Grumman F7F Tigercat | Restoring And Flying The Wonderful Aircraft
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2023
- The Grumman F7F Tigercat is a heavy fighter aircraft that served with the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) from late World War II until 1954. It was the first twin-engine fighter to be deployed by the USN. While the Tigercat was delivered too late to see combat in World War II, it saw action as a night fighter and attack aircraft during the Korean War.
Designed initially for service on Midway-class aircraft carriers, early production F7Fs were land-based variants. The type was too large to operate from older and smaller carriers, and only a late variant (F7F-4N) was certified for carrier service.
Based on the earlier Grumman XP-50 that was eventually canceled, the company developed the XP-65 (Model 51) further for a future "convoy fighter" concept. In 1943, work on the XP-65 was terminated in favor of the design that would eventually become the F7F. The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a fighter that outperformed and outgunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability.
An F7F-3N of VMF(N)-513 at Wonsan, Korea, in 1952.
Performance of the prototype and initial production aircraft met expectations; the F7F was one of the fastest piston-engine fighters, with a top speed significantly greater than single-engine USN aircraft - 71 mph faster than a Grumman F6F Hellcat at sea level. Captain Fred Trapnell, one of the premier USN test pilots of the era, stated: "It's the best damn fighter I've ever flown." The F7F was to be heavily armed - four 20 mm cannon and four 50 calibers (0.50 in; 12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. This speed and firepower were bought at the cost of heavy weight and a high landing speed, but what caused the aircraft to fail carrier suitability trials was poor directional stability with only one engine operational, as well as problems with the tailhook design. The initial production series was, therefore, used only from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar.
While the F7F was initially also known as the Grumman Tomcat, this name was abandoned because it was considered at the time to have excessively sexual overtones;(from the 1970s, the name Tomcat became commonly associated with, and officially used by the Navy for, another Grumman design, the F-14 twin-jet carrier-based interceptor). The first production variant was the single-seat F7F-1N aircraft; after the 34th production aircraft, a second seat for a radar operator was added and these aircraft were designated F7F-2N.
A second production version, the F7F-3, was modified to correct the issues that caused the aircraft to fail carrier acceptance, and this version was again trialed on the USS Shangri-La. A wing failure on a heavy landing caused the failure of this carrier qualification as well. F7F-3 aircraft were produced in day fighter, night fighter, and photo-reconnaissance versions.
Airworthy
F7F-3
80374: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
80375: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
80390: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.
80411: based at Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.
80425: privately owned in Seattle, Washington.
80483: privately owned in Houston, Texas.
80503: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.
80532: privately owned in Bentonville, Arkansas.
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 45 ft 4 in (13.82 m)
Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)
Height: 16 ft 7 in (5.05 m)
Wing area: 455 sq ft (42.3 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23015; tip: NACA 23012
Empty weight: 16,270 lb (7,380 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 25,720 lb (11,666 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) each
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed fully-feathering propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h, 400 kn)
Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
Service ceiling: 40,400 ft (12,300 m)
Rate of climb: 4,530 ft/min (23.0 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon (200 rpg, wing roots)
4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun (400 rpg, in the nose) (normal fighter versions only; replaced by radar unit in the -3N night fighter)
Bombs:
2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, or
8 x 127mm unguided rockets under wings and
1 x 150-gallon fuel or napalm tank under the fuselage, or
1 × torpedo under the fuselage (day fighter only)
Avionics
AN/APS-19 radar
The final production version, the F7F-4N, was extensively rebuilt for additional strength and stability, and did pass carrier qualification, but only 12 were built.
#F7F #TigerCat #aircraft 
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I’m getting the same chills down my neck as when I’m around them in person! Love it!
I JUST watched the film Devotion literally last night based on Adam Makos' book. I don't read many books anymore but THIS BOOK is on my list! Vacation... Next WEEK!
An AMAZING aircraft and video!!! Thank you very much👍
Can you imagine being attacked at night by one of those? I can. My grandfather was lucky enough to to have been one of the last pilots trained to fly that Aircraft specifically for night flying. He elaborated to me as a curious young person who was brought up with pilot blood deep in our family so I was curious and very interested to hear how anyone could fly a plane without references outside the cockpit. He showed me the gages they used for instrument flight and explained confidence was a must. One thing ALL pilots seem to have is an abundance of Confidence. Swagger is another description(at 6 I didn't understand the word bud Grandpa explained that too). Night flying pilots have extra swagger..you know it when you see it. Grandpa told me all about Carrier landing and those pilots having that extra swagger, telling me "you can have a room full of pilots, all cocktail and very much pilots...but you can pick the Carrier/Night Combat pilots out with a quick glance"."see that guy...bet you an ice cream cone he's a Combat pilot" he stared for an extra second watching the stranger, yep he's a Carrier pilot..bet he's a Tomcat driver. He said they are seldom quiet, usually never alone..and often have people standing arround them to get some swagger by osmossis(didn't know that word either).
Sure enough hentook me over introducing me, and asked what he flies before asking his name....Granddad pegged it. Pretty sure he didn't already know him but it didn't matter. I was in heaven with two Goliath Heroes and remember every thing that man and my grandad said to each other and me...and I got an ice cream..pistachio(didn't know about those either but that's still a favorite flavor.
Those aircraft Grumm created were all so fast looking even chalked up on the tarmac..they were so sexy looking and well made.(except you gotta check your wheels)
Thanks for the post..those F7Fs were so well restored, and they sure look like the Dream my grandad described to me to be in. If there is a better job than being a pilot..I can't think of it.
I cannot wait to see what our next generation air dominance fighters look like. If they manage to make so.ething better than the F22 that will be something. They better! Haulting the F22 production line was so irritating, and makes you wonder if what replaces it was so wicked good the decission made sence. It better. Imagine a fleet of TR3B and how that would change aeronautics and society. It's been true the Black world like Skunkworks have current aircraft 50 years advanced that what our best known are. The bar just keeps rising. Hard to believe we have gone from first flight at Kittyhawk with the bicycle makers to Landing on the Moon in such a short period of time...technology is so exciting to dream about..we're so blessed to live in a time to see many of these Dreams to come true. History of these great planes needs to be kept arround to remind the younger generation of how far we've come. 1945 those craft were made and they look better today(minus the one wheel) than they did the day they came off the production line.
Thanks for the post! Got me reminiscing and Memory juices grooving...thanks for the indulgence.
God Bless America...and the F7F Tigercat (Tomcat)
Beautiful aircraft, the Tigercat has always been one of my faves
45:53 BRAVO on that landing Connie. Ladies often have a skill us men often lack sorely in earnest and try making up with brute force... "finesse"!
What a beautiful plane, thanks for the video
What a beautiful aircraft! Even after all these years, these aircraft still look modern and sleek. These Pilots are lucky to be able to fly these incredible machines and thank you to the organization that keeps these warbirds in flyable condition (which is VERY rare!). No doubt a lot of man hours (and MANY DOLLARS) went into the restoration of these aircraft and the maintenance cost's must be astronomical!
Well that looks like Connie Bowlin piloting one of the two Tigercats. To me that F7F epitomizes sexy, powerful, machismo in a twin engined heavy fighter. At the top of my daydream/wish list. Grumman knocked it out of the ball park with that F7F. I wonder how it would have done in the heat of WWII? Especially in Europe? I can imagine the Tigercat escorting 8th Army Air Force bombers or in ground attack alongside P-47’s. AWESOME!
Bravo.perfect
Devotion was a great film too!
I love the F-7. My only question is, why didn't they sweep the wings back just a few degrees? She would have been a beast.
Always was amazing to me pilots can maintain same pitch and yaw as neighboring pilots so easily.
Thx.
Beautiful plane it is what I call an in between plane too late for WW2 and too slow to have dogfights against fighter jets.... But it is one of my most favorite military planes of all time...
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Didn't know there were 2 Tigercats....only seem 1 at the Reno air races.
Wow - still n good shape though
Lucky that left prop didn't touch the ground.
Grumman sure has been _obsessed_ with naming their Navy planes "cats"! Panther, Cougar, Bearcat, Tigercat, Hellcat, Wildcat, Tiger, TOMCAT?! Don't they realize CATS _HATE_ WATER!?😅
😛😛😛😛😛❤❤👍👍👍👍👍👍
Sadly or History is being lost, even the basics of education is getting lost as well
I own one of these. I fly it to all the worldwide climate change meetings. Me and Greta Thunberg. 😂
Greta just wants our grandchildren to have a place to live
@@MrMacky-co6zn In the caves , with polar bears .
Stupid music over sound of them flying by.