F4F Wildcat Cable at the Top

[Dante Fierro]

Anyone know what the cable on top of the F4F Wildcat (seen in picture below) - what its purpose was?

Curious mind would like to know.

[btd64]

Radio....GP

[Dante Fierro]

Ah got it! Thanks.

[MuguNiner]

That's a great picture.

[NigelKentarus]

+1

[spence]

Radio....GP

The cable looks like a high frequency antenna. Don't aircraft use Ultra High Frequency for comms? Don't know much about radios in the early 40s.

In "Shattered Sword" the authors mention that all aircraft from the same ship used the same frequency for communications as well as how that would negatively impact the control of the CAP. The US took some time to perfect fighter direction but ultimately succeeded very well (as exemplified by the performance of the US CAP at the Battle of the Philippine Sea).

Has anybody got a good nuts and bolts explanation of how the Fighter Direction Centers worked?

[bradfordkay]

Does anybody know where that photo was taken? It looks rather like the lower end of Puget Sound and Hood Canal, but the bodies of water aren't quite the right shape.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Does anybody know where that photo was taken? It looks rather like the lower end of Puget Sound and Hood Canal, but the bodies of water aren't quite the right shape.

I believe that the above pic is this guy.

"Proud Owner of the Last Flying Wildcat
How Steve Craig keeps his Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat in working order."
https://www.airspacemag.com/as-intervie ... -16045817/

[Lecivius]

Ok, but my idle mind wants to know what the right wing spike is for.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

pitot tube maybe?

what a beautiful picture, looks as if it was taken with a modern, high resolution camera
EDIT: actually it looks it was [:D][:D] I somehow thought this was a WW2 picture

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

pitot tube maybe?

what a beautiful picture, looks as if it was taken with a modern, high resolution camera
EDIT: actually it looks it was [:D][:D] I somehow thought this was a WW2 picture

I believe so.

"A pitot tube, is a flow measurement device used to measure fluid flow velocity. The Pitot tube was invented by the French engineer Henri Pitot in the early 18th century and was modified to its modern form in the mid-19th century by French scientist Henry Darcy. It is widely used to determine the airspeed of an aircraft, water speed of a boat, and to measure liquid, air and gas flow velocities in certain industrial applications."

A Pitot tube from a Wildcat model kit.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

Ok, but my idle mind wants to know what the right wing spike is for.

Spearing geese?