WWII Hellcat Death N’ Destruction Arrives Home After Making An Essential Pitstop
Is there any better way to spend a Sunday? We don’t think so! Sunday, March 28th, started out with church and then hurrying to Beatrice, Nebraska, where the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat serial number 72534, Death N’ Destruction would be reunited with WWII Navy Ace, Don M. McPherson, for the first time since WWII. The reunion was nothing short of remarkable.
Here is what Evan has to say about Sunday:
“Sunday’s reunion with Don was a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing Don with the Hellcat is hard to describe. Having him climb up and reach inside the cockpit was amazing. Knowing Don used these Hellcats for their intended purpose and fought in these and had so many memories I can only imagine what he was thinking and what came flooding back into his memory. Seeing his hand on the stick was priceless. The past 4 years Don and I have become good friends and getting to know him has been a true blessing. Don’s knowledge of the Hellcat and actual life events are hard to imagine, but he gave everything and put his life on hold to protect our country and is a true American hero. Don is one of few aces left in the world and one of the most humble guys I know. It’s an honor to call him my friend. I look forward to our next visit and lunch together.”
Four years ago, Evan Fagen and Don McPherson started making plans to paint serial number 72534 in the likeness of Death N’ Destruction. Those four years held a lot of anticipation for the day the Hellcat was to arrive, but we remained patient knowing the wait would all be worth it, and it was.
Fighters Rebuilders in Chino, California did a phenomenal job on the restoration. The attention to detail is so impressive and replicates the make of the original design. Like c’mon, check it out!
And just to add to the sweetness of such a significant day, Monday, March 29, marked exactly three years ago that a restoration project was delivered to Fighter Rebuilders.
In one day Don shot down three Kamikazes from the cockpit of his Hellcat.
There are seventeen assembled F6F hellcats in the world. Of those, only six are airworthy, but only three fly. We are so honored to add this beautiful WWII aircraft to our growing collection! It’s humbling to preserve such significant history.
Anyway, thanks for reading about this plane and the special day we had! We hope to share more experiences with you soon!
If you ever get a chance, go out of the way to thank a veteran. Their service to our country isn’t easy nor free, but they do it because they love this nation and the freedom we have.
Shout out to Steve Hinton and the team at Fighter Rebuilders for delivering such a prize to our museum! If anyone is ever in Chino, California make sure to visit their WWII museum, Planes of Fame.
78645 HISTORY
78645 was originally manufactured as an F6F-5N variant and was accepted by the US Navy on March 2, 1945
It started it’s service in VF-14 and then the VF-80 in Pensacola, Florida
After WWII, the Hellcat was assigned to Naval Air Reserve Training Command at NAS Squantum in Quincy, Massachusetts. Rumor has it that 78645 was operated as a drone here!
Fast forward and in 1978, 78645 was acquired by Charles Nichols for the Yanks Air Museum and used for mostly static display
In 2018, Yanks sold F6F-5 Hellcat 78645 to Fagen Fighters.
The Hellcat was shipped off to Chino, California where Fighter Rebuilders would completely strip down and restore 78645 to authentic condition
January 3rd, 2021 Steve Hinton test flew the aircraft for the first time
Sunday, March 28th, 2021 Death N’ Destruction rejoined WWII Ace Pilot and arrived home in Granite Falls, Minnesota
