Planes of Fame Flight Demo Grumman F8F Bearcat Startup
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Published 2023-06-04
(yes it is long, and if that bothers you just giving a heads up, but if you want the highlights: Hit below:)
0:30 Preparation
1:00 Entering Cockpit and performing checks
3:30 Initial Crank of engine
4:08 Full start up of engine
6:45 Taxi out
Captured the full setup and start up from Planes of Fame's Flight Demo day in Chino, CA
The Grumman F8F Bearcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and built by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation during the late World War II era. It was one of the fastest piston-engined fighters of its time, with a top speed of 421 mph (678 km/h). The Bearcat was designed to be an improvement over the earlier F6F Hellcat, with a lighter and smaller airframe, a more powerful engine, and better maneuverability.
The F8F Bearcat entered service in 1945, towards the end of World War II, but saw limited combat action during that conflict. It continued to serve with the US Navy and the US Marine Corps in the post-war period, and was also exported to several other countries. The Bearcat was used in multiple roles, including as a fighter, fighter-bomber, and reconnaissance aircraft.
The aircraft was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine, which provided a maximum 2,250 horsepower. It had a wingspan of 35 feet (10.7 m) and a length of 28 feet (8.5 m). The F8F Bearcat was armed with four 0.50-inch (12.7 mm) machine guns or two 20mm cannons and could carry up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of bombs or rockets.
The F8F Bearcat remained in service with the US Navy and US Marine Corps until the early 1950s, when it was gradually replaced by newer jet-powered fighters. Some Bearcats continued to be used by other countries into the 1970s. Today, several F8F Bearcats are preserved in museums and private collections around the world, and a few are still flown regularly at airshows and other aviation events.
All Comments (21)
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4:28 Hearing that melancholic howling from the superpower along with the Engine's gurgling might just be ASMR material... It's POWER and BEAUTY
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Beauty Plane. I saw it being prepped the day before, just immaculate. Great museum at POF
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Lovely machine
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So much respect for all the "Cats" the F4F, F6F the terror of the Pacific...The Tiger and Bear never saw the war but they would have been devastating...
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what an absolute beauty
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Nothing else as awesome , as the sound of that cam lope at idle !
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Truly a beautifully built Aircraft. It is definitely a hot rod of the sky. Also known as ' The Jellybean ' by pilots of the time.✌️👍🐻😼
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Gorgeous.
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Now that is not ‘pretty beauty’ , that is BRUTE beauty.
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The afterburner-equipped 1954 F-100 Super Sabre was the first production plane that could beat this 1945 baby's 90 seconds from brake release to 10,000 feet !
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I am totally in love with this plane! Outstanding bird.
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wow, so much power...
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What a monster
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Saw one on hard stands with French Roundels near Saigon in 1967. Looked fabulous. Some Bozo called me in the 80's said "I hear that you saw a Bearcat in VN?" Yes, "Well you are full of shit" I knew my airplanes, my father built P38s, no mistake, a genuine Grumman Bearcat.
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What a beauty! The only thing I'd have changed about that startup would have been to turn the tailwheel in line with the fuselage, instead of 90 degrees off.
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Gorgeous but deadly!
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Like watching a Tiger strut by. Menacing, even in it's swagger. History didn't allow this to show what it's potential could turn into. A real pleasure to see (hear) it roar.
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I flew these in Nam…Ground support….Flaming napalm!
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Aw man!!!!!! I miss all the good planes at planes of fame. I missed the mig15, I missed this. I did get to see the corsair a while ago though
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What a monster. ...that's a lot of smoke for a 2800 in good condition....
