Successor to the Grumman Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat made history in 1942 when it decisively whipped the Japanese carrier based fighters opposing it in the Pacific during World War 2. First flown on July 26th of that year, the Hellcat was the result of specifications laid down by a large group of fighter pilots polled by the officials of the Grumman Aircraft Company. In addition to its duty as a carrier-based fighter, the Hellcat served with the U.S. Marine Corps as a potent fighter-bomber.