F8F-2 Bearcat assigned to the AES-12, Aircraft Engineering Squadron, at MCAS Quantico during 1951-2.
AES-12 is one of the very few MARINE F8F Squadrons that actually had "MARINES" on the fuselage and the wings. (That's why you can find very few documented official pictures of them, unless you look in one of the Three Grumman F8F Bearcat books that can be found online)
The Marines never had an "Active" Fighter Squadron of Bearcats.
The MARINE F8F's were ONLY used in Engineering, Maintenance and Training Squadrons.
Only the U.S. NAVY had active Fighter Squadrons of the F8F (eventually being phased out 1951-52 with the introduction of the F9F-2 Panthers) .... Including the Blue Angels, that flew Bearcats from 1946 until 1949 - and only flew five aircraft, #0 (solo), and #1 thru #4 (they did eventually added a #5 by the end of the 1949 season, also in 1949, they started adding their flashier paint schemes).
They were a very bland paint scheme by today's Blue Angels color schemes, Blue Angels in script on the cowl, the planes formation number, BuNo Number, U.S. NAVY, in yellow Block letters and a few had the pilot's name added later.
Blue Angel #0, was an all Yellow color scheme known as "Beetle Bomb" and still flew even after the Angels started flying the F9F's (till it crashed on take-off in 1950).
The F8F's were very popular in performance with most of the pilots that were privileged to fly them. It was just too late for the Bearcat ... it missed the boat in by the time it was in full production ...
WWII was ending and Korea didn't start soon enough ... and "Jets" were the new kids on the block
AES-12 is one of the very few MARINE F8F Squadrons that actually had "MARINES" on the fuselage and the wings. (That's why you can find very few documented official pictures of them, unless you look in one of the Three Grumman F8F Bearcat books that can be found online)
The Marines never had an "Active" Fighter Squadron of Bearcats.
The MARINE F8F's were ONLY used in Engineering, Maintenance and Training Squadrons.
Only the U.S. NAVY had active Fighter Squadrons of the F8F (eventually being phased out 1951-52 with the introduction of the F9F-2 Panthers) .... Including the Blue Angels, that flew Bearcats from 1946 until 1949 - and only flew five aircraft, #0 (solo), and #1 thru #4 (they did eventually added a #5 by the end of the 1949 season, also in 1949, they started adding their flashier paint schemes).
They were a very bland paint scheme by today's Blue Angels color schemes, Blue Angels in script on the cowl, the planes formation number, BuNo Number, U.S. NAVY, in yellow Block letters and a few had the pilot's name added later.
Blue Angel #0, was an all Yellow color scheme known as "Beetle Bomb" and still flew even after the Angels started flying the F9F's (till it crashed on take-off in 1950).
The F8F's were very popular in performance with most of the pilots that were privileged to fly them. It was just too late for the Bearcat ... it missed the boat in by the time it was in full production ...
WWII was ending and Korea didn't start soon enough ... and "Jets" were the new kids on the block
