Amazing Aircraft: The Bearcat

Grumman Aircraft produced a number of notable, not to mention rugged aircraft during World War II, effectively earning itself the nickname "Iron Works" because of the capabilities its aircraft had of being able to absorb so much punishment in combat and still fly on and bring its pilots back home safely. In short, Grumman had a great deal of respect for the safety of combat pilots who flew their planes. One such aircraft they produced was the F8F Bearcat, which first flew 71 years ago today on August 21, 1944.

The Commemorative Air Force's F8F-2 Bearcat (N7825C) taxiing at the 2013 Reno Air Races.

The Bearcat was Grumman Aircraft's final piston engined fighter aircraft before moving on with the arrival of the jet age. It was considered to be a smaller and much faster follow-on to the famous Grumman F6F Hellcat, which was dubbed the "Zero Killer" as it played a key role in achieving air superiority over the Imperial Japanese Navy and their Mitsubishi Zero fighters in the Pacific Theater of World War II. However, unlike it's Grumman predecessers, the Bearcat arrived too late to see combat in the war. Nevertheless, it became the mainstay postwar fighter aircraft of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, albeit in smaller numbers with the latter. The Bearcat was considered by many to be one of the best-handling piston-engine fighters ever built,  because its performance was sufficient to outperform many early jets of that era. It also had capabilities for aerobatic performances, which was illustrated when the Navy's premier flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels selected the Bearcat as the team's very first demonstration aircraft in 1946. The Bearcat first saw combat between 1946 and 1954 in French hands during the French Indochina War. Following the First Indochina War, many Bearcats ended up in military service with air forces in Vietnam and Thailand prior to the breakout of the Vietnam War.

F8F Bearcat (right) flying with an F/A-18E Super Hornet (left) and a Grumman F6F Hellcat (center) as part of the U.S. Navy Heritage Flight at the 2012 Reno Air Races.

In the warbird community, the F8F Bearcat is perhaps most famous and popular in air racing. It is a popular aircraft among warbird owners and modified versions have broken speed records for piston-engined aircraft. A stock Bearcat flown by Mira Slovak won the first Reno Air Race in 1964. Perhaps the most famous and the most modified Bearcat out there today is Lyle Shelton's F8F Bearcat, #77 known as Rare Bear, which dominated the air racing circuit at Reno for decades. Rare Bear also set several performance records, including the 3 km World Speed Record for piston-driven aircraft (528.33 mph/850.26 km/h), set in 1989, and a new time-to-climb record (3,000 m in 91.9 seconds (6,425.9 fpm) set in 1972, breaking a previous record set in 1946. What sets Lyle Shelton's Bearcat apart from stock versions is the engine powerplant; Rare Bear is fitted with a Wright R-3350 (commonly found in A-1 Skyraiders) in place of the standard Pratt & Whitney R-2800 found in stock Bearcats. Rare Bear is truly built for air racing because a full-tank of fuel equals about 40 minutes of flight time. In short, it is a Bearcat designed to go fast!

Rare Bear (N777L) taxiing at the 2014 Reno Air Races.

Rare Bear in its previous livery at the 2008 Reno Air Races.

Let's wish this venerable and unique warbird a happy 71st birthday and may it's small legacy leave a big impact for future generations to witness, both as a warbird and as an air racer!