The story
Grumman set out to wrap the smallest and lightest airframe it could around the R-2800, the same engine as the much bigger Hellcat. The Bearcat came out 20 percent lighter than the Hellcat, climbed 30 percent faster and was 50 mph quicker, and it wore the first bubble canopy fitted to a US Navy fighter. VF-19 had it operational by May 1945, but the war ended before it saw combat. France flew it in Indochina, the Blue Angels flew it from 1946, and racers made it one of the fastest piston aircraft ever built. A little over a dozen remain airworthy.
The Bearcat's outer wing panels were built to snap off at the hinge line if a pilot pulled more than 7.5 g. It saved weight, and the fighter could still fly home and have the tips repaired aboard the carrier. In service the tips did not snap off as planned, and the wings were strengthened instead.
Quick answers
How do you identify a F8F Bearcat?
Compact and nose-high on the ground, standing on long gear legs to keep a 12 ft 7 in four-blade propeller clear of the deck. A bubble canopy and a tall fin, taller still on the F8F-2. It looks like a Hellcat shrunk around the same engine; racers wear bright paint instead of Navy blue.
What does a F8F Bearcat sound like?
An 18-cylinder R-2800 in a small airframe: the Hellcat's heavy thunder, delivered faster.
How fast is the F8F Bearcat?
Top speed is 395 kts.
How many people does the F8F Bearcat carry?
Typical configuration: Single pilot.
How far can the F8F Bearcat fly?
Range is about 960 nmi.
How big is the F8F Bearcat?
It is 28 ft 3 in long and 35 ft 10 in across the wings.
When did the F8F Bearcat first fly?
Its first flight was in 1944.
How many F8F Bearcats have been built?
1,265 built.
How rare is a F8F Bearcat in Bogey?
RARE. A good day. Most spotters go weeks between sightings of something this rare. Your first F8F Bearcat catch is worth 250 points.
