F8F BEARCAT First Engine Start w/ Steve Hinton | Hangar Talk | Planes of Fame

[@roninselman6772]

I can't even imagine how awesome it would sound on the deck of an aircraft carrier with dozens of R-2800's thundering, ready for takeoff!

[@waldothegreat100]

In the 1980’s my wife and I did grunt work at the museum. We’d sweep, clean glass cases, etc. Loved being there around those beautiful old warbirds. Especially liked the Big Band dances.

[@rossmccready2657]

I could listen to Steve Hinton all day talk airplanes fantastic! I always remember I got my 4 year old to watch Empire if the Sun and the famous wave from the P-51 pilot, the day before Flying Legends! The next day my daughter was on my shoulder waving furiously at the P-51’s and Steve waved back making my daughters day! Please keep these posts coming and Regards to you all from a lock downed UK!

[@Lightjug]

Steve is a class act. I asked for an autograph a few years back at Flying Legends UK and doubled down for a picture. He thrust his flight helmet in my arms and posed with a big smile.

[@christisking1316]

I remember seeing Steve in Chino, when they brought back the planes from the 'Pearl Harbor' shoot. Nice collection out there!

[@sledawgpilot]

Cool to hear that!

[@TheAmerican1963]

I have been a Boeing 747 structural mechanic for 35 years...........you folks are a National Treasure !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@fw1421]

Steve Hinton is a modern legend. He’s flown just about everything.

[@todd3205]

There was time when i would have never expected to see something like Steve Hinton showing me around a Bearcat.

[@greghelms4458]

I love people that work on, restore, and fly these old airplanes. And I’m extremely jealous of your lives.

[@edalvesinMT]

Steve is a living legend, thanks for preserving history!!!!

[@anthonyc2370]

Thank you for restoring the Bearcat. She is one of the most gorgeous aircraft in aviation history. Amazing work!

[@F4FWildcat]

I love your museum. It is my "Happy Place". I drop in when ever I am in the area (I live in Kansas) for a visit. It has been said several time, Steve Hinton, you are THE MAN! Happy landings!!!

[@Rydon66]

Thank you- just visited planes of fame today. Excellent museum & wonderful people

[@carlhadaway5292]

Steve Hinton , LEGEND !

[@matthewprather7386]

The most exciting airplane, ever, to my mind. Amazing proportions, clean lines, beautiful from all angles, in the air and on the ground, always looking like it's ready to leap into the air. Glad people can take on projects like this!

[@mattinsley1721]

Thank you Mr. Hinton for sharing. It's sad that the Air Show had to be cancelled this year but I hope that all at P.O.F. are staying healthy and productive. I'm glad I paid a week day visit to the museum in February before all the craziness started. For anyone who has never been to this facility it is well worth the effort. Week days are great if you really want to see work and maintenance going on in the restoration hanger. The monthly living history presentations are also a must. Keep em flying!

[@MalfosRanger]

Seeing a warbird become airworthy is always worthy of celebration. Fantastic work. May she fly for decades to come.

[@Ripper13F1V]

Thanks Steve, awesome stuff! As a teen in the 80's volunteering every single day I could, it's more than just seeing an airplane fly for me. It's the countless hours problem solving and the pure love of doing it, not to mention the characters and camaraderie. Ed (God rest his soul) took A LOT of time with me and instilled attention to detail and history behind everything. I tried to stick around so I could be a permanent part of Chino, but I couldn't find a job locally and my parents moved away. I'm always trying to get back so I can be at the museum and helping behind the scenes. I suppose once it is in your blood, it doesn't go away. I always wonder if I could have got a job locally how things would be.

[@sledawgpilot]

Jet thrust discussion was really interesting. Love to see the knowledge of these kinds of planes being preserved.

[@ninaangelamckissockauthor2345]

Hello from Van Sant Airport! I could watch and listen to this all day. So wonderful.

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

Thank you Steve for all the work you and your crew do on these historic planes.!!

[@wagonmaster1974]

New definition for an old one. Gives "hanging on the prop" a fresh prospective! Used to mean just pointed skyward with attitude. Never thought of it as dangling [hanging] on a prop spanner... Nice work, all. Beauty of a flying machine!

[@maverick1685]

Love the Bearcat. My Favorite.

[@hughscot]

Really happy to see people restoring these old aircraft.

[@markmullins1967]

It’s always nice to see these old planes running/flying

[@thomb629]

Great video! Hope to see the first flight soon. And please keep adding these great voice overs by Steve Hinton, enjoyable and very interesting to listen to!

[@gsr4535]

Fabulous! 👍. One of THE best propeller driven fighter airplanes of all time.

[@bobdyer422]

That's what Dr.Frankenstein said about his Monster "It's Alive!" I like this Monster {F8F} better though, can't wait to see it fly. Also a pleasure to listen to Steve talk planes, an expert you can bet on.

[@Zoydian]

I thought the same thing when he said "it's alive!" :)

[@tmjacks1]

My all time favorite aircraft fantastic work on it. Working on a 1/4 scale RC Beracat now and can't wait to get it in the air for the first time.

[@DumbledoreMcCracken]

I can't believe there is a more wonderful toy in private hands anywhere.

[@thomascoussens8757]

Boy, that stirred some memories. My late father and another doctor bought a Bearcat located in Salinas from Gene Akers in 1960. I was four years old and I remember Dad cutting out new covers for the gun ports with tin snips at the kitchen table. He and Dick Brown flew it around the Antelope Valley for a few years, and during that era, stripped all the paint and changed the N-number to something easier to mask and paint: N1111L. Darryl Greenamyer entered the partnership in 1964 and the rest was history. My brothers and I take quiet pride knowing that our Dad was a silent partner in ownership of Conquest 1 when it won Reno all those years and took the 3Km speed record held thirty years by the Nazis.

[@F4FWildcat]

Great story!!! Thanks for sharing that memory!

[@NATES84]

@@F4FWildcat back then I was 22 and sent that plane $25.00 to fly requested on some magazine article .much later I got back a signed picture by Greenamyer of it after the record.Well worth the $25.

[@___axg96___63]

A round of applause for the team! I heard about this museum when I was a little kid. It was featured in a video game I used to play, and I see your aircraft collection has only gotten bigger!

[@Imustfly]

My hands down favorite of all the Cats from The Iron Works ! So well proportioned,...all business and the 2800's lopey idle has a universal appeal to gearheads like me !!! Thanks for the update,....will be watching for video of the flight around the patch !!

[@MontanaWelldigger]

These old aircraft fascinate me. My wife's uncle was a pilot just after WW2 he flew for Johnson's Flying Service, he was quite the character and was a joy to listen to him talk about his flying escapades. I have a copy of his last issued Instrument Rated Pilots License dated 11/09/1966, it lists single and multi engine land based, Grumman TBM, Douglas-B-26, Grumman F7F, North American B-25, Ford 5, Boeing B-17. I just wish I would have been able to fly with him.

[@sduncanfoto]

I remember being at Reno as a kid when Steve was flying the Red Barron

[@shangri-la-la-la]

Hope to see Rare Bear race again soon. But you haven't truly experienced the air races until you are at the Pylons with them flying right over head.

[@johnshaft5613]

Hinton is such an amazing guy. Flies everything, AND turns the wrenches along with full understanding of the technical end of things. I would not blindly trade lives with many people, but I think I would with him. I hope he is grooming others to carry on with the warbird passion.

[@kevin_6217]

What a quality engine! What a quality fellow who knows how to start it too!

[@davidmcleod7757]

nice to see that you work on them as well flying them good work mr Hinton

[@craigpennington1251]

Seriously, you guys need an overhead crane. It makes hard heavy work a lot easier. Mr. Hinto is a fortunate man to do what he's doing. Living a dream that most just dream about and that is flying these awesome birds. Thanks for keeping history alive and well.

[@christopheschwartz7374]

Un travail remarquable et minutieux pour ce légendaire: F8F Bearcat! En plus il est aussi mon préféré, bien-sûr! Merci pour le partage vraiment passionnant! Un abonné de France.👍

[@Rydon66]

Amazing Bearcat - great work Planes of Fame - can't wait to see it @ your May 2021 Airshow

[@bluetopguitar1104]

This is one version of heaven.

[@planker]

Excellent, I'll check your other post for progress. Thanks.... If I was going to build a Hot-Rod it would be a Bearcat.

[@Bobbywasabi64]

Steve is one of the most talented and luckiest aviators today

[@Tree_Dee]

Very Pretty, can't wait to see the paint job.

[@HoundDogMech]

Round Motors just have that sound. Love'em. Thanks for the Video looking forward to the Maiden flight.

[@Rob-vv5yn]

Nice to see another Bearcat shortly flying

[@RCINFORMER]

The F8F & the F7F were the 2 most epic beasts to come out of WWII.

[@jabo190d]

I've visited your excellent warbird museum many times in the last few years .I've peeked in the hangar and seen the Bearcat in various stages of restoration .Glad to see it running and ready to fly .

[@divyajnana]

The last of the super piston fighters. It looks half the size of the f6f. And what a stance.

[@outofcomms]

That is a sweet sound! When I was a technician back in California I did some strain gage instrumentation work for Lyle Sheldon on the “Rear Bear” F8 at Van Nuys. “Rare Bear” F8

[@danielblythe5337]

What a great close up video here! So great to see them putting the prop on it too!

[@tutekohe1361]

I just watched a KZbin documentary on the Focke-Wulf FW190 and it had similar numbers to this beautiful plane. It had a 42 litre Jumo radial of about 2000hp with 50:50 water/ methanol mix to compensate for very poor fuel quality. It also was a very strongly built plane with wide stance undercarriage and durability and, I imagine, similar performance in the air.

[@fredmaney]

Excellent video. I enjoyed the accompanying commentary.

[@danielkennedy1524]

Great info! CNO is outstanding!thank you

[@zandvoort8616]

A wonderful design.

[@LeachimSagrav333]

Badass hotrod you got there👍

[@daveculver1691]

Steve, you have the greatest job in the world...

[@jamesnull5415]

Very nicely done!!!

[@CNDUK-q8r]

Good luck from the UK. Epic rebuild story, thanks for sharing.

[@markbowling3475]

Thanks for sharing Sir ! Goodluck and have alittle fun up there when you get her in the air !

[@kenuffelman8187]

Superb job Steve! You have the respect of this recip mechanic. Mostly on ole shakey. C124C Globemasters!

[@Trojan0304]

Great sound of P&W, can’t wait for Air Museum to reopen

[@kh40yr]

Pops took a ride with Steve at The Planes of Fame back in the early days. A Texan ride was $140 and there was a B-25?? that could be rode for about $250 a hr at the time. Late 70's-Early 80's??. Pops took the T-6 ride and mom sighed relief. The one that stood out at the museum for me was the MXY-7 Ohka. It was still outside in the weather awaiting refurb , ,in the old dirt walkaround paths. Bet it felt good to hang that prop finally. Motor took right to startup,,a good one. No flames or big bangers. No making metal. Congrats!

[@Zoydian]

You guys should be very proud of your work!! It's great to see this old bear come to life, and the scenery and the colors are simply overwhelming. Thanks for sharing!

[@bretz71]

Love the sound of a R-2800 in the morning. And afternoon. And night! If I could do a Vulcan mind meld to gain knowledge with anyone in aviation, it would be Steve Hinton. I miss the Red Baron and the Super Corsair!

[@shura0107]

Nice. I live near this museum, and I've been by before. Thoroughly impressed by all the restored airplanes, and even static displays.

[@ryanmoeller3308]

Such an AMAZING aircraft!! I wanna come back out and see your collection again!! I'd love to meet Mr. Hinton and talk about airplanes. Keep up the GREAT work!! 👍👍

[@highnitro707]

excellent content here! Steve is such a cool dude I wish I could meet him.

[@joshuajespersen3336]

Amazing! I'm glad to see it finally running!

[@Peter-ox7wh]

Awesome video Thanks for all the explanation

[@TheAmtrack69]

Beautiful!

[@bbbbb816]

Spectacular machine

[@cfrincon]

Love this videos, thanks a bunch for sharing!

[@setchey97]

Cool to see it running! Could Steve give us an update on the Hispano Buchon project that's underway?

[@glennbrymer4065]

Thank you for sharing this. These old planes sound so awesome. Y'all are doing a super job.

[@gravityalwayswins1434]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Thanks! Was on the hangar deck of Enterprise docked in San Diego. Man those WWII era planes....I tell yuh...soul moving.

[@russellmcdowell1193]

Very big thank you for sharing. Great to listen to specs and how it all comes together.

[@CJR505]

Fantastic video Mr. Hinton. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more of these. Top Quality stuff, super high speed. Thanks again.

[@flyerbob124]

Good job. Nice to see the airplane running plus seeing my friends is good too.

[@trevormann8221]

Good job

[@bernardanderson7569]

I'll be excited to seeing the next run

[@flyingfortressrc1794]

So great to see. Thank you for getting another bird closer to the air

[@walteralter9061]

Sweet. Those were the days, they got us to here.

[@nakotaapache4674]

i love to see so beautieful planes alive. must be a pleasure to work them to.

[@patrickboos1919]

Great work on the video , I can't wait to see more on the Bearcat what ever you do to it . Steve I saw you at the Reno Air Races in 2010 , I had wonderful time there Thankyou very much.

[@donkinzett3961]

Awesome guys

[@steveanderson9718]

Way Kool Stuff....... coming to work everyday and doin this would be pretty close to perfect... Keep up the good work !!

[@afreeman5609]

What a bad ass little plane:

[@mitchcarley]

Fantastic - in all ways! Thank you POF!

[@Stromzilla]

Thank you for sharing.

[@mrmagoo916]

That is wicked, great work.

[@allinmyhead]

Always loved this aircraft

[@goaheadmakeourdayscooterpe9644]

Thank you Sir , I truly enjoyed this video from start to finish with the great narration and explanation of the work being done.

[@redblackvette]

Keep the videos coming. Look forward to the test flight.

[@5alex7]

Great memories of Steve driving the forklift at Dijon, France lifting the contra-propeller for Christophe Jacquard's brand new Spitfire MkXIX :-)

[@boldlionpro2814]

Awesome!

[@joegoins9894]

Good air Craft's

[@Portrayalpress]

How exciting! Looking forward to seeing more. Thank you for taking the time to share.

[@2Phast4Rocket]

can't wait to see it in person at the airshow next year.

[@jdubsvr6]

Big boy toys!!

[@patrickibex]

Nice Work there boys...