Wildcat to become latest ASME landmark

This month, ASME will add the World War II-era Grumman Wildcat aircraft to its collection of Mechanical Engineering Landmarks.

The Wildcat will be designated as an ASME landmark at a ceremony to be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, May 15, at Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum — also known as the Air Zoo — in Portage, Mich. The ceremony will be sponsored by ASME's Central Michigan Section.

The STO-Wing, featured on the Wildcat pictured here, became a model for many subsequent naval aircraft and is still used today. Photo credit: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

At the ceremony, ASME will designate the Grumman STO-Wing used on the WW II-era Wildcat as a Mechanical Engineering Landmark. ASME Past President Harry Armen, the current director of technology development for Northrop Grumman, will present Air Zoo officials with a commemorative plaque for permanent display at the museum.

"The Wildcat's innovative 'STO-Wing' mechanism developed on the XF4F-4 prototype by Leroy (Roy) Grumman (1895-1982), a founder of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, was crucial to the U.S. Navy's success during World War II," states part of the inscription on the plaque.

The Wildcat's STO-Wing mechanism made it possible to decrease the aircraft's wingspan by hinging the outer sections of the wings and folding them parallel to the fuselage, thus reducing the airplane's overall size. This allowed for easier movement and storage and created the ability to increase aircraft capacity on U.S. Navy carriers by 50 percent.

The event also will feature presentations by David Grumman, son of Grumman Aircraft Co. founder Leroy Grumman; Larry Mead, an early Grumman engineer; and WW II Wildcat pilots Ed "Whitey" Feightner and Don "Flash" Gordon, who will discuss the history of Grumman, the Wildcat, and the STO-Wing design.

The ceremony will also include an STO-Wing folding and unfolding demonstration by Air Zoo staff and a video presentation by Corky Meyer, a Grumman Wildcat test pilot. A celebration luncheon will follow the ceremony.

The museum's collection includes more than 80 planes and other aircraft, from a Wright Flyer to the SR-71B, along with current frontline military aircraft. It is one of only two museums displaying all four of the WWII-era Grumman Wildcats.

Invitation holders will be admitted to the museum without cost and may tour the Air Zoo during the afternoon. To be added to the invitation list, contact Tom Michelhaugh, ASME Central Michigan Section History and Heritage chair, at michelhaught@asme.org.

For more information on ASME'S Mechanical Engineering Landmark program, visit www.asme.org/Communities/History/Landmarks.

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