D. Srull

I HAVE always liked short, fat little airplanes so the Grumman stable naturally has a tremendous amount of appeal. Back in the days of rubber, and free flight powered scale, I frequently built models with these characteristics, but in keeping with the "old wives tales" of the day, most of them turned out to be less than spectacular fliers. This did not deter me, however, for I continued to build them and strive for more success on the flying field. Of course, the Wildcat has consistently remained one of my favorite aircraft and this fascination was enhanced one day back during the big war, when an F4F pulled up next to me, tucked in, and followed like a friendly kitten for awhile. I was flying a B-25 and from the left seat had ample opportunity to enjoy the view and study the pleasant and efficient lines of the little fighter, as well as be thankful that I was not flying a Japanese bomber. When the "F4" peeled off to the left and vanished behind a big, puffy cumulus cloud I felt a bit lonesome.