Aviation Republic on MSN

2,100 HP, 421 MPH: The Piston Fighter That Outclimbed Jets but Missed the War

The Grumman F8F Bearcat was one of the fastest piston-engine fighters ever built, capable of 421 mph and a climb rate that ...
World of Warbirds on MSN

F8F Bearcat – Grumman’s Lightweight Heavy Hitter!

We dive into one of the most radical and lightweight carrier fighters ever built — the **Grumman F8F Bearcat**. A machine designed to outclimb anything in the sky, squeeze onto escort carriers, and ...
The Aviationist

Cool video shows five legendary fighters flying together – four from WW2 and the Tomcat

This beautiful footage proves once again that Dale Snort Snodgrass was one of the best Tomcat jocks. Taken during the Wings of Eagles Final Victory Air Show 1995 at the National Warplane Museum, the ...
The Florida Times-Union

Last living original Blue Angel remembers the early years

The static display of an F8F Grumman Bearcat fighter in Blue Angels colors was a natural attraction to Al Taddeo, the last living member of the original Blue Angels team that was established at NAS ...
The Florida Times-Union

In 1945, a pilot vanished. Now, the Navy hopes it has found his plane.

On March 18, 1945, Lt. j.g. David L. Mandt took off from Maryland's Patuxent River Naval Air Station to test out the guns on an experimental fighter plane, the XF8F-1 Bearcat. Mandt was a veteran ...