02/28/2006. Remarks by Jack McKillop: "In early 1942, the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation was producing F4F Wildcats, J2F Ducks and TBF Avengers but the US Navy needed a new fighter to combat the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter (later given the Allied Code Name 'Zeke' although it was commonly known as the 'Zero'). General Motors Corporation (GM) had ceased manufacturing motor vehicles and had established the Eastern Aircraft Division to manufacture existing aircraft. Since Grumman did not have the manufacturing capacity to build the Avenger, Duck, Wildcat and the new aircraft, the Navy Department ordered Grumman to transfer the production of the Avenger and Wildcat to GM's Eastern Aircraft and the Duck to Columbia Aircraft Corporation of Valley Stream, Long Island, New York.

GM's Eastern Aircraft had five plants working on the FM Wildcat and TBM Avenger, as the GM produced aircraft were designated. The plants were located in Baltimore, Maryland; Tarrytown, New York; and three in New Jersey, Bloomfield, Linden and West Trenton. The FMs were assembled in Linden, New Jersey, from parts made in the other plants. Deliveries of the 1,150 FM-1s, which were similar to the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, were delivered between August 1942 and September 1943 with 312 going to Britain's Royal Navy as Martlet Mk.Vs. A total of 4,777 FM-2s were delivered between September 1943 and August 1945 with 370 going to the Royal Navy as Wildcat Mk.VIs. In the US Navy, the FM-2s were assigned to escort aircraft carriers to fly antisubmarine warfare missions and close air support for troops during amphibious invasions.

This FM-2 was delivered to the US Navy with BuNo. 86819 and Eastern c/n 5877. It was purchased by Butler Aviation ca. 1957 and converted into an aerial sprayer. It crashed while spraying in 1958 and the hulk was sold in 1960. It passed through a number of owners, was registered N5833 in August 1983 and was acquired by the Confederate Air Force's Air Group One at Ramona, California in 1986. It was restored and made its first flight on April 24, 1987. It is currently registered to the American Airpower Heritage Museum located at the Commerative Air Force (new name for the Confederate Air Force) headquarters in Midland, Texas. The aircraft is based at Camarillo Airport, Camarillo, California.

This aircraft is shown in the markings of Composite Observation Squadron One (VOC-1) serving in the escort aircraft carrier USS Wake Island (CVE-65) in June 1945. VOC-1 was equipped with both FM-2s and TBM-3s to perform its mission of spotting for naval ship gunfire, a task it performed during the invasions of Luzon in the Philippine Islands and Okinawa in 1945.

By 2003, this Wildcat had been repainted in the markings of a British Royal Navy Wildcat although the colors are not correct."