Grumman F8F Bearcat Flight Demonstration - MONSTER Pratt & Whitney Radial Engine Sound !

[@mobilus11]

The F8F is essentially an R-2800 radial dropped into a copy of the Fw 190A airframe.

[@feffels]

No jet aircraft will ever have the soul of one of these. Brings tears to my eyes.

[@mystinger72]

MR Jp, my dad has time in the AD-4 (A-1), the FJ-4, the F4U-4, and finally the A-4C. He also flew with United, flying the DC-6, DC-8, 707, 747, 727, and finally the 737. What a good live he has had!!!

[@chessimate]

This is one of the most amzing engines I have ever heard. An absolute joy to my ears. Thanks for posting!

[@mystinger72]

My dad flew with the Marines back in post WWII and also flew Corsairs in Korea. He said that the Bearcat would fly circles around the Mustang. What a neato bird.

[@danh1945]

@mystinger72...Interesting comment...an old Navy pilot once told me that the ANG flying Mustangs and his outfit, flying Hellcats would mix it up in mock dogfights. When they got Bearcats, the Army wanted to know what they did to soup up their F6F's..."look again pal, these ain't Hellcats." was the response.

[@bajatuna]

Wow, nothing like the sound of a radial engine. Beautiful plane.

[@mechmusician]

I heard this plane produces so much power that it can actually take of vertically if placed on its tail with some sort of rigging. Really a beautiful piece of machinery. I would love to fly one.

[@michaeleggleston6873]

I also heard that Bearcats often could take off from a carrier without using the catapult because of the take-off acceleration of that remarkable Pratt & Whitney R-2800 and the light weight of the aircraft itself. Compared to the Hellcat, the Bearcat was 20% lighter, had a 30% better rate of climb, and was 50 mph (80 km/h) faster. I have always nicknamed the Bearcat "Daddy Long Legs" because of the very long landing gear used to keep the prop clear of the deck. Deliveries from Grumman began on 21 May 1945, but it was too late to see combat service in World War 2 but served in the fleet until 1952. I can just imagine the nimble Bearcat bouncing enemy Japanese kamikazes in the late stages of the Pacific war. Grumman really knew how to build tough fighter planes, and the Bearcat, with its radial engine, was actually faster than the inline-engine Mustang.

[@kblackav8or]

Had this airplane been in widespread service a year earlier it would have easily been the best fighter of the war to include the P-51 and all the German models. Most early jets couldn't climb as fast at low altitudes and it really had an awesome power to weight ratio.

[@mysticalpotato86]

Engine noise on flybys is amazing. One of the best sounds in the universe.

[@BKrystall]

I love the bearcat. It was one of the last piston engine fighters ever flown. This Bearcat is based over at Camarillo.

[@blank557]

An Absolute beast of a piston-engine fighter. Love it.

[@chasyes1]

The Bearcat was a fearsome machine and much loved by it's pilots and hanling crews. On a carrier it was easy to position and load. Developed in response to the Kamikaze threat it could climg very well and performed extremely well in the air, and it could carry heavy loads. because of the jets coming into service and the fact the war ended before it could really get in on it, it's performance is largely forgotten, but it was a honey in every way. it was tested against all,only P-47N kept up!

[@Longden1983]

what a beautiful sound

[@justforever96]

@yakovlev3a Sort of....I think there's more too it though. They follow different desgin philosophies. The Hellcat was designed as a heavyweight, strong framed fighter. It did well, but they decided to try a lightweight, fast, maneuverable plane as well. The Bearcat is much lighter built, only with the same engine. So you can't call it a "mini-Hellcat", exactly...it's a much different fighter in most every way except it's lines.

[@AllanRasco]

That plane is not the F4 "Wildcat", or the F6 Hellcat (although it had same engine), it is the F8 Bearcat.

[@HuasoPodrido]

@BKrystall , actually the last piston fighters flown in combat were the F4U Corsair and the P-51D Mustang in the "soccer" war in Honduras in the 1960's

[@peterpontinen9220]

were'nt Skyraiders flown in Vietnam?? as late as 68?

[@Colonialpara]

I would much rather listen to the rumble of a reciprocating engine in a WW II warbird than any screaming jet any day!

[@jcbbb]

Me too, i'm actually somewhat sad that jet engines were the norm in the early 1950's, I would of liked to see what Props they would've came out with.

[@VanillaLP]

JCB Shame to the Germans and their Me 262s :P

[@jcbbb]

Vanilla LP Damn their technological advances! DAMN YOU VERNIER VON BRAUN!

[@seriousgoat76]

Vanilla LP actually the british were pretty close to getting out the vampire before the 262 came along.

[@ZanOGAL]

Even from an A-10?

[@Vermiliontea]

@drod103164 No. The Bearcat's main claim to fame comes mostly from having had the world speed record for piston engined aircrafts almost continuosly since 1955. The current record is by 'Rare Bear' and is >850km/h at sea level and 'closed circuit' (meaning average of times in opposing directions). The Bearcat is also widely acknowledged as the most powerful and most violently maneuverable aerobatic dogfighter of WW2 design. France did use them in combat in Indochine, but only against ground.

[@Vermiliontea]

@OHNGAI There is a context for those words. All pilots who have tried the FW190 have been delighted at the control harmonization and responsiveness of the aircraft. Depending on background, some have also been impressed with the roll-rate. Since the FW190 has about 50% better power/weight ratio than F6F, comparisons of straight speed and climb max-performance naturally defaults. But by surprisingly small margins. And that is the first hint that there are more ways to compare apples and oranges.

[@HuasoPodrido]

@BKrystall , Did you mean the last produce as a new design for the US Navy? The F4U was produce until the mid 1950's longer than the Bearcat. The last piston engine combat occured in Central america during some cross border incidents. P-51D's and F-4U5N were used.

[@klesmer]

The story goes Grumman took the most powerful engine at the time [P-W R2800] bolted an instrument panel to it then economized on the aluminum. Viola! F-8-F Bearcat!

[@altonkenne579]

Beautiful aircraft ! Love it .fell in love with the cat in 1970 watching bill and corkey fornof do an aerobatic father and son show at NAS corpus Christi .in Thier f8fs RIP BILL !!

[@mobilus11]

The BMW 132 engine was patterned after an earlier Pratt & Whitney, but BMW's 601 engine was of their own design. Both the R-2800 and 601 appeared in 1939.

[@ronschlorff7089]

The Grumman Aircraft company, builder of carrier-based air-superiority aircraft for the Pacific theater fighting in the 1940's during WW2 and the builder of the Lunar Module, in the 1960's for the several successful Apollo missions to the moon! This Bearcat plane missed the war years being too late in production but was a fabulous achievement in aeronautical engineering none the less. And Grumman went on to do a pretty "acceptable" job of designing and building space craft for moon landings too!! Man what a legacy for a great American Corporation :D

[@jhaddicks]

One word for this engine/prop combo...VICIOUS!!!

[@njmikeche5575]

The early turbojet engines had a slow throttle response which made them unsuitable for carrier operations. The last few prop fighters that were made after the land-based air forces had switched over to jets were really impressive. The F8F Bearcat and the last couple of iterations of the naval version of the Spitfire were absolute monsters, and could actually outperform the early jets in some respects. These things would no doubt have held their own just fine, if needed. I believe these Pratt & Whitney engines were made right here in my home town, Paterson NJ.

[@yakovlev3a]

You are correct. The reason for the similarity is that the f8f actually incorporated design strategies found in a 190 that was captured and evaluated in 1943.

[@SIXPACFISH]

I saw 2 of these at a airshow once. One took off and pulled an S. It was stunning. I don't think I'll ever see that again. The next week one of the F-8s crashed in NC. Plane destroyed pilot killed. He was flying it in a thunder storm.

[@TexasForddiesel]

wow....the idling engine sounds like a cammed dragster, really nice....gotta love those twin rowed 18 cyl. radial engines

[@aerobee58]

Grumman made some really nice recip planes . They helped defeat in WW2 in the pacific.

[@namesurname2939]

Beautiful machine and great sound.

[@Vermiliontea]

@OHNGAI continued: The other side of the coin is that the F6F can sustain max speed for more than an hour, (FW190 5-10min), has an 8 hour mission endurance and about 300% better range. The F6F is despite this still a formidable dogfighter. It is so by its agility, energy retention qualities in a turning state, armor and lethal abilities at keeping its guns on target. The one occasion Fw190 and F6F met in a sustained turning dogfight, the germans lost 0-3. Though, that doesn't prove anything.

[@car3177]

I like all of these old planes (pieces of history).However since meeting the one and only Pappy Boyington about a year before his passing.The Corsair is my favorite.

[@fbrown172]

@mondo78 Actually, the F6F Hellcat was the first Blue Angel aircraft. They were formed at NAS Jacksonville and flew their first public demo at Craig Field in Jacksonville, which is still a very active general aviation airport. The Blues flew their first season in the Hellcat before transitioning to the Bearcat.

[@jjtopp99]

This airplane is all engine; what a monster prop!

[@skipplet]

Gawd what an awesome sound. Gives me chills thinking about it.

[@Knightewolfe]

ya gotta love the sound of that big 18 cylinder double wasp reciprocating engine starting up. I love the smell of a reciprocating engine in the morning. Next to the Big Cat, the Bear Cat is one of my fav prop-driven warbirds. The other being the 'Bent Wing Bastard' KW.

[@terrryc]

Grumman's answer to the FW 190. An incredible airplane...

[@williamscott4634]

The last of piston engine fighters that really never got to see combat. Very light weight but had the same Pratt and Whitney engine as the Corsair and P -47 thunderbolt. Some even came with a 3350 cubic inch radial. This machine was the beast of beasts ! 👀

[@Conurelover1]

The men and their magnificent flying machines

[@gethmord]

oops, miss print. the f-4 record above should read 9000m. And your right. The f8f's record lasted till 1951, when a metor mk8 beat it by 15 seconds. The F4 set it in 1958 at 44.3 seconds. And held it for 7 months, when it was beat by the F104. The F4H retook the record in 1962 and held it till 1974. Unfortunality the SR-71 was a secret and never offically measured.

[@mobilus11]

WWII Fighters magazine (Flight Journal Special), Winter 2000 edition, page 65 ("Most Influential Fighters" article written by Barrett Tillman). Tillman mentions that Grumman test pilots flew a Fw 190A in 1943 and suggested to Leroy Grumman, "Boss, if we put an R-2800 on that airframe, we'll have a world-beater." Grumman approved and in 1944 the Bearcat first flew. There are differences no doubt. The canopy is different, cockpit is Grumman designed... the 190 wasn't duplicated, it was copied.

[@djnormal]

One of my favourites. Too bad it was built so late in the war that it never saw much service. My father built an RC model of one of these (1/8 scale I believe) and it's still the best looking plane at the yearly display.

[@williamcost8168]

Gorgeous plane! Just love that sound!

[@swedgoy]

That's G O L D too, my friend. Oh, that Merlin/propeller sound that's so characteristic for the P-51 during a low-altitude high-speed pass !!!

[@Vermiliontea]

@saintrobbie375 Where did you get that silly story? The Bearcat is simply a radically lightened, 20%, (sacrificing some range and equipment), somewhat scaled down Hellcat, with the next generation, +40% power, of the same P&W R2800 engine fitted. It even retains the airfoil and fuselage sections of the Hellcat. Plans for this aircraft emerged immediately as the Hellcat design was being finished. Besides, even the Hellcat was a better ac than the FW 190.

[@TheModelGuy]

@jaredlee283 Grumman studied a captured FW190, but no part was copied exactly/ The company learned a wealth of information that they put towards the F8F to make it faster. It was more maneuverable then the Zero, but didn't see any service in WWII

[@mondo78]

The last piston engine fighter for the Navy. From what has been written its performance in a dogfight could match the Mustang. Was the first aircraft the Blue Angels flew. It and the A1 Skyraider, that served until the 70's, were probably the best of the piston engine designs for milatary aircraft. The Bearcat could also outperform early jet fighters.

[@texasfathead]

@Vermiliontea Your wrong there , the 109 had the world speed record for piston engined aircrafts from 1939 This world record for a propeller-driven aircraft was to stand until 1980s FYI :).

[@kingghidorah8106]

This thing had nearly 1:1 power to weight ratio, pinnacle of American engineering. My favorite Yankee warbird.

[@octane130]

I looked up the Amarillo incident on the NTSB website, based on your comment. Yeah, it occurred on Aug. 13, 1966, insufficent altitude for manouever the cause--very tragic. Thanks for watching my video, and special thanks to the USAF Spec. Ops. Green Hornet Coins for your service in 'Nam, and I mean it!

[@jjtopp99]

This was the first aircraft used by the BLUE ANGELS when they were created at Naval Air Station Jacksonville Florida in the late 1940's. According to some old timers I know, the BEARCATS also gave the best airshow ever. The follow-on jets used today are OK but just can't compare with this growling awesome beast...

[@916fanatic1]

Imagine a hellcat that had 1/3 of its weight removed and 200 more hp.That is a bearcat.These beasts could climb over 5000 feet per minute!

[@diegocristianpolastri6349]

Beautiful radial engine plane!!!!

[@RagdollOC]

You got some great videos. Thanks for sharing them all.

[@gethmord]

The record set by the Phantom was march of 1962, 61.62 seconds to 3000m. It wasn't until the F4 series that thrust became greater then weight, allowing them to climb vertically. The F4 phantom was first flown in 1958. Went into service in 1960. The SR-71 - A-12 program first flew in 1959, the advanced engines were installed in 1962, and could climb greater then 10,000 ft per minute from the deck, all the way to possably 100,000 ft.

[@LukeSidler2005]

man what a beauty. great engine sound too.

[@machia0705]

Wildcat.......Hellcat..........Bearcat, but this airplane never flew in anger, came too late in the war. Fine airplane.

[@Talltrees84]

Didn't this serve in Korea? I know the French used this in Indochina in the 1950's.

[@Talltrees84]

Some WWII planes where used in Korea and Vietnam. A-26 Invader and C-47 (DC-3). A-26's were also used in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

[@seriousgoat76]

machia0705 it was used for recon and an interceptor because it could out perform every jet at the time, the f4u only downed 1 mig15 tho, the f82 didnt.

[@panzerken]

Talltrees84 p-51's and Corsair's in Korea big time.

[@machia-mw1lm]

Was referring to the fact that she was ever used as a US Naval fighter .

[@Hendo56]

The pinnacle of piston engine fighter development. Great vid!

[@oliverbourne9599]

You mean the "pinnacle" of US piston engined fighters surely ?

[@stoneface1099]

Saw one flying today in Indiana. Had to pull over and film it..fastest airplane I’ve ever seen.. was moving faster than Indy cars.. lol.. screaming through the sky at low levels.. awesome aircraft. I had to research it to find what airplane I saw.. 100% it. Would love to get a closer look. Amazing

[@kt1963]

PETEEAT: of course you don't understand. Bearcat was designed to fly from carriers which limits them from their land based counterparts such as Spitfire.

[@kolbpilot]

@justforever96 I'm no radial engine expert but an engine is an engine. The start up smoke is probably a little of both, but probably more oil. Too rich & you'll see flames. There are probably at least 6 individual exhaust stacks (if not more) in that opening & they all appear to belch their fair amount of smoke. The bottom cylinders of the radial is where the oil pools (gravity) during shut down, hence the smoke on start up. The cable is to supply external electrical power while on ground.

[@gethmord]

Up until the late 1960's the bearcat held the record 0-10000 feet. Wasn't until the sr-71 that it got beat.

[@mpeg2763]

@ machia0705 In fact the F8F Bearcat did fire shots in anger during the 1st (French) Indo-china war. The French and So Vietnamese flew Bearcats. There is (was in 1967-68) a bearcat mounted on a pedestal for memorial display at Tan Son Nhut Air Base.

[@thehammermanduke]

This is the best sounding vedio . Love that sound!

[@flyboy8492]

I love that huge prop!

[@danh1945]

That prop was there to keep the pilot cool...if you don't think so, watch him sweat when it stops turning.

[@Maxumized]

Beautiful bird

[@RFKFANTS67]

Beautiful old bird sweet sounding radial.

[@clayz1]

Definitely the coolest of all the ‘wildcat’ types.

[@moviman2]

love this "wilde cat" very god sound and filming

[@revodes21]

Fantastic quality video!

[@klextacy]

What a monster! Awesome aircraft!

[@phippsa3]

Man thats a sweet sound.

[@gethmord]

Actually a bearcat holds the worlds speed record for poston engine aircraft at 528.3 MPH

[@ervinthompson6598]

.......and at one time, held the time-to-climb record for props @ sea level to 10,000 ft.AGL in 90 seconds(4500 ft./min.).

[@Mike-01234]

You can only tell how freaking big this fighter was seeing how small the pilot looks in the video.

[@manu-online]

Wonderful Sound!

[@Vermiliontea]

@jaredlee283 In a very roundabout way, yes. Not that they needed to copy any design or technology, but the design of the Hellcat was entirely done while considering the Zero very carefully. And the Bearcat is a lightened, more powerful descendant from the Hellcat. And aerodynamically loaded for lower altitudes, which also transfers into higher speeds. The Bearcat wouldn't exist without the Zero. But there is no similarity beyond the optical configuration between the Zero and Bearcat.

[@neomuttley]

@vdub2002, Oh, I think I see where you're going w/this. A test pilot for Grumman flew a captured FW90. He wrote a detailed report on how good it was. The president(?) of Grumman read the report, & designed this plane. It was heavilly influenced by the FW, but shares no parts.

[@bowpilot55]

how long will the power/jumper cables and end fitting last if its dropped on the ground like a sack of crap ???

[@michaelwallbrown3726]

they make new ones everyday

[@Chuck59ish]

Designed like all fighters, the biggest engine available into the smallest airframe available.

[@danh1945]

Guy handling the power cord: "I love the smell of oil smoke in the morning!"

[@MAGAman-uy7wh]

I would like to see a "fly off" between the F6F and the F8F demonstrating the differences in air combat maneuvers. especially rate of climb and turn radius. If an A6M could be added to the demonstration that would be great.

[@megatwingo]

Nice Video and nice plane!

[@SupernalOne]

Grumman's answer to the FW 190

[@seriousgoat76]

even the corsair can out turn and the 190 at high speed that is.

[@SupernalOne]

Its MAGIC aeronautically superior, then - !

[@EstorilEm]

Nothing in common with the FW 190 except that they have wings, guns, and a radial engine. The Navy had always asked Grumman to build heavy fighters with a decent range and a lot of guns / armor. Pilots finally convinced them to build a LIGHT fighter to supplement the F6F and F4U, so Grumman chopped as much of the plane away as they could - everything from guns to wing thickness, fuel tanks, armor, etc. Dimensions are similar (its requirement was that it fit on an escort carrier, which defined this - as did weight and balance for the huge R-2800) except even with the overbuilt landing gear and carrier-suitable construction, AND wing fold mechanisms, it was still the same weight as the FW-190 WITH an extra 600hp. A land-based bearcat design could have probably weighed ~6,400lbs empty, which is insane to think about.

[@FatGuyFliesRC]

Gotta love a hellcat.

[@493175001]

Grummans are always nice, Corsairs are great too

[@snakestomper]

P-39's started the war with a 37mm the later models had the 37mm replaced with the 20mm cannon and some of the early mustangs had 4 20 mm cannons

[@PastYears]

You gotta love the sound of round.

[@LoCreek]

I really like the Indian arrowhead emblem on it’s cowl. What squadron marking is the Bearcat in?

[@justforever96]

A few questions: First, is the white smoke on start-up due to oil in the cylinders or to the rich fuel mixture? I've heard both, and I want to know! 2nd, the smoke seems to come from the lower half of the exhaust opening...is there one single ejector exhaust in the lower half, or is there two, and the smoke is only coming from the lower one? To me, that suggests oil in the bottom cylinders, if there's 4 pipes total...2 for each side. 3rd, is that cable an electrical cable? I love them fly-bys!

[@spitfire690]

dont forget though, its not just the sound of the engine when its flying, its also the props, its the sound of each blade hitting the air, a good example of this is helicopters, but with ww2 planes such as this, its a combo of the engine and props, making a sound that is practically orgasmic! lol

[@allgood6760]

Awesome plane👍✈️

[@sbchelldiver]

a little plane with a VERY BIG engine...and to think they were basically relegated to advanced trainer status...such were the times a hi performance prop plane at a time when even the biggest dog of a jet was more glamourous...still just imagine 30 of those little guys firing up on a flight deck at the same time Flattop-style WOW!

[@yakovlev3a]

The f8f really is basically a mini hellcat.

[@mingotography]

Beauty and "Beast Mode' in one phenomenal aircraft. Had the F8F arrived a year earlier it would no doubt have rivaled the F6F, ;51, ;47 and '38's tallies and Bong and McGuire might have been Second and Third -- or lower -- instead of First and Second. No disrespect to either of those brilliant Aces but in skilled hands the Bearcat would have devastated the Japanese Inventory of that Era.

[@jhaddicks]

Absolutely!

[@kbroma01]

Not to worry. Freddy just likes to stir the pot. If we really think about it, he's supposidly 98 years old and is little outdated. He is correct on more recycling and more electric planes, but not in reference to this little beauty. Seeing it jump into the air quicker than the Mustang is quite awe inspiring.

[@yakovlev3a]

@justforever96 I know that. My comment was in reference to physical properties of the two planes, particularly weight

[@spencnaz]

4 .50 calibers. It was noted later on in the war that 4 .50's were more than enough for the lightly armored Japanese aircraft.

[@kiwigalahad]

A true Beast!