Grumman F8F Bearcat

what is it?

The Grumman F8F Bearcat is an American single-engined, carrier-based, fighter aircraft introduced in late World War II. It served during the mid-20th century in the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the air forces of other nations. It was Grumman Aircraft's last piston-engined fighter aircraft. Adapted versions of the Bearcat have broken speed records for piston-engined aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 10.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 732 km/htop speed
• range 1,778 kmwithout refuelling
• size 6,105 kgmax take-off weight
• built 1,014made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 82 years ago, in 1944.
• 🏎️Top speed is 5.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.9 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,778 km: 10× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1944-08-21

introduced

1945

retired

1963

status

retired

number built

1,014

role

fighter aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Grumman

engines

1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W Double Wasp

crew

1

length

8.6 m

wingspan

10.9 m

height

4.2 m

max take-off weight

6,105 kg

top speed

732 km/h

range

1,778 km

ceiling

12,436 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.