fighter/bomber
one
P & W R2800
2,100 hp
7,070
lbs.
12,947 lbs.
2,000 lbs.
4-
.50 caliber
28' 3"
35'
10"
185 mph
421 mph
4,600 fpm
38,700 feet
1,435
miles
8/21/44
1945
Grumman F8F
Bearcat aircraft were the last piston engine fighters produced by
Grumman.
The small Grumman F8F Bearcat
was built around the largest, most power per weight, and most
reliable aircraft engine of the time, the P & W R2800.
The first US Navy Grumman F8F Bearcat
squadron became operational on May 21,1945, just before WW II was
over. They never saw combat. Eventually 24 fighter squadrons would be
equipped with the aircraft.
Many pilots regarded them as the most
maneuverable and fastest accelerating U. S. piston engine fighters
ever built.
Grumman F8F Bearcat aircraft
were originally fitted with "Safety Wing Tips", the
outer 40 inches of which were designed to break off cleanly in case
of the wing being over stressed in a dive or other maneuver. After
several incidents where one or both wing tips unintentionally tore
off, this feature was eliminated from later production aircraft.
The Grumman F8F Bearcat features a low single
wing design, all metal construction, a bubble canopy, folding wings
for carrier operations, self-sealing fuel tanks, four 50 caliber
machine guns, pilot armor, a retractable tail wheel, and an eighteen
cylinder Pratt & Whitney engine that the fuselage was
designed around.
After World War II, the
aircraft were the primary U.S. Navy carrier fighters. A total of 24
squadrons of the Navy flew them into the early 1950's.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels started flying the Grumman F8F Bearcat
for their demonstrations in 1946.
In the
1950's both the Thai and French employed the fighter. They were used
primarily as fighter bombers against the Viet Minh.
A unmodified production Grumman F8F Bearcat set a 1946 time to
climb record to 10,000 feet in 94 seconds, after a run of 115 ft. The
record stood for
10 years until a jet fighter broke it. However
the jet could not take off in only 115 ft.
The Rare Bear, a modified Grumman F8F Bearcat racer owned by
Lyle Shelton, holds the record for the fastest
single engine
propeller driven aircraft in the world with an average speed of
528.33 mph over a 3 km (1.864 mile) course.
The only faster
propeller driven aircraft is the four engine Russian Tupolev Tu-95
Bear.
Grumman F8F Bearcat
Rare Bear racer.
Shenzhen Model Co. has a Grumman F8F
Bearcat for sale shown in the first picture below. The ARF
has a 67" wingspan and is 56" long. The
rc Bearcat fuselage is all glass and wings are built up wood.
Engines can be .90 two stroke or 1.20 four stroke. Weight
is around 8 3/4 lbs.
Pictured second below
is the good looking Grumman F8F Bearcat scratch built by Wilfred
Steinhorst. We do not know its wingspan or how it is powered. If you
can provide more information about the rc model airplane we would
appreciate it.
Nick Ziroli has plans for
a 86" wingspan Grumman F8F Bearcat for sale pictured third
below, for 3.7 c.i.d. or larger engines.
The
fourth picture below is of the Grumman F8F Bearcat available from
KMP.
We received the following email: "Kondor Model products makes a Grumman
F8F Bearcat. It's length: 57.6", wing span: 73.2",
wing area: 5.95 sq.ft, flying weight: 14.3 lbs. You can get the radio
control airplane with a
fiberglass fuse and built up wings or all
composite. The Grumman F8F Bearcat comes with standard fixed gear or
you can get air retracts for it. As far as an engine goes, you can
use a 1.08 2-cycle, 1.20 4-cycle. I'm
going to use a SPE 43 cc gas
engine. Maybe you can add this to your list of RC aircraft.
Thanks. Rick P."
Thank you Rick. We look forward to seeing a picture of your rc
Bearcat soon.
Grumman
F8F Bearcat from Shenzhen.
Grumman F8F Bearcat
by Wilfred Steinhorst.
Grumman
F8F Bearcat from Nick Ziroli Plans.
The Grumman F8F
Bearcat from KMP.
RC Universe shows
a Grumman F8F Bearcat for sale from Dymond Modelsports Ltd.
However, we are unable to find the rc Bearcat on the Dymond site.
We have seen a .90 size F8F Bearcat for sale from Frontier Models.
Mark Hebel sent us an email telling that he will build the rc F8F Bearcat from
Jack Devine Models. He intends to use electric motor power, with a sound system and
smoke to emulate the radial engine starting.
Thank you for your email Mark. Don't forget to send us a picture upon completion.
The rc F8f Bearcat from Jack Devine Models has a 82" wingspan, is 61" long, and uses 1.8 to
2.1 engines. Weight is around 17 lbs.
Jim Ryan Aircraft has a 30" wingspan Grumman F8F Bearcat kit for
sale, It is powered by Speed 400 size motors.
American Eagle Models has an 86" wingspan Grumman F8F
Bearcat for sale that uses 4.2 c.i.d. and up engines for power.
Easy Tiger Models has a Grumman F8F Bearcat for
sale. The ARF has a 71" wingspan and comes with a glass
fuselage and balsa and plywood wings. Engines are from .90 to
1.50.
Easy Tiger Models has a Grumman F8F
Bearcat for sale with a 95" wingspan. The fuselage is
fiberglass and wings are balsa and ply built up. Engines can be from
50 to 75 cc.
You will find a Grumman F8F
Bearcat for sale from Thunder Tiger. The rc Bearcat Rare Bear ARF has
a 34" wingspan. It is powered by a 370 geared motor.
For those who like a larger, gas powered Grumman
F8F Bearcat, Thunder Tiger has a 63" w/s ARF for
sale. Power is from .61 - .91 engines.
Marutaka Model Co. (Heljan) has a Grumman F8F Bearcat for sale.
The ARF has a 62" wingspan and can be flown with .60 - .80
engines.
Kit Cutters has a Grumman F8F
Bearcat kit for sale from SPPS Plans. Its wingspan is 80".
Kit Cutters has a Grumman F8F Bearcat kit for
sale from Jerry Bates Plans. It has a 80" wingspan, can fly
with ST350 or G45 engines, and weighs around 23 lbs.
Kit Cutters has a Morgan / Novack Plans Grumman F8F Bearcat kit
for sale. Its wingspan is 70" and it can be powered by .60
or larger 2C engines.
Kit Cutters has a
Grumman F8F Bearcat kit for sale. It is from Nick Ziroli Plans.
Wingspan is 86" and it is 69" long. You can use 3.7
or bigger engines to power the approximately 33 lb. model
airplane.
Cleveland Models has plans for
sale of the Grumman F8F Bearcat with wingspans in lengths of 13
1/2", 18", 27", 36" 54",
72" and a giant scale 108".
Nikko Sales &
Service Centre, Malaysia, has a Grumman
F8F Bearcat Rare Bear for sale.
They do not show its wingspan,
length, or weight, but it does include a
Speed 370 motor.
Dongguan Changan Flight Co., Ltd., China has a
Grumman F8F Bearcat for sale. The ARF has a 57" wingspan and
is 49 1/2" long. You will need .40 to .46 two stroke engine
power. Weight is about 6 lbs.
Pt Hortuji
Ltd., Indonesia, has a Grumman F8F Bearcat for sale. The ARF has a
34" wingspan and is 30" long. Included is a geared
Speed 370 motor. Weight is around 17 1/2 oz.
Pt Zela Toy Ltd., Indonesia, has a 63" wingspan Grumman
F8F Bearcat for sale. The ARF is 55 1/2" long with a glass
fuse and wood built up wings. Engines can be .61 to .91 two
stroke,
or .90 to 1.20 four stroke. Weight is about 8 1/2 lbs.
At Air Kill Products we found a Grumman F8F
Bearcat kit for sale with a 35.5"
wingspan that uses .10
- .25 two stroke or .20 - .30 four stroke
engines and weighs about
2 3/4 lbs. However none of the links on the
site work.
Tommy Parmaglia of Norco, CA writes: "I have been flying my Ziroli Grumman F8F
Bearcat for a little over a year. The RC Airplane has a 86"
wing span, weighs 28 lbs. ready to fly, and is powered by a Zenoah
62.
Ground
handling of the Grumman F8F
Bearcat is excellent. Advancing the
throttle of the RC Airplane
slowly on take off brings up the tail in a
very short distance.
More power and slight back pressure gets the Grumman F8F
Bearcat
airborne. Only a little right rudder trim is added to
achieve
straight and level flight.
The
Grumman F8F Bearcat is well behaved, and immediately
comfortable
to fly. Loops for the rc airplane should be done at
about 3/4 throttle
from level flight, with full power applied upon
entry.
Stall
turns and inverted flight
are easier than expected. The rc Bearcat can even perform a decent
knife edge, although a moderate
amount of elevator compensation is
required to keep it from pitching up.
Low speed rolls are more
barrel type, but at higher speeds the radio
control airplane rolls
more axially.
Landings
of the rc
Bearcat are easy. With full flaps deployed it slows remarkably. There
is a
mild pitching up as the flaps are lowered, which is to be
expected.
Setting up the approach, reducing throttle, the Grumman
F8F Bearcat comes in
smooth and slow, with no tendencies to fall
off."
Frank W of RC Groups had a Grumman F8F Bearcat for sale.
The Skyline Flyer of RC Groups posted a video of
a Grumman F8F Bearcat.
F80Driver of RC
Groups was looking for a Grumman F8F Bearcat kit.
Jurgen Helig of RC Groups posted pictures and a video of a giant
scale Grumman F8F Bearcat with a scratch built engine.
At Wattflyer RC thunder1 posted links to a video of his Grumman
F8F Bearcat.
JohnVH of Wattflyer RC posted
pictures of his scratch built profile Grumman F8F Bearcat foamy.
Endeavour105 of RC Hangout has Grumman F8F
Bearcat plan and parts for sale.
GIJon of
RC Universe has a giant scale Grumman F8F Bearcat rc airplane for
sale.
Please email us if you know of any
other rc Bearcat. We value your experiences.
Grumman F8F Bearcat
