English: c/n A-1733. Built 1943. Yanks’ second Hellcat is a very historically important example. ‘40467’ was the mount of US Navy Ace Lt.Alex Vraciu, who claimed 9 victories while flying this machine with VF-6 aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11). He ended the war with 19 aerial victories, the fourth highest US Navy ace. The situation regarding the true identity of this machine is best regarded as ‘complicated’ with four Hellcat airframes being involved, however some of the parts here are certainly from ‘40467’. Allow me to elaborate…… By the early 1970s, the incomplete remains of ‘40467’ were in stored with the ‘Victory Air Museum’ at Mundelein, IL. These passed to the Yanks collection in about 1980 along with similar remains of F6F-3 ‘08831’. This had also been at Mundelein, but passed through Planes of Fame, where its rear fuselage and tail were used in the rebuild of F6F-5K ‘94473’ for Bob Pond (as N4964W). The centre fuselage of ‘08831’ was then reportedly used in the rebuild of F6F-5 ‘80141’, which had come to Yanks from Tom Freidkin (as N100TF) following an accident. This was rebuilt by Yanks and flew in 1988/1989. It then passed through David Tallichet / MARC and ended up with TFC at Duxford, UK as G-BTCC. TFC painted it in Vraciu’s markings, claiming it incorporated parts of ‘40467’. This was later proven to the extent that in 2004 the CAA agreed that the machines identity could be changed from 80141 to 40467, even though it was clearly an F6F-5, not an F6F-3. This has now returned to the USA with Rod Lewis as N467RL. The remaining original parts of ‘08831’ and ‘40467’ (and possibly some parts left over from the 1980’s rebuild of 80141) form the restoration project seen here. Quite possibly there will soon be two airworthy Hellcats claiming to be ‘40467’, which should prove interesting! It was visible in the restoration hangar at the Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California, USA. 20th September 2019