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Description
| Manufacturer: | Grumman | |
| Base model: | F8F | |
| Designation: | F8F | |
| Version: | -2 | |
| Nickname: | Bearcat | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Navy / Marines | |
| Designation Period: | 1922-1962 | |
| Basic role: | Fighter | |
Specifications
| Length: | 28' 3" | 8.6 m | |
| Height: | 13' 10" | 4.2 m | |
| Wingspan: | 35' 10" | 10.9 m | |
| Gross Weight: | 12,947 lb | 5,871 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 1 | ||
| Powerplant: | Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 2100 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 1,105 miles | 1,779 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 163 mph | 262 km/h | 141 kt |
| Max Speed: | 421 mph | 677 km/h | 365 kt |
| Ceiling: | 38,700 ft | 11,795 m | |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Planes of Fame Air Museum | Eden Prairie | Minnesota |
| The Air Museum "Planes of Fame" | Chino | California |
F8F-2 on display
The Air Museum "Planes of Fame" |
Recent comments by our visitors
| SAM oRLANDO, FL | My Father In law, who was a Naval Mid-Shipman, flew the Bearcat and the Gellcat During WWII.
He passed away Three days ago. I Loved listeneing to his story and his flying advetures. He was very fond of the f8f and said it was the easiest plane he ever flew. I would ike to know if there are any Bearcats that are still flying. I like to take his ashes up for a fianl rde and spread in the bule sky. 01/26/2006 @ 10:44 [ref: 12329] |
| ricky d may metairie, LA | I saved a airliner filled people flying flying from costa rica to newark new jersey but anyways loved the look of the bearcat especially since I went high school at brookhaven bearcats and am licensed aircraft techncian 06/13/2005 @ 00:27 [ref: 10459] |
| John Bradford Wetmore, CO | Flew the F8F-1 for Service Test, NAS Patuxent Md, in early 1950. Was A Midshipman Naval Aviator at the time and hot to fly anything that crossed my field of vision. Had flown the F6F in '49 and found the Bearcat about as easy to handle. Will note that I got an eye-opener when I did a "dirty" approach turn stall - got into a hellacious spin that went on for about 5 turns after spin recovery was initiated. Luckily, I alays did such practice at about 10,000' giving me room below for unpleasant discoveries! 12/24/2004 @ 12:03 [ref: 8947] |
| George H. Cullins Carlsbad, CA | I flew this bird on a local 1 hour fam hop out of NAAS El Centro on 19 Feb 1952 with another F8F on my wing. On returning to the field my bird caught on fire and I had to bail out. It seems that the exhaust collective broke a hole in it and the exhaust fire caught the bird on fire. I hit the horizontal tail section at my knees and spent a few month in the hospital at camp Pendleton and returned to flight duty in July. This is one of the finest bird I ever flew. Those that stated it was hard to land are talking about another bird. This was easy to land and as usual at stable Gruman bird.
On take-off you had to pull the gear up just as soon as you left the deck or you would have one gear hanging. Then you had to slow down below 140 Kts to get both gears up. 10/28/2004 @ 03:07 [ref: 8517] |
| Frank J. Horstmann Harrison Twp., MI | As a NAVCAD in the training command (1951 Cabinass Field) I had the opportunity to do advanced training in the Bearcat. This plane was a great machine. I found the gunnery and rocketry was super. Overall it was a fiesty little aircraft. Once you flew it you will always remember it. 10/28/2002 @ 11:17 [ref: 5974] |
| Judy Imsland , MO | How were the F8F-2 Bearcat's being used at the San Diago Naval Base during 1949 and 1950? 12/07/2000 @ 20:50 [ref: 1152] |
| J. R. Bowen , TX | Don't believe that junk about hard to land. I have many hours in the Bearcat on and off carriers - landings are easy. Be prepared for the torque on take off however. 12/03/2000 @ 04:48 [ref: 1132] |
| Gil Bliss Aurora, CO | In the early fiftie's I was stationed with the Navy
at NAS Denver. We had quite a few F8F-2's till about 1953.They were hard to work on but not as bad as newer jets. Pilots said they were hard to land with the gear so close to gether and the speed they landed at. We had a few crashes on landing. One crashed on T/O and burned the starboard side aft of the wing. I have tried to download pictures of the XF8F-1 and 2 but can not do it because of fatal errors??????? Please help me Gil Bliss 11/27/2000 @ 21:26 [ref: 1100] |
Recent photos uploaded by our visitors
