It was the
speediest prop-driven fighter that Grumman ever
produced, but it arrived too late to see combat in World War Two.
Designed as a follow-on to the successful F6F Hellcat, the F8F Bearcat
was 20 percent lighter and almost 50 MPH faster (421 vs. 376).
The Bearcat was intended as an interceptor fighter, operating from carriers.
In modern vernacular, it might have been called the "Hellcat Lite," designed for the smallest and lightest airframe that could support the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34 radial engine, its fuel, weapons, and armor. The US Navy order two prototypes, XF8F-1, in November, 1943. First flown nine months later, the Bearcat prototype outperformed its heavier predecessor, notably with a thirty percent better climb rate. Grumman then delivered the first production model in February, 1945, only six months after first flight!
The F8F featured all-metal construction, a cantilever low-wing monoplane design, folding wings for carrier operations, self-sealing fuel tanks, four .50 caliber machine guns, pilot armor, a retractable tailwheel, and the 18-cylinder P&W powerplant.
With no early end to WWII in sight, the Navy was preparing for the long haul, and ordered four thousand Bearcats in 1944 (roughly 2,000 each from Grumman and General Motors). VF-19 actually took delivery of its Bearcats in May, 1945 and was still familiarizing with the airplane when the war ended in August. The Navy cancelled the entire GM order and cut 1258 from the Grumman order.
But the program continued for another four years, with Grumman building:
Bearcats flew with the French and Thai air forces in the early 1950's. The F8F-1 illustrated at the top of the page carries the insignia of the French Armee de l'Air Groupe de Chassse 9, which flew out of Tan Son Nhut air base, outside of Saigon. The French units GC 1/8, GM 2/8, GC 2/9 'Auvergne,' GM 2/9, and GC 1/21 'Saintagne' used the Bearcat in a fighter-bomber role against the Viet Minh. Some were dispatched to Dienbienphu, where they were destroyed.
The airframe, exposed to the weather for years and damaged in disassembly, can be restored, but not to original condition and strength. The restored aircraft's flying performance will be limited to speeds and maneuvers that will only impose eighty percent of the stress originally designed.
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Under the direction of Augie Ripp, the restoration team (shown in photo) includes: Bruno Apollono, Joe Bosch, Roy Brem, Rudy Brochhausen, Sal Buonincontro, Ernie Finamore, Bill Fox, John Franciscovich, Richard Griffin, Tony Giordano, Grant Hedrick, Richie Kalen, Bernard Kurz, Dan Katzenstein, Charlie Lee, Joe Mele, Joe Michitsch, John Pereira, John Prete, Dave Russell, Tor Rydberg, George Skurla, Walter Sohnurman, and Ray Sonntag.
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