Grumman F8F Bearcat

technoid

Well-known member
The T-28 is almost finished so I've been thinking about my next plane I really like the F8F Bearcat so it's next. I found a couple of plans for it on outerzone and aerofred but if anyone knows of any other plans let me know because I'd like to see them
 

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One of my favorite airshow memories is taxiing out to the runway following a Bearcat at the Tacoma airshow a couple of years ago. Such a cool plane. We took our time taxiing past the crowd. No one was looking at my Extra. Everyone's eyes were on the Bearcat.

We got to the end of the taxiway and sat for awhile. Eventually the Air Boss called to the Bearcat and told him to line up and wait on the numbers. He sat on the numbers for about 30 seconds and then the Air Boss told him to depart. It was a pretty moist day, as usual in this part of the country. When he hit the throttle I could feel the engine vibration in my chest. The prop came up to speed instantly. Condensation rings formed around the propeller tips creating tight spirals around the body of the airplane. These continued to form for a couple hundred feet as the aircraft accelerated. I wish I had my tail camera on for this because it was stunning, but it is stored as a memory I'm sure I'll never forget.

I sat on the runway for a few minutes while he did his show and loved every pass he did.

Great airplane. Surely the pinnacle of radial engine aircraft.

Jim
 

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Eww Eww Eww ... I have one of those too
 

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another excellent plane to model , i did do a CS for the one we have on the swaps but time for an updated version for sure technoid , gotta love Jims story about the airshow F8F
 
Agreed Doug, Jim`s story reminds of the time I took a flight in a P-51 (Dan Vance`s plane, "speedball Alice", Jim, you`ve , no doubt met him,) The gas tank was removed from behind the pilot`s seat, and a seat put in it`s place, I`m 6 ft-2", so it was a cozy fit to be sure. I guess having that seat helps finance the upkeep on the plane, that ride was $650.00 about 12 +/- yrs. ago. Don`t know what it today though. :eek:
 
One of my favorite airshow memories is taxiing out to the runway following a Bearcat at the Tacoma airshow a couple of years ago. Such a cool plane. We took our time taxiing past the crowd. No one was looking at my Extra. Everyone's eyes were on the Bearcat.

We got to the end of the taxiway and sat for awhile. Eventually the Air Boss called to the Bearcat and told him to line up and wait on the numbers. He sat on the numbers for about 30 seconds and then the Air Boss told him to depart. It was a pretty moist day, as usual in this part of the country. When he hit the throttle I could feel the engine vibration in my chest. The prop came up to speed instantly. Condensation rings formed around the propeller tips creating tight spirals around the body of the airplane. These continued to form for a couple hundred feet as the aircraft accelerated. I wish I had my tail camera on for this because it was stunning, but it is stored as a memory I'm sure I'll never forget.

I sat on the runway for a few minutes while he did his show and loved every pass he did.

Great airplane. Surely the pinnacle of radial engine aircraft.

Jim

Jim,

Thanks for the cool story and reference pictures the cockpit picture will definitely help. And yeah it had to be the pinnacle of radial engine aircraft that's for sure.

Gary (aka technoid)
 
I've been looking at the different versions of the F8F and for some reason I really like the first version. I don't know for sure yet but I might end up doing that one.
 
Good Choice!

The Bearcat was a great aircraft that came just a tad too late in the war. It was Grumman's best attempt at a propeller driven fighter ... It still holds speed records and rate of climb records ... It was basically a beast of an engine with a plane wrapped around it ... your 9 cylinder beauty will go nicely with the
200329496-001_XS.jpg


oops ... wrong bearcat ....

LMAL_42397_web_banner.jpg
 
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Good God, look at the size of that prop!

If I didnt know that pic was legit, I'd think someone overlooked the "prop visual scale (%)" toggle on the edit page!!

What a BEAST!
 
I've been gathering lots of pictures of the F8F getting ready to start on it and decided to model the F8F-2 after reading the history of the changes they made for the second version, so I better go with the tall tail since it's one of the F8F's defining features. At this point I plan on using the drawings from the rcgroups webpage ddawg posted a link to they're very detailed and should work okay for modeling. I'm not sure when I'll start and this plane will probably take me longer since I'm a bit tired of working so many hours at a time on modeling. But I'll get there.

Like all my planes this will be a semi-scale version so expect a few differences here and there. It will be very close to the original but I model to fly not to look at so being a better RC plane is always first to me. It'll have the guns on the wings but I don't plan to model the belly tank or ordnance on the wing.
 
Here is something you might be able to use for sound down the road ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw6UWPaTUt0

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XcI1RCXXJU


As an RC Flying model goes, my eleven hobby F8F-2 is a sweetheart of a plane to fly. I love it ... but a handful when the CG is too far aft ... LOL ... don't ask, but my maiden flight used up 6 of it's 9 lives on the first flight! Hence why Satan's Kitty is a deserving name for it ...


Also a Squadron Known as Satan's kittens ... of which flew the F8F-2 off the USS Boxer (CV-21) in 1950, and F8F-1 in 1947 ...

Fighter_Squadron_191_%28US_Navy%29_patch.png
 

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Gotta luv the Grumman Iron Works....

Except for the Tomcat, exactly ZERO of their fighters, ever looked like "fighters"....

Literally, EVERYTHING from WW2 looks "hotter" than a Wildcat.
Except MAYBE the Brewster Buffalo..

P-40, P-51.... SPITFIRE?
All of them "look the part"

But Grumman?

The Hellcat was only a slight improvement in the "looks" department....

And whats with that goofy aspect ratio on the Bearcat Tail?
Too tall and skinny, it just looks WRONG, hell even that fat P-47 was more proportioned, more symmetrical, more "muscular" in appearance....
a bruiser, yeah but it "looks" like a fighter.

Grumman?

Sheesh.

Every God-blessed Grumman Product reminds me of MY OLD MAN....
Not very "sleek" AT ALL

Pedestrian, perpetual middle-aged belly...strong back but no "biceps", tireless legs but no "Six-Pack"....
Built for Loyal Reliability, with zero flash, fashion sense or "coolness" factor...

Gettin the job done, day and night, 24/7/365 just BECAUSE....

Working harder, longer, better and faster than all the pretenders, with no complaints or finicky "maintenance issues"...

In the Dark, over Open Ocean, landing on a two-car driveway....

Effing Grummans....

Never a very hot looking machine, amiright!?...:)
 
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Nope. Sounds like your judging a book by its cover, hope you don`t judge people the same way. It`s the pilot that makes the plane, as well as the plane making the pilot, by its capabilities in the air, remember, if he`s a GOOD pilot, he straps the airplane too him, making him the master, not the other way around.
 
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To each, their own ...


I think the Bearcat's record's speaks for themselves, although, they arrived too late for WWII. Korea was time for Jets ... and they saw little to none in combat action.

So, the Bearcat never really got its chance to shine. Even the P-51's had to take notice of this beast. Just in shear muscle alone. Who knows how it would have stacked up in the South Pacific if only it made it out a couple of years earlier.

The tall tail was needed to combat Yaw issues, but the P-51 had its issues with Yaw as well ...

but, I agree, that the F8F is an acquired taste in the looks department. I happen to love the Grumman line of aircraft. At least in the looks department.
 
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