être contents, merci de nous transmettre votre passion.
Thanks. We plan on doing more. Thinking about doing tours and cockpit reviews on some of the currently non-flying planes too . . . like the Sunderland and B-24, if viewers are interested!
Another awsome video, it's very cool to see these old warbirds cared for and flown for all to see, so, thank you very much Kermit Weeks and Company for your amazing flying collection!
Absolutely superb video! You have just created the gold standard. The cockpit check with the highlighted instruments was excellent and the voice over is a huge improvement over the in-cockpit audio. This has to be the way you do these from now on.
Thanks Kermit! although I have not flown in about 30 years every time I watch one of your videos your description and instruction is so good I feel like a jump on the seat and fly the airplane. Thanks so much for your love for flight!
Great Video Kermit. I remember when you brought it to sun n fun for the first time. I flew the photographer in the back of my Cj6 to do air to air photos over your facilities. It was a fun time.
Hi Kermit. A belated Happy New Year to you and your wife. I loved the video of the FM-2. The Wildcat is one of my favorite WWII Navy fighters. That 'barrel chested" little fighter reminds me of a pugnacious 20 year Chief Petty officer (yeah I served in the Navy). Great airplane and I understand that the performance of the FM-2 was a bit better than that of the F4F. It must be a joy to fly. Thanks for sharing that 'old girl' with us. All the best to you and your wife and the staff at FoF. Hoping for a good and prosperous New Year for you and FoF. Blue skies and tailwinds. Craig Williams Tampa FL
I have one of these 3 in 1 gauges and I too use 40 degree (Celsius)! Before I taxi out BUT around Buffalo NY it can snow anytime after the 4th of July. It takes a long time to get to that oil temperature…even with thinner oil.
And " If the O2 light stops blinking, the pilot stops blinking...". Classic line! As an aside, Curtis Electric props, gave serious grief to P-38 pilots in Europe. Runaway...overspeed...(Martin Caiden. "Fork-Tailed Devil") (the war in Europe seems to get all of the attention, but the war in the Pacific was nuts. My Father was on the USS Kimberly, and shot a Wildcat down over Okinawa. He came straight at my father's ship and three rounds of his 20 put him in the drink...He was one mad wet second Luey...the Capitan of the ship ordered all gunners to attend aircraft identification class. My father never got in trouble...(His ship was also hit by a Kamikaze...USS Kimberly DD-214.)
I love this plane, I met the widow of the man who designed the landing gear about thirty years ago she had a copy of the design in a frame mounted and hung on their living room wall.
I'm retired now but then I worked in the field for a utility company and that's how I met her.
Excellent pilot,beautiful aircraft..
perfect - thank you for doing the aviation thing so well, Kermit - The Wildcat is my favorite warbird
He is one helluva pilot.
I know you spent a considerable amount of time doing these voice overs and I really appreciate it. I can't think of anyone else that takes the time to do this for everyone to enjoy. Think how many people you have touched. Thanks again.
you make an old man want to be young again. What a thrill that must be to fly. It is so awesome that you provide all the steps and then the experience. I wish you all the best. It gives a tiny feel for what our boys must have felt back in the day. The good and the bad. Thank you Sir!
Thank all thats HOLY for the folks who preserve ;and FLY ,these gorgeous birds!! THANK YOU ALL!!
I always loved the "flying cigar" I was told that when I saw a Wildcat come in give the pilot a cold water. This is a hot cockpit after flying for awhile. I promise you every time I hand the water there is an appreciative smile.
Fantastic once again thanks
My flying days have been over for many, many years. Thanks to you, I can get back a little bit of the taste of seeing the world from the cockpit. However, your ride-alongs have put me in some of the warbirds I lusted over when I was a kid. I never thought I’d get to make a virtual trip in a Grumman Duck, one of my favorite model planes of all time. Thanks for all the TLC you put into all of your videos. We’re lucky to have you.
That was awesome! Thank you for sharing
I enjoy your voice overs, it gives one a great appreciation for the men who flew these planes in less than ideal conditions. That is why they were called the Greatest Generation.
Thank you for taking me with you, cheers Wiz
That is _one _*_busy_* cockpit!
Magnifico vídeo obrigado ...
Awesome. Good work.
These voice over videos did away with my only complaint: the sound quality or lack thereof. Thanks, Kermit. Well done.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful Wildcat with us
Brilliant video, had one of these up over King's Lynn Norfolk England today from the Imperial War museum, Duxford Cambridge, it made a beautiful sound!!
I believe I may have meet you before, Kermit. I was skydiving in Lake Wales, we were in a casa with the tail gate down and I saw a what I thought was a ww2 war bird. came up right behind us. LOVED see that plane in flight. Loved those days, great memory! if it was you thanks.
Thanks for taking us along for the ride!
Thanks for the ride Kermit!
I love how uncluttered the front dash is, nice, simple and easy to read.
That is my favorite aircraft of all time! Thanks for the flight! Closest I’ll ever get to the real thing.
I always thought the FM-2/F4F would be a real sweetheart to fly! Thanx for confirming my suspicions! That was a real treat to watch! I haven't been to FoF in about 15 years. Looks like I'm due for another visit!
Not for nothing - I liked all your videos before, but WOW the voice over ones with the yellow-highlight explaination of each control and gauge is EXCELLENT! More please!!!!
Some day I hope to come over to see you... I'm at L00, about 20 west of Edwards. Thanks for the thrills ! Can't wait for the P-35 to be ready !!! Ron
Thanks for having us with you ! To my opinion , this theme type of videos is the most fascinating together with the restoration blogs .
Really appreciate the cockpit description - nicely done with the color markers... not sure quite how you did that. Looks in superb condition - presumably post restoration. Lovely flight - sounds super.
I expect the Hellcat would be even more thrilling to fly.
Thanks Kermit for the excellent video.
ChrisB257 photoshop with yellow 50% opacity I guess
Thrilling to fly? A high speed war bird plane being babied at a snail pace...he should have opened up that throttle and buzz some car and boats at 400 mph......... might as well buy an ultralight at this speed..
The Wildcat was never a speed demon. It was only with creative fighter tactics that these aircraft were able to hold their own against the Japanese A6M Zeros. They called it the Thatch Weave. Look it up. Lots of history there.
Great airplane there!
@@chadhaire1711 For one thing, buzzing other vehicles might surprise people trying to operate them and it's better for everyone if you don't use your piece of flying history to potentially put others into dangerous situations. Then there's wear on the aircraft. I can't speak for Weeks but if I were the owner I would be more interested in not putting the aircraft in situations where if there is a problem with the aircraft - which does happen - dealing with a problem likely magnified at greater speeds. Given Weeks' history as an aerobatic pilot and as fun as wringing out a WWII fighter might be, I don't think he goes up to fly seeking some extra thrill of pushing these rare machines towards their limits.
This was such a great video with all the cockpit controls explanation, it just made it more of a joy to watch!! Thank you for all you and your crew do to keep these historical planes flying! Some day I will make it down for a visit, I can’t wait!!
Thumbs up! I like the step-by-step, voice-over description of what you actually do in the cockpit. I'd like to see this for all your planes. Gives a real appreciation for how busy the pilot was while looking in six directions for bogies.
Thanks for bringing me along. It was perfect. I am vicariously thrilled with flying this old war bird!
Love it had an uncle who worked in Grumman during the war and worked on wildcat in the bethpage plant .superb workmanship !on both the plane and your video .my uncle Tony Speciale would of loved it! Thank you mr Weeks
Is this the mighty Air Biscuit? I loved watching that plane at Reno
Thanks for the guided tour of the cockpit! Your clips are always worth watching
Amazing how basic that fighter was compared to aircraft designed just a few years later. Great cockpit tour. Learn a lot every time. Thanks!
Thanks so much for this Kermit. I liked the original video too, but it's great to see every knob and dial in the cockpit along with an explanation. For those of us that are into building scale models of planes, it can be hard sometimes to get good reference materials to help us get the details right. Especially in cockpits. So this video is a boon to anyone who wants to accurately represent the FM-2's cockpit in a model. Next time I have a Wildcat on my workbench, I'll be studying this video even more. Thanks again. :)
Ever since my late father took me to the movie "Midway" (1970s w/Heston, Fonda, Mitchum...) the Wildcat was one of my favorite fighters. It was always my dream to fly. My eyes weren't ever going to be good enough for military aviation (I did serve as an MP/Force Protection type). In the early 90s my civy employer was paying for me to get my PPL, and was a couple months from being able to solo when I was hit by a drunk driver. I started to have problems with my leg or arm going "to sleep"... can't have that at any altitude. This must have been a joy to fly, even with the crank landing gear. A roomy, clean & well designed cockpit. This almost gives you the feeling of flying it !
Thanks so much for the ride. 😀 I recently started the radio controlled flying hobby and my little Wildcat makes me look pretty darn good.😆
Wow how i wish this place was up and running again...my son visited years ago said it was in a downward spiral...most of the hangars locked up...
The old c-47 by I-4 ,has lost its rudder ....sad affair....appreciate kermies dedication.
As with Kermit's P-51 similar video incredible stuff. Though the Hellcat gets more accolades it was the Wildcat that served the entire duration of WW2 and an active participant in many battles from Pearl Harbor onward. The Battle of Coral Sea, Midway, land based of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, defending from escort carriers on convoy duty & during the the battle off Samar the Wildcat showed how important an airframe it was to the Allies during WW2. One thing that I've learned (& greatly appreciate..) from Kermit's video's is the evolution of aircraft flight controls and systems. Fascinating to see the advancements in aviation in such a short period of time (from say a WW1 Sopwith Pup to a WW2 Wildcat..).
Just love the sound of the P&W 1850 engine as the aircraft flies by.
Great video! I appreciate you taking the time to explain how everything works in the cockpit. Wish my wife's grandfather was still around to see videos like this - he worked in avionics for decades and loved this sort of stuff.
Thank you Kermit seems somewhat slack. I can add nothing that all the fans of you and these airplanes have already commented on. You help make people’s dreams come true in ways most know not. Gods speed and blessings.
It was nice to see around the cockpit and join you on a flight. Thank-you!
Love your warbirds. Really get the feeling of a ride along via the voiceover. Thanks
You just nailed the perfect fly-along format! The still pics with the highlights & voice-over explanations were excellent! And then voice-over & pointing fingers during flight is the perfect complement. How awesome it is to get to "ride along" with you. If the day ever comes for you to film in 4K, you can go back and re-do all your planes -- that would be incredible!
I visited Fantasy of Flight just after my second tour in Iraq! What a super place! So much history and detailed displays! Loved it! Blue skies, Mr Weeks!
Beautiful.
Love the cold starts.
That supercharger sounds good when you did the airshow pass showing the top side.
Yep I think I could fly it now thanks Kermit.
Thanks for voiceover and adding the cockpit tour.
I wondered, why the cylinder head temperature gauges is there all the way to the left opposite to all the other engine instruments.
Great video. Very well done. Enjoyed every minute.
Best cockpit tour ever ! The highlighting of controls put it over the top ! Thank you so much !
Formidable cette description du poste de pilotage, on se rend compte qu'à l'époque le pilote avait beaucoup de travail lors d'un décollage d'un porte-avions, ils
avait beaucoup de mérite!
Kermit, si vous voulez faire d'autres vidéos comme celle-ci nous seront plusieurs a être contents, merci de nous transmettre votre passion.
Thanks. We plan on doing more. Thinking about doing tours and cockpit reviews on some of the currently non-flying planes too . . . like the Sunderland and B-24, if viewers are interested!
The attitude indicator that killed rock n roll. Very nice plane. I saw one on Wake Island. It was not as nice at this one if you know what I mean.
Another awsome video, it's very cool to see these old warbirds cared for and flown for all to see, so, thank you very much Kermit Weeks and Company for your amazing flying collection!
Absolutely superb video! You have just created the gold standard. The cockpit check with the highlighted instruments was excellent and the voice over is a huge improvement over the in-cockpit audio. This has to be the way you do these from now on.
Pretty cool alright Kermit, I loved this aircraft, I'll be the the airmen loved flying it during the war too.
Ausome thanks for all the details on the inside ,thinking back when the airplane was new what it must have been like for a 18 year old new navy pilot
Beautiful
Great flight thanks for taking me along, really like the talk over cockpit review too.
Thanks Kermit! although I have not flown in about 30 years every time I watch one of your videos your description and instruction is so good I feel like a jump on the seat and fly the airplane. Thanks so much for your love for flight!
"If it quit blinking then the pilot would quit blinking too" genuinely bust out laughing at that, thank you
Love going flying with kermit
That was terrific, that's the closest I will ever get to flying a Wildcat, keep them coming Kermit.
Cheers 🍻🇦🇺
Nice descriptions of everything, thanks
Thanks for the ride! Love the Wildcat!
Great Video Kermit. I remember when you brought it to sun n fun for the first time. I flew the photographer in the back of my Cj6 to do air to air photos over your facilities. It was a fun time.
Lovely work, Mr Weeks. cleared up a serious gap in my knowledge about the Wildcat. The great test pilot, Eric "Winkle" Brown rated them highly.
Awesome, awesome video. These are priceless!
Pretty cool indeed ! Thanks for that detailed explanation and flight ; much appreciated.
Beautiful bird, ya can tell kermit loves to fly her.
That was fun. The British version of the Wildcat, the Martlet, was Eric (Winkle) Brown's favorite airplane.
Nice landing.
Excellent video nice White the cockpit tour
Love how it idles gallop.
Thanks, Kermit! That was a terrific ride!
Another good one, thank you Kermit for these videos. Always enjoy watching them.
Excellent, thanks for the ride!
I love videos like this when u talk us through what you're doing! Thx!
Hi Kermit. A belated Happy New Year to you and your wife. I loved the video of the FM-2. The Wildcat is one of my favorite WWII Navy fighters. That 'barrel chested" little fighter reminds me of a pugnacious 20 year Chief Petty officer (yeah I served in the Navy). Great airplane and I understand that the performance of the FM-2 was a bit better than that of the F4F. It must be a joy to fly. Thanks for sharing that 'old girl' with us. All the best to you and your wife and the staff at FoF. Hoping for a good and prosperous New Year for you and FoF. Blue skies and tailwinds. Craig Williams Tampa FL
More like this PLEASE. Awesome
I have one of these 3 in 1 gauges and I too use 40 degree (Celsius)! Before I taxi out BUT around Buffalo NY it can snow anytime after the 4th of July. It takes a long time to get to that oil temperature…even with thinner oil.
Awesome video Kermit, this really brings you full circle what it was like to be in the cockpit of this beauty in the Pacific during World War 2
Thanks Kermit, you put us in the pilot seat. The wildcat is the best.
Interesting note about the flaps!
Amazing! Thank you for doing the voice over!
Wonder how many on the Interstate appreciate what they see flying over them
All
Thank you . Could not imagine fighting a zero in the wildcat.
Great video, the overlays highlighting each instrument make this one of the most informative videos yet.
I loved this cockpit review + voice over flight, please keep doing this!
Absolutely love your videos!!! I have been to FOF and would sure like to return some day.
As always a brilliant demonstration of perfection by the Master, thank you Kermit!
Love the new voice over!
These videos are just amazing to watch for any avaition enthuisiast. Thank you for making them!!!
Wonderful. Thanks for that.
And " If the O2 light stops blinking, the pilot stops blinking...". Classic line! As an aside, Curtis Electric props, gave serious grief to P-38 pilots in Europe. Runaway...overspeed...(Martin Caiden. "Fork-Tailed Devil") (the war in Europe seems to get all of the attention, but the war in the Pacific was nuts. My Father was on the USS Kimberly, and shot a Wildcat down over Okinawa. He came straight at my father's ship and three rounds of his 20 put him in the drink...He was one mad wet second Luey...the Capitan of the ship ordered all gunners to attend aircraft identification class. My father never got in trouble...(His ship was also hit by a Kamikaze...USS Kimberly DD-214.)
That was great. Adding the voice over, and cockpit briefings is a great idea. Thanks so much 👍