Скачать или смотреть ESM Grumman F8F Bearcat at Warbirds over Wenatchee

Some great flying of a big electric F8F Bearcat. My favorite prop fighter!

This one has an electric motor, retracts, great looking 4 blade prop, and he flies it well. The owner said its a great plane to fly!

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The F8F prototypes were ordered in November 1943 and first flew on 21 August 1944, a mere nine months later.[b] The first production aircraft was delivered in February 1945 and the first squadron, Fighter Squadron 19 (VF-19), was operational by 21 May 1945, but World War II was over before the aircraft saw combat service.
One problem that became evident in service was the snap-off wing tips not working as expected. While they worked well under carefully controlled conditions in flight and on the ground, in the field, where aircraft were repetitively stressed by landing on carriers and since the wings were slightly less carefully made in the factories, there was a possibility that only one wingtip would break away with the possibility of the aircraft crashing.[13] This was replaced with an explosives system to blow the wing tips off together, which also worked well, but this ended when a ground technician died due to accidental triggering. In the end the wings were reinforced and the aircraft limited to 7.5 g.
Postwar, the F8F became a major U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps fighter, equipping 24 fighter squadrons in the Navy and a smaller number in the Marines. Often mentioned as one of the best-handling piston-engine fighters ever built, its performance was sufficient to outperform many early jets.[c] Its capability for aerobatic performance is illustrated by its selection as the first demonstration aircraft for the navy's elite Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron in 1946, who flew it until the team was temporarily disbanded in 1950 during the Korean War and pressed into operational combat service. The F9F Panther and McDonnell F2H Banshee largely replaced the Bearcat as their performance and other advantages eclipsed piston-engine fighters.
First combat[edit]
The first combat for the F8F Bearcat was during the French Indochina War (aka First Indochina War 1946-1954) when nearly 200 Bearcats were delivered to the French forces in 1951. When the war ended in 1954, 28 surviving Bearcats were supplied to the State of Vietnam and entered service in 1956.[15] The VNAF retired their remaining F8Fs in 1963, replacing them with Douglas A-1 Skyraiders and North American T-28 Trojans as the Vietnam War (aka Second Indochina War 1957–1975) continued.[16] F8Fs were also supplied to Thailand during the same time period.[17][18][19]