Grumman F8F Bearcat
| Crew: | one | ||
| Length: | 28 ft 3 in | (8.6 m) | |
| Height: | 13 ft 10 in | (4.2 m) | |
| Wing span: | 35 ft 10 in | (10.9 m) | |
| Wing area: | 334 sq ft | (31 m2) | |
| Weights: | empty: combat: | 7,070 lb 12,947 lbs | (3 210 kg) (5 870 kg) |
| Engine: | Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W | ||
| Performance: | range: | 1,105 statute miles | (1 780 km) |
| Ordnance: | guns: bombs: rockets: | four .50 cal. 1,000 lbs four 5 in unguided | |
| Used from: | F-8F-1 | 1944 |
Built around the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine, from the Hellcat, the Bearcat was designed to be launched from small escort aircraft carriers. The result was that it was lighter, faster and had a better rate of climb than the Hellcat. It also had a bubble canopy giving all round visibility. It was often regarded as one of the best handling piston-engine fighters ever built, outperforming many of the early jets.
VF-19 was the first squadron to be equipped with them, being reported in squadron in June 1944. The Bearcat never saw action during the Second World War, VF-19 aboard USS Langley, was on route to the Pacific when Japan surrendered on the 16th of August 1945.
After the second world war, the Bearcat became a major US Navy fighter, equipping 24 fighter squadrons. Often mentioned as one of the best (if not the best) handling piston-engine fighters ever built, their performance was such that they even outperformed many early jets. Its capability for aerobatic performance is borne out by the choice of the Bearcat for the Navy's elite Blue Angels in 1946, who flew it until 1950 when the team was temporarily disbanded during the Korean War.
The Grumman F9F Panther and McDonnell F2H Banshee largely replaced the Bearcat in USN service, as their performance and other advantages eclipsed piston-engine fighters.
Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat
flown by Lt(jg). Lawrence M. Cauble
VF-19A Satan's Kittens
1947