Another Wildcat for Tina Fly

German warbird restorer/trader Tina Fly GmbH of Bremgarten has announced the acquisition of a (General Motors built) Grumman Wildcat. The fighter is BuNo 74560 (c/n 4752), an FM-2 which flies as N29FG. It was bought from Comanche Warbirds Inc. of Houston (TX), USA. As far as Scramble Magazine is aware N29FG has not arrived in Germany yet.

The purchase of this Wildcat follows that of another FM-2, N909WJ (c/n 2020) that was restored by Tina Fly earlier. As Scramble Magazine reported here, N909WJ overturned during an emergency landing in a field near Bad Krozingen not far from the airport of Bremgarten on 1 June 2022. So N29FG will be a replacement for the unfortunate N909WJ.

After its service life as US Navy BuNo74560, the new Wildcat to arrive in Germany became N90523 around 1950. It had several civilian owners in the period from 1950 to 1990, amongst them famous collectors like Frank Tallman and Doug Chapman.

In July 1990 Tom Friedkin of Cinema Air, Houston (TX) bought the plane and reregistered it as N16TF. One year later the plane became N29FG and was from then on operated by Comanche Warbirds Inc.

Photo: Tina Fly GmbH