For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci
Hey, thanks for that evangilder, I kinda knew that it was one of the aircraft that was another US piston-engine development that would've braced the Ta-152 if it came to it, but wasn't sure what became of them...I've seen them in our national Warbird mag down here, Classic Wings, when they've done an article on the Reno Air Races....oh, and great pics too, from you and RG....snapped 'em up for my 'puny collection', they have a vague resemblance to the Hellcat, perhaps they replaced them as carrier-fighters, hmmm?.....
Not exactly a replacement. They were the "little brother" of the hellcats. The whole design was around the engine, It was very nimble and had a climb rate and agility that outclassed most jets of it's time.
They were built specifically to counter the kamikaze threat, get off the deck, get the Japanese planes and get back. Their limitation was their range. Later models replaced the 4 x .50 calibers with 4 x 20mm. They did pretty well for the French in Indochina.
I have more pictures of that Bearcat as well. It is sitting in our museum right now, but flies regularly at airshows throughout Southern California. Here are a couple more for your collection.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci
The F8F-2 Bearcat had a much improved speed, something upwards of 450mph if I remember right. In addition it had heavy fire power (4 x 20mm), that phenomenal rate of climb, and the ability to turn and roll with anything else flying. It gets my vote for the best piston-engined fighter of all time. The only thing that really compares with it, I feel, is the Sea Fury.
The Seafury (or Tempest II) could not have won a dogfight with the Bearcat. The Tempst could not out turn the P-51, the Bearcat could easily outturn the P-51 and probably almost any other WWII plane because of its huge powerloading advantage. It had the advantage in acceleration and climb, and probably was equal in a dive. It was just more of a "pure fighter" than the Tempest II.
On the otherhand, the F8F probably would not have been the best matchup against the Ta152, as it was really designed for combat below 22,000 feet.
I would agree with that, Lunatic (F8F vs SeaFury). If you have stood next to both, the size difference is remarkable. I love both of them, but the smaller size and agility of the F8F would give it a substantial edge.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci
I have seen a Bearcat as well, and was amazed by it.... I too agree with RG and evan on this... The F8F was one of the best piston driven fighters of All TIme...
The Bearcat might not have been a match for the Ta-152 at altitude, but it would have waxed the German fighter at lower levels (along with anything else that might have flown). I think it would have been interesting if the F8F had had the chance to mix it up with late-war Japanese fighters such as the N1K2-J and the A7M2.
You'd loose your money. The Bearcat could easily turn inside the SeaFury. It could out climb it, out roll it, and out accelerate it. The only advantage the SeaFury would have would be a slight top speed advantage at some altitudes.
The Bearcat is almost universally considered the ultimate in prop interceptor aircraft. BTW: it borrowed heavily from the FW190 design.
I disagree that it borrowed from the FW-190. It was often called the "Hellcat Lite" and the design was built around the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34 radial engine. I have never seen any reference to any FW-190 influence of this design.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci
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Originally Posted by the lancaster kicks ass
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