87-461: The Bethpage Union Free School District (BUFSD) in Bethpage, New York contains 5 schools. The boundaries of the school district include parts of some surrounding hamlets (such as Old Bethpage , Plainview , and Plainedge ). The District has a projector and computer in almost every classroom and many computer labs. There are over 3,000 students and over 280 teachers. The Superintendent of Schools
174-612: A claimed air combat kill-to-loss ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the entire war. Lessons learned from the Wildcat were later applied to the faster F6F Hellcat . While the Wildcat had better range and maneuverability at low speed, the Hellcat could rely on superior power and high speed performance to outperform the Zero. Wildcat production continued throughout the remainder of the war, with Wildcats serving on escort carriers , where
261-550: A station then called Jerusalem Station , and on January 29, 1857, a local post office opened, also named Jerusalem Station . LIRR schedules listed the station also as simply Jerusalem . Residents succeeded in changing the name of the post office to Central Park , effective March 1, 1867 (respelled as Centralpark from 1895 to 1899). The Central Park Fire Company was organized in April 1910, and incorporated in May 1911. In May 1923
348-654: A $ 500 million lawsuit against Grumman. According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP, or Census Designated Place, has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km ), all land. For the 2000 Census, the boundaries of the CDP were adjusted compared to those of the 1990 census, with some territory gained and some lost. The area is served by the Bethpage Post Office, ZIP code 11714, whose boundaries are slightly different from that of
435-637: A U-boat were sunk with the loss of one Wildcat and one Grumman Avenger torpedo-bomber. The Wildcat was generally outperformed by the Mitsubishi Zero , its major opponent in the early part of the Pacific Theater but held its own partly because, with relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks , the Grumman airframe could survive far more damage than its lightweight, unarmored Japanese rival. Many U.S. Navy fighter pilots were saved by
522-552: A ball of fire by now. Grumman's Wildcat production ceased in early 1943 to make way for the newer F6F Hellcat but General Motors continued producing Wildcats for U.S. Navy and Fleet Air Arm use. At first, GM produced the FM-1 (identical to the F4F-4 but with four guns). Production later switched to the improved FM-2 (based on Grumman's XF4F-8 prototype, informally known as the "Wilder Wildcat") optimized for small-carrier operations, with
609-449: A catapult made it more suitable for shorter flight decks. At first, GM produced the FM-1 , identical to the F4F-4, but reduced the number of guns to four, and added wing racks for two 250 lb (110 kg) bombs or six rockets. Production later switched to the improved FM-2 (based on Grumman's XF4F-8 prototype) optimized for small-carrier operations, with a more powerful engine (the 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) Wright R-1820 -56), and
696-461: A household in the CDP was $ 70,173, and the median income for a family was $ 78,573. Males had a median income of $ 53,404 versus $ 36,708 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 27,850. About 2.1% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. Bethpage was the home of the Grumman plant that produced
783-544: A matter of personal experience, this Grumman fighter was one of the finest shipboard aeroplanes ever created. The last air raid of the war in Europe was carried out by Fleet Air Arm aircraft in Operation Judgement on 5 May 1945. Twenty eight Wildcat VI aircraft from 846 , 853 and 882 Naval Air Squadron , flying from escort carriers, took part in an attack on a U-boat depot near Harstad , Norway. Two ships and
870-403: A maximum climb rate of 1,940 ft/min (9.9 m/s) at 7,600 ft (2,300 m) at 7,790 lb (3,530 kg) weight, and a time to climb to 20,000 ft (6,100 m) of 12.5 minutes. The service ceiling at 7,790 lb (3,530 kg) was 31,000 ft (9,400 m). The Martlet was the second single-seat, monoplane fighter to operate from Royal Navy aircraft carriers following
957-492: A more powerful engine and a taller tail to cope with the increased torque. From 1943, Wildcats equipped with bomb racks were primarily assigned to escort carriers for use against submarines and attacking ground targets, though they would also continue to score kills against Japanese fighters, bombers and kamikaze aircraft. Larger fighters such as the Hellcat and the Corsair and dive bombers were needed aboard fleet carriers and
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#17328008909551044-464: A new settlement less than a mile eastward from what had previously appeared on maps as Bethpage . Schedules at that time do not mention Bethpage as a stop, but have a notation "late Bethpage". On an 1855 map, the location identified as Bethpage has shifted slightly westward to include a nearby area now called Plainedge . Between 1851 and 1854, the LIRR initiated a stop within present-day Bethpage at
1131-429: A problem common to wing-mounted weapons of many U.S. fighters early in the war. An F4F-3 flown by Lieutenant Edward O'Hare shot down, within a few minutes, five Mitsubishi twin-engine bombers attacking Lexington off Bougainville on 20 February 1942. But contrasting with O'Hare's performance, his wingman was unable to participate because his guns would not function. A shortage of two-stage superchargers led to
1218-692: A prominent role in the defense of Wake Island in December 1941. USN and USMC aircraft formed the fleet's primary air defense during the Battle of Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway and land-based Wildcats played a major role during the Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942–43. It was not until 1943 that more advanced naval fighters capable of taking on the Zero on more even terms, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair , reached
1305-549: A single-stage, two-speed supercharger. The FAA decided to accept a delay in delivery to get Martlets fitted out with the Grumman-designed and patented Sto-Wing folding wing system first fitted onto U.S. Navy F4F-4 Wildcats, which were vitally important if the Martlet was to be used from the first 3 Illustrious class carriers which had elevators that were too narrow to accommodate non-folding wing aircraft. Nevertheless,
1392-487: A space and aviation center has left heavy metals, toxic waste, and radioactive byproducts dumped into the surrounding ground and leeching into the water. Bethpage as of 2012 has been declared a class 2 Superfund site . The rate of cancers and birth defects in Bethpage is statistically well above the national average, which many attribute to the polluted soil and ground water. Bethpage residents have taken action by filing
1479-425: A tactical advantage, the Wildcat could prove a difficult opponent even against the formidable Zero. After analyzing Fleet Air Tactical Unit Intelligence Bureau reports describing the new carrier fighter, USN Commander "Jimmy" Thach devised a defensive tactic that allowed Wildcat formations to act in a coordinated maneuver to counter a diving attack, called the " Thach Weave ". The most widely employed tactic during
1566-504: A taller tail to cope with the torque. The F4F-7 was a photoreconnaissance variant, with armor and armament removed. It had non-folding "wet" wings that carried an additional 555 gal (2,101 L) of fuel for a total of about 700 gal (2,650 L), increasing its range to 3,700 mi (5,955 km). A total of 21 were built. The F2M-1 was a planned development of the FM-1 by General Motors / Eastern Aircraft to be powered by
1653-543: A top speed of 318 mph (512 km/h), the Wildcat was outperformed by the faster (331 mph (533 km/h)), more maneuverable, and longer-ranged Mitsubishi A6M Zero . US Navy pilots, including John "Jimmy" Thach , a pioneer of fighter tactics to deal with the A6M Zero, were greatly dissatisfied with the Wildcat's inferior performance against the Zero in the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. The Wildcat has
1740-602: Is David Schneider. The Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Technology is Michael Spence, former principal of Bethpage Senior High school. Scott Harrington is the Assistant Superintendent for Business, and Kevin Fullerton is the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. This New York (state) school–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bethpage, New York Bethpage (formerly known as Central Park )
1827-769: Is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County , on Long Island , in New York , United States. The population was 16,658 at the 2020 United States Census . The name Bethpage comes from the Quaker Thomas Powell , who named the area after the Biblical town Bethphage , which was between Jericho and Jerusalem in the Holy Land. Present-day Bethpage
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#17328008909551914-632: Is easily accessed from Bethpage. Bethpage Water District was announced as the best tasting drinking water in New York State at the New York State Fair in Syracuse in 2006. In 2010 chlorine was added to the drinking water following new Nassau County Board of Health regulations, leading many residents to complain that the taste of the water had declined. Medal of Honor recipient Stephen Edward Karopczyc lived in Bethpage, and
2001-740: Is in the Levittown census-designated place. The grocery chain King Kullen is based in Bethpage. USPS also has a sorting facility in the town that serves the New York region. Bethpage is also home to the North America Headquarters of technology company LogiTag and Altice, formerly known as Cablevision . Bethpage is home to two movie studios. Gold Coast Studios has filmed major motion pictures in Bethpage including The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Sisters , as well as
2088-608: Is indeed surprising that any of our pilots returned alive. Any success our fighter pilots may have had against the Japanese Zero fighter is not due to the performance of the airplane we fly but is the result of the comparatively poor marksmanship of the Japanese, stupid mistakes made by a few of their pilots and superior marksmanship and team work of some of our pilots. The F4F airplane is pitifully inferior in climb, maneuverability and speed. Four U.S. Marine Corps Wildcats played
2175-555: Is quoted as saying, "A pilot who cannot hit with four guns will miss with eight." Extra guns and folding wings meant extra weight and reduced performance: the F4F-4 was capable of only about 318 mph (512 km/h) at 19,400 ft (5,900 m). Rate of climb was noticeably worse in the F4F-4; while Grumman optimistically claimed the F4F-4 could climb at a modest 1,950 ft (590 m) per minute, in combat conditions, pilots found their F4F-4s capable of ascending at only 500 to 1,000 ft (150 to 300 m) per minute. Moreover,
2262-619: The Apollo Lunar Modules , or LEMs. Bethpage State Park offers five golf courses to choose from. One of them, the Black Course , was the site of the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009 . Tiger Woods won the event in 2002 and Lucas Glover in 2009. While the park and its five golf courses are located almost entirely within Old Bethpage and its offices are located within the neighboring Farmingdale postal district, it
2349-439: The Battle of the Coral Sea . Lexington and Yorktown fought against the fleet carriers Zuikaku and Shōkaku and the light carrier Shōhō in this battle, in an attempt to halt a Japanese invasion of Port Moresby on Papua. During these battles, it became clear that attacks without fighter escort amounted to suicide, but that the fighter component on the carriers was completely insufficient to provide both fighter cover for
2436-867: The Bethpage Union Free School District , the Plainedge Union Free School District , the Island Trees Union Free School District , or the Hicksville Union Free School District. Additionally, Briarcliffe College used to have a campus in Bethpage. Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy , and
2523-605: The Guadalcanal Campaign was high-altitude ambush, where hit-and-run maneuvers were executed using altitude advantage. This was possible due to an early warning system composed of Coastwatchers and radar . On rare occasions, when Wildcats were unable to gain altitude in time, they would suffer many losses. On 2 October 1942, a Japanese air raid from Rabaul was not detected in time and the Cactus Air Force lost six Wildcats to only one Zero destroyed. On
2610-682: The Martlet III(B) . At the time of Pearl Harbor, only Enterprise had a fully equipped Wildcat squadron, VF-6 with F4F-3As. Enterprise was then transferring a detachment of VMF-211, also equipped with F4F-3s, to Wake. Saratoga was in San Diego, working up for operations of the F4F-3s of VF-3. 11 F4F-3s of VMF-211 were at the Ewa Marine Air Corps Station on Oahu; nine of these were damaged or destroyed during
2697-528: The Royal Navy 's Fleet Air Arm after the fall of France and entered service on 8 September 1940. These aircraft, designated by Grumman as G-36A , had a different cowling from other earlier F4Fs and fixed wings, and were intended to be fitted with French armament and instruments following delivery. In British service initially, the aircraft were known as the Martlet I , but not all Martlets would be to exactly
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2784-686: The Brewster monoplane proved to be unsatisfactory. It was clear to Grumman that the XF4F-1 would be inferior to the Brewster monoplane, so Grumman abandoned the XF4F-1, designing instead a new monoplane fighter, the XF4F-2. The XF4F-2 would retain the same, fuselage-mounted, hand-cranked main landing gear as the F3F, with its relatively narrow track. The unusual manually-retractable main landing gear design for all of Grumman's U.S. Navy fighters up to and through
2871-802: The British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet . First used by the British in the North Atlantic, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during the early part of the Second World War . The disappointing Brewster Buffalo was withdrawn in favor of the Wildcat and replaced as aircraft became available. With
2958-709: The Buffalo was more maneuverable. The Buffalo was judged superior and was chosen for production. After losing out to Brewster, Grumman completely rebuilt the prototype as the XF4F-3 with new wings and tail and a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine. Testing of the new XF4F-3 led to an order for F4F-3 production models, the first of which was completed in February 1940. France also ordered
3045-557: The CDP was 90.8% White 85.8% Non-Hispanic White , 0.6% African American , 0.1% Native American , 5.5% Asian , 1.5% from other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7% of the population. There were 5,710 households, out of which 32% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. Of all households 17.9% were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who
3132-415: The CDP. The area is also served by Bethpage Union Free School District , Island Trees Union Free School District , Plainedge Union Free School District , and Hicksville Union Free School District, the boundaries of which include parts of some surrounding hamlets, including parts of Old Bethpage, Plainview , and Plainedge. The Town of Hempstead , on its website, includes a small part of Bethpage hamlet that
3219-518: The Central Park Water District was created. Following the 1932 opening of nearby Bethpage State Park , the name of the local post office was changed to Bethpage on October 1, 1936. The LIRR station was also renamed Bethpage station . The name Bethpage was, however, already in use by an adjacent community, which resisted suggestions of a merger and instead renamed itself Old Bethpage . The change from Central Park to Bethpage
3306-516: The F4F, as well as for the amphibious Grumman J2F utility biplane, was originally created in the 1920s by Leroy Grumman for Grover Loening . Landing accidents caused by failure of the main gear to fully lock into place were distressingly common. The overall performance of Grumman's new monoplane was felt to be inferior to that of the Brewster Buffalo. The XF4F-2 was marginally faster, but
3393-416: The F4F-4's folding wing was intended to allow five F4F-4s to be stowed in the space required by two F4F-3s. In practice, the folding wings allowed an increase of about 50% in the number of Wildcats carried aboard U.S. fleet aircraft carriers. A variant of the F4F-4, designated F4F-4B for contractual purposes, was supplied to the British with a modified cowling and Wright Cyclone engine. These aircraft received
3480-810: The French Navy and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) had ordered the Wildcat, with their own configurations, via the Anglo-French Purchasing Board . The F4F, initially known in British service as the Martlet, was taken on by the FAA as an interim replacement for the Fairey Fulmar . The Fulmar was a two-seat fighter with good range but operated at a performance disadvantage against single-seater fighters. Navalised Supermarine Spitfires were not available because of
3567-427: The Grumman site. Altice USA (f/k/a Cablevision) is headquartered in Grumman's former main office. In August 2015, a small airplane with engine trouble failed to reach Farmingdale airport, and was redirected to "Bethpage Airport" by the air traffic controller. However, the pilot could not find that airport because it was closed and had buildings on it, and the plane crashed on LIRR tracks. Bethpage's history as
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3654-466: The Grumman, the airplane did not fall, but kept on flying. I thought this very odd—it had never happened before—and closed the distance between the two airplanes until I could almost reach out and touch the Grumman. To my surprise, the Grumman's rudder and tail were torn to shreds, looking like an old torn piece of rag. With his plane in such condition, no wonder the pilot was unable to continue fighting! A Zero which had taken that many bullets would have been
3741-456: The Japanese attack. The detachment of VMF-211 on Wake lost seven Wildcats to Japanese attacks on 8 December, but the remaining five put up a fierce defense, making the first bomber kill on 9 December. The destroyer Kisaragi was sunk by the Wildcats, and the Japanese invasion force retreated. In May 1942, the F4F-3s of VF-2 and VF-42 , aboard Yorktown and Lexington , participated in
3828-773: The Martlets were modified to have British-style catapult spools. Deliveries of the folding-wing G-36Bs began in August 1941, with 36 shipped to the UK and 54 shipped to the Far East; they were designated "Martlet Mark II". Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) testing of the Martlet II at a mean weight of approximately 7,350 lb (3,330 kg) showed a maximum speed of 293 mph (472 km/h) at 5,400 ft (1,600 m) and 13,800 ft (4,200 m),
3915-504: The South Pacific theater. The Japanese ace Saburō Sakai described the Wildcat's capacity to absorb damage: I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Grumman and decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7.7 mm machine guns. I turned the 20 mm cannon switch to the "off" position, and closed in. For some strange reason, even after I had poured about five or six hundred rounds of ammunition directly into
4002-612: The South Pacific, arriving in July 1942. In October 1942, long-ranged and unarmed F4F-7s began replacing the F4F-3Ps, but a detachment of three F4F-3P from VMO-155 operated from the Bogue -class escort carrier USS Nassau (CVE-16) during the amphibious invasion of Attu Island in May 1943. Boston, MA, USA: Little, Brown and Co./Atlantic Monthly Press This floatplane version of the F4F-3
4089-528: The Wildcat's ZB homing device, which allowed them to find their carriers in poor visibility, provided they could get within the 30 mi (48 km) range of the homing beacon. (However, the Zed Baker was wildly inconsistent in practice, especially during the Battle of Midway, when an entire squadron of Wildcats crashed in the sea after failing to locate their carriers). In the hands of an expert pilot with
4176-650: The Wildcat's slower landing speed made it more suitable for shorter flight decks. In the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944, escort carriers of Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3") and their escort of destroyers and destroyer escorts found themselves as the sole force standing between vulnerable troop transport and supply ships engaged in landings on the Philippine island of Leyte and a powerful Japanese surface fleet of battleships and cruisers. In desperation, lightly armed Avengers and FM-2 Wildcats from Taffys 1, 2 and 3 resorted to tactics such as strafing ships, including
4263-414: The XF4F-3 prototype, BuNo 0383 , c/n 356, modified from XF4F-2, was lost under circumstances that suggested that the pilot may have been confused by the poor layout of fuel valves and flap controls and inadvertently turned the fuel valve to "off" immediately after takeoff rather than selecting flaps "up". This was the first fatality in the type. Even before the Wildcat had been purchased by the U.S. Navy,
4350-691: The bridge of the Japanese battleship Yamato , while the destroyers and destroyer escorts attacked the Japanese surface force. This action contributed to buying enough time for Taffy 3's escort carriers to escape into a rain squall. U.S. Navy Wildcats participated in Operation Torch . USN escort carriers in the Atlantic used Wildcats until the end of the war. In October 1943 F4Fs participated in Operation Leader , an anti-shipping strike on Norway. In all, 7,860 Wildcats were built. During
4437-473: The carrier and an escort for an attack force. Most U.S. carriers carried fewer than 20 fighters. In June 1942, 17 F4F-3s and one F4F-3A (18 total) were converted into F4F-3P photoreconnaissance planes. The F4F-3Ps were for short-range tactical reconnaissance, as their reserve fuel tanks were removed and replaced with Fairchild F-56 cameras. The F4F-3Ps retained their machine guns and were mainly flown by VMO-251 on air defense missions from Espiritu Santo in
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#17328008909554524-465: The converted former German merchant vessel HMS Audacity in September 1941 and shot down several Luftwaffe Fw 200 Condor bombers during highly effective convoy escort operations. These were the first of many Wildcats to engage in aerial combat at sea, including Convoy HG 76 to Gibraltar, in December 1941. The British received 300 Eastern Aircraft FM-1s giving them the designation Martlet V in 1942–43 and 340 FM-2s, (having changed to using
4611-445: The course of the war, Navy and Marine F4Fs and FMs flew 15,553 combat sorties (14,027 of these from aircraft carriers ), destroying a claimed figure of 1,327 enemy aircraft at a cost of 178 aerial losses, 24 to ground/shipboard fire, and 49 to operational causes (an overall claimed kill-to-loss ratio of 6.9:1). True to their escort fighter role, Wildcats dropped only 154 tons of bombs during the war. The original Grumman F4F-1 design
4698-409: The deck at all times. On its first voyage, it served as escort carrier for a convoy to Gibraltar. On 20 September, a German Fw 200 was shot down. On the next voyage, four Fw 200 Condors fell to the guns of the Martlets, and of the combined total, two of these five Condors were shot down by Eric "Winkle" Brown during his time aboard. Operations from Audacity also demonstrated that the fighter cover
4785-421: The designation Martlet III . These were followed by 30 folding wing aircraft (F4F-3As) which were originally destined for the Hellenic Air Force , which were also designated Martlet IIIs. On paper, the designation changed to Martlet III(A) when the second series of Martlet III was introduced. Poor design of the armament installation on early F4Fs caused these otherwise reliable machine guns to frequently jam,
4872-434: The designation of Martlet IV . Two F4F-3s (the 3rd and 4th production aircraft, BuNo 1846/1847) were fitted with a Wright R-1820-40 engine and designated XF4F-5. General Motors / Eastern Aircraft produced 5,280 FM variants of the Wildcat. Grumman's Wildcat production ceased in early 1943 to make way for the newer F6F Hellcat, but General Motors continued producing Wildcats for both U.S. Navy and Fleet Air Arm use. Late in
4959-450: The development of the F4F-3A , which was basically the F4F-3 but with a 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90 radial engine with a more primitive single-stage two-speed supercharger. The F4F-3A, which was capable of 312 mph (502 km/h) at 16,000 ft (4,900 m), was used side by side with the F4F-3, but its poorer performance made it unpopular with U.S. Navy fighter pilots. The F4F-3A would enter service as
5046-431: The early war years, including the Battle of Midway. Navy F4F-3s were replaced by F4F-4s in June 1942. During the Battle of Midway, only VMF-221 still used F4F-3s. VF-42 of the Yorktown was the last carrier group converted to the F4F-4, and that was done as it left Pearl Harbor on the way to the Battle of Midway as VF-3 flew in new F4F-4s with Commander Thach. The F4F-4 version was less popular with American pilots because
5133-429: The first 10 received had fixed wings. The first Martlet with folding wings was not delivered until August 1941. In contrast to the USN F4F-3, the British aircraft were fitted with armor and self-sealing fuel tanks. The Mk II also had a larger tailwheel. For carrier operations, the "sting" tail hook and attachment point for the American single-point catapult launch system were considered important advantages. Nevertheless,
5220-405: The former Karopczyc School in Bethpage (part of the Island Trees Union Free School District ) was renamed for him. The school now houses the Island Trees Public Library. The Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage has an NHL-size rink for skating, and is home to the Long Island Blues special hockey team, who practice and play home games at the rink. Bethpage residents can be zoned for
5307-410: The general fuselage outlines of what would become the F4F Wildcat. In 1935, while the F3F was still undergoing flight testing, Grumman started work on its next biplane fighter, the G-16. At the time, the U.S. Navy favored a monoplane design, the Brewster F2A-1 , ordering production early in 1936. However, an order was also placed for Grumman's G-16 (given the navy designation XF4F-1) as a backup in case
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#17328008909555394-425: The greater need of the Royal Air Force . In the European theater, its first combat victory was on Christmas Day 1940, when a land-based Martlet destroyed a Junkers Ju 88 bomber over the Scapa Flow naval base. This was the first combat victory by a US-built fighter in British service in World War II. The type also pioneered combat operations from the smaller escort carriers . Six Martlets went to sea aboard
5481-413: The improved XR-1820-70 engine, but the project was canceled before any aircraft were built. At the end of 1939, Grumman received a French order for 81 aircraft of model G-36A, to equip their new Joffre -class aircraft carriers : Joffre and Painlevé . The main difference with the basic model G-36 was due to the unavailability for export of the two-stage supercharged engine of the F4F-3. The G-36A
5568-429: The introduction of the Sea Hurricane IB on HMS Furious in July 1941. The majority of the Martlet Mk IIs were sent to the Far East. The first shipboard operations of the type in British service were in September 1941, aboard HMS Audacity , a very small escort carrier with a carrier deck of 420 ft (130 m) by 59 ft (18 m), no elevators and no hangar deck. The six Wildcats were parked on
5655-403: The landings in French North Africa. The first 30 F4F-3As were released for sale to Greece, after the Italian invasion in November 1940 . However, at the defeat of Greece in April 1941 the aircraft had only reached Gibraltar. They were taken over by the FAA as Martlet Mk III(B). As these aircraft did not have folding wings, they were only used from land bases. They served in a shore-based role in
5742-403: The larger and much heavier Hellcat could not be used. Grumman fighter development began with the two-seat Grumman FF biplane . The FF was the first U.S. naval fighter with a retractable landing gear . The wheels retracted into the fuselage , leaving the tires visibly exposed, flush with the sides of the fuselage. Two single-seat biplane designs followed, the F2F and F3F , which established
5829-415: The most intense initial phase of the Guadalcanal Campaign, between 1 August and 15 November, combat records indicate that US lost 115 Wildcats and Japanese lost 106 Zeros to all causes; the Japanese lost many more pilots compared to the US. Thach was greatly dissatisfied and a vocal critic of the Wildcat's performance during the war (as were many US carrier pilots), stating in his Midway action report; It
5916-425: The same amount of ammunition was spread over two additional guns, decreasing firing time. With the F4F-3's four .50 in (12.7 mm) guns and 450 rpg, pilots had 34 seconds of firing time; six guns decreased ammunition to 240 rpg, which could be expended in less than 20 seconds. The increase to six guns was attributed to the Royal Navy, who wanted greater firepower to deal with German and Italian foes. Jimmy Thach
6003-438: The same changes to the French aircraft, plus the removal of the tailhook as they were to be landbased. Belgium surrendered before any aircraft were delivered and by 10 May 1940, the aircraft order was transferred to the Royal Navy. Before the Fleet Air Arm took on charge the Martlet Mk Is, it had already ordered 100 G-36B fighters. The British chose the Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4-G engine to power this aircraft; this too had
6090-423: The same name as the US) as the Wildcat VI . Nearly 1,200 Wildcats were flown by the FAA and by January 1944, the Martlet name was dropped and the type was identified as the Wildcat. In March 1945, Wildcats shot down four Messerschmitt Bf 109s over Norway , the FAA's last Wildcat victories. I would still assess the Wildcat as the outstanding naval fighter of the early years of World War II ... I can vouch as
6177-465: The same specifications as U.S. Navy aircraft. All Martlet Is featured the four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns of the F4F-3 with 450 rpg. The British directly ordered and received a version with the original Twin Wasp, but again with a modified cowling , under the manufacturer designation G-36B . These aircraft were given the designation Martlet II by the British. The first 10 G-36Bs were fitted with non- folding wings and were given
6264-623: The television series Pan Am and Kevin Can Wait . Grumman Studios also worked on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , and has filmed Avengers , Salt and broadcast The Sound of Music Live! Goya Foods has its Long Island division in Bethpage. As of the census of 2010, there were 16,429 people, 5,710 households, and 4,516 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,564.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,762.4/km ). There were 5,788 housing units at an average density of 1,597.0 per square mile (616.6/km ). The racial makeup of
6351-599: The type, powered by a Wright R-1820 "Cyclone 9" radial engine, but France fell to the Axis powers before they could be delivered and the aircraft went instead to the British Royal Navy, who christened the new fighter the Martlet . The U.S. Navy officially adopted the aircraft type on 1 October 1941 as the Wildcat. The Royal Navy's and U.S. Navy's F4F-3s, armed with four .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, joined active units in 1940. On 16 December 1940,
6438-415: The very first day of the campaign, before the establishment of Henderson field, Wildcat fighters of TF16 (USS Enterprise) lost 10 fighters and an SBD performing CAP duty to Rabaul based Tainan Kōkūtai Zero fighters, in exchange for one Zero that was forced to crash-land later, these losses included US Fighter Ace James 'Pug' Southerland who was shot down by IJNAS ace Saburō Sakai (but survived). During
6525-444: The war, the Wildcat was obsolescent as a front line fighter compared to the faster (380 mph/610 km/h) F6F Hellcat or much faster (446 mph/718 km/h) F4U Corsair. However, they were adequate for small escort carriers against submarine and shore threats. These relatively modest ships only carried two types of aircraft, the Wildcats and GM-built TBM Avengers. The Wildcat's lower landing speed and ability to take off without
6612-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.27. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for
6699-767: Was a biplane, which proved inferior to rival designs, necessitating a complete redesign as a monoplane named the F4F-2 . This design was still not competitive with the Brewster F2A Buffalo which won initial U.S. Navy orders, but when the F4F-3 development was fitted with a more powerful version of the engine, a Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830-76, featuring a two-stage supercharger, it showed its true potential. U.S. Navy orders followed as did some (with Wright Cyclone engines) from France; these ended up with
6786-782: Was decided to use the superior American equipment. The first Martlets entered British service in August 1940, with 804 Naval Air Squadron , stationed at Hatston in the Orkney Islands. The Martlet Mk I did not have a wing folding mechanism and was therefore used primarily from land bases, with the notable exception of six aircraft of 882 Sqn aboard Illustrious from March 1942. In April 1942 Illustrious transferred two Martlet I aircraft to HMS Archer while in port at Freetown. One of her four retained Martlet I aircraft were subsequently fitted with folding wings by ship's staff during passage to Durban. In 1940, Belgium also placed an order for at least 10 G-36A's. These were to be modified with
6873-644: Was developed for use at forward island bases in the Pacific, before the construction of airfields. It was inspired by appearance of the A6M2-N "Rufe", a modification of the Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zeke". BuNo 4038 was modified to become the F4F-3S "Wildcatfish" . Twin floats, manufactured by Edo Aircraft Corporation , were fitted. To restore the stability, small auxiliary fins were added to the tailplane . Because this
6960-510: Was made famous by the performance of its F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft and its successor the F6F Hellcat , which shot down 5,223 enemy aircraft, more than any other naval aircraft. In 1994, Grumman was purchased by Northrop and formed Northrop Grumman . Although no longer headquartered in Bethpage, the company still retains operations there. The Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Bethpage (NWIRP) started operations in 1942, west of
7047-801: Was one of the last complete name changes of Nassau County's post offices. From 1936 until 1994, Bethpage was home to the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation , which made, among other things, the F-14 Tomcat , the Navy version of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) for Moon landings, and for this reason Bethpage is mentioned in the 1995 film Apollo 13 . Grumman
7134-541: Was part of the 1695 Bethpage Purchase . An early name for the northern section of present-day Bethpage was Bedelltown , a name that appeared on maps at least as late as 1906. On maps just before the arrival of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the name Bethpage appears for a community now included in both the post office district and school district of the adjacent community of Farmingdale . In 1841, train service began to Farmingdale station , near
7221-425: Was powered by the nine-cylinder, single-row Wright R-1820-G205A radial engine, of 1,200 hp (890 kW) and with a single-stage two-speed supercharger. The G-36A also had French instruments (with metric calibration), radio and gunsight . The throttle was modified to conform to French pre-war practice: the throttle lever was moved towards the pilot (i.e. backward) to increase engine power. The armament which
7308-452: Was still insufficient, a ventral fin was added later. The F4F-3S was first flown 28 February 1943. The weight and drag of the floats reduced the maximum speed to 241 mph (388 km/h). As the performance of the basic F4F-3 was already below that of the Zero, the F4F-3S was clearly of limited usefulness. In any case, the construction of the airfields at forward bases by the " Seabees "
7395-548: Was surprisingly quick. Only one was converted. A new version, the F4F-4 , entered service in 1941 with six machine guns and the Grumman-patented Sto-Wing folding wing system, which allowed more aircraft to be stored on an aircraft carrier, increasing the number of fighters that could be parked on a surface by more than a factor of 2. The F4F-4 was the definitive version that saw the most combat service in
7482-689: Was to be fitted in France was six 7.5 mm (.296 in) Darne machine guns (two in the fuselage and four in the wings). The first G-36A was flown on 11 May 1940. After France's defeat in the Battle of France , all contracts were taken over by Britain. The throttle was modified again, four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) guns were installed in the wings and most traces of the original ownership removed. The Martlets were modified for British use by Blackburn , which continued to do this for all later marks. British gunsights, catapult spools and other items were installed. After attempts to fit British radio sets, it
7569-450: Was useful against U-boats. Audacity was sunk by a U-boat on 21 December 1941, and of the pilots only Brown and one other survived, but it had already proved the usefulness of escort carriers. In May 1942, 881 and 882 squadrons on HMS Illustrious participated in operations against Madagascar . In August 1942, 806 NAS on HMS Indomitable provided fighter cover for a convoy to Malta . Later in that year they participated in
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