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Description
| Manufacturer: | Grumman | |
| Base model: | F8F | |
| Designation: | F8F | |
| Version: | -1 | |
| Nickname: | Bearcat | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Navy / Marines | |
| Designation Period: | 1922-1962 | |
| Basic role: | Fighter | |
Specifications
| Length: | 27' 6" | 8.3 m | |
| Height: | 13' 8" | 4.1 m | |
| Wingspan: | 36' 6" | 11.1 m | |
| Wingarea: | 244.0 sq ft | 22.6 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 7,070 lb | 3,206 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 9,386 lb | 4,256 kg | |
| Max 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: | 434 mph | 698 km/h | 377 kt |
| Climb: | 4,570 ft/min | 1,392 m/min | |
| Ceiling: | 38,900 ft | 11,856 m | |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum | Kalamazoo | Michigan |
F8F-1 on display
Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Todd McLaughlin Oak Creek, WI | FOR BILL CURTIS:
You may have already found this out, but your F8F was "Struck Off Charge" 04/27/56 at NAS San Diego 04/08/2008 @ 09:49 [ref: 20387] |
| JACK G KING AT1 USN RET 1208 espy st benton, IL | was in vf3a in 47 oct 48 went to vf33 jul 49 went to vf 12 cecil fld was plane capt in both sqdns , was in os2u sqdn 46 at jax saw f8f in dive when port wing tip caME OFF IN DIVE BLUE ANGEL DEMO FLIGHT WAS HARD TO KEEP CLEAN WAS ON KEARSARGE 48 MED CRUISE WAS O0N PHIL SEA,LEYTE, TARAWA , WITH THOSE BIRDS FIRST BLACK PILOT WAS IN VF4A AIR GRP 3 HE WAS A MIDDIE THENAS A GOOD PILOT 02/16/2008 @ 07:40 [ref: 19690] |
| JACK G KING AT1 USN RET 1208 espy st benton, IL | was in vf3a in 47 oct 48 went to vf33 jul 49 went to vf 12 cecil fld was plane capt in both sqdns , was in os2u sqdn 46 at jax saw f8f in dive when port wing tip caME OFF IN DIVE BLUE ANGEL DEMO FLIGHT WAS HARD TO KEEP CLEAN WAS ON KEARSARGE 48 MED CRUISE WAS O0N PHIL SEA,LEYTE, TARAWA , WITH THOSE BIRDS FIRST BLACK PILOT WAS IN VF4A AIR GRP 3 HE WAS A MIDDIE THENAS A GOOD PILOT 02/16/2008 @ 07:39 [ref: 19689] |
| James J. Sparks San Carlos, CA | While I was a Flying Midshipman in 1949 finishing advanced training in F6F Hellcats, our 6-man flight was given a check hop in F8F-1s. We heard rumors that you could fly straight and level at 190 knots, apply full power and pull up into a perfect loop gaining several thousand feet in the process. We all flew in different sectors and I tried it. It got very mushy at the top so I let go the stick and the nose barely fell through to complete the loop. After an hour we rejoined and one man was missing. It turned out that he tried the 190 knot loop and got into an inverted spin and had to bail out over Refugio, Texas. I asked the other 4 guys how it went for them and found out that I was the only other sucker that tried it. I later flew the Bearcat off the USS Boxer on its pre-Korea cruise. 11/09/2006 @ 18:00 [ref: 14706] |
| Bill Curtis Cranford, NJ | I was a plane captain in VF-11 (Sundowners) on F8F-1
BU# 95408 for so long (1947-49), that its BU number became etched in my mind. It's only recently while cruising the internet that I realized what the number represented. I haven't been able to find the disposition of #95408 even on the Navy site. If any expert aviation buff can find what happened to my baby, please drop me a line. 05/10/2006 @ 11:31 [ref: 13244] |
| Bob Nielsen Denver, CO | I was a plane captian in VF711 at Buckley Field...(1949-52)
Eyes wern't good enough to be a pilot but, the rush of preflight was indescribable..In the winter, it was at least a two man operation to fire one up.One sailor inside ,one out with a fire bottle to put out fire when engine flooded and dropped gas all over the deck..There was always a A.P.U. available as starting was a little trickey to say the least, especially below freezing.Seemed as tho each fighter had its own disposition...When the engine did fire it would run like a three legged horse for a short time then...WOW Twenty eight hundred horses came to life...!!!Still makes chills........ 05/05/2006 @ 12:16 [ref: 13213] |
| John D. Voss , CA | With the conclusion of WWII the USN cancelled contracts for nearly 6000 Bearcats (4000 from Grumman and 1876 from General Motors to have been designated the F3M-1). 03/02/2006 @ 10:36 [ref: 12678] |
| ROBERT TANKERSLEY , MD | VF92 SHOULD BE VF19 SORRY 04/01/2005 @ 11:13 [ref: 9856] |
| ROBERT TANKERSLEY HUGHESVILLE, MD | I WAS AT CASU 32 KALALUHI MAUI W2HEN THE FIRST SECTION OF
F8S ARRIVED,MID 1945. THEY WENT TO VF92. VERTICAL CLIMBS WERE A DAILY OCCURANCE. SOMETHING TO SEE. CLIMBING ON THE PROP. LATER AT NAS JAX WITNESSED FATAL CRASH BLUE ANGEL F8F SHOW 1946. THEN TO VF105 AT NAS NORTH ISLAND AS ORDNANCEMAN ON F8FS. FINALLY REPLACED BY VJ1 (NAVY SABREJET) HAVE MAUI PICTURES. 04/01/2005 @ 10:53 [ref: 9855] |
| Alfred H. Merrill ollinsville, VA | I had a relatioship with many Grumman people having worked
at the Aviation Country Club of Long Island while in high school. Lee Roy Grumman, the Gilles brothers and others were members. I was home on leave from the Army Aviation Cadets in the control tower when a F8F radoed for landing clearance. Lou Sylvanti, chief control tower operator asked the pilot to make a flyby as an Army Cadet was in the tower. The F8 came down runway 33 below tower height and just beyond the tower went into a vertical climb. At about 6000 ft he went into the clouds. My eyes almost bugged out seeing an airplane go absolutely vertical for that distance. 02/28/2005 @ 21:45 [ref: 9566] |
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