The Beastly Propeller Fighter that Demolished Modern Jets
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2024
- Grumman’s lineage of feline-named naval fighters became synonymous with American aerial prowess during the Pacific Theatre of World War 2. These rugged and heavily armed and armored aircraft could take a beating and fight the enemy head-on with devastating effects.
As the war neared its end, Grumman introduced the most potent prop-driven fighter, the F8F Bearcat, described by many as an engine with a saddle on it due to its vast powerhouse.
Despite its smaller size, the Bearcat was a force to be reckoned with, outperforming its iconic predecessors. In fact, it was nearly 2,000 pounds lighter than the formidable F6F Hellcat, yet it packed a punch in terms of performance.
The Bearcat’s more petite frame outperformed all its peers regarding overall speed, climbing time, takeoff, and, most importantly, combat maneuverability.
With its ability to take off in less than 1,000 feet, climb to 10,000 feet in under 90 seconds, and execute tight maneuvers, the Bearcat redefined aerial combat. Its unmatched agility and firepower made it a lethal presence in the sky, representing the peak of propeller-driven fighter design just as jets began to take over the skies. 
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Terrifiic fighter... but it clearly didn't "Demolish Modern Jets", so please - no false video titles, please.
True, that would have to require going up against jets and win. In the transitional era such a victory could perhaps been possible in an odd engagement. During WW2 prop fighters did have to deal with german jets after all.
@@michaelpettersson4919 ... and they only had a chance when technical problems occured in the jet or they were in approach for landing.
@@josefhunne5500 there is at least one known downing in air combat of a jet in the Korean War by a Sea Fury, a few others are claimed by piston engined aircraft I believe too. But as rule that statement is true.
or the Harries mk one
@@stuartwillard6558 m petterson was writing about ww2. korean aircombats jet vs prop ended very few times with a prop victory. How do germans speak: a blind chicken sometimes finds a cerial grain too ...
Stop click Bait video titles. They cheapen your product and piss us off.
Yet still here you are.
@@kpal2946 Well.....yeah. Plane.
@@BrimHawk good on ya.
@@kpal2946ò
Well, put ya own site up, or shut up!
What has the video got to do about demolishing modern fighter jets? Nearly a waste of time especially mine. I thought you had something interesting to say about piston fighters and modern jets
That's why he only has 8100 subs. 👎
Bye.
To many pictures of A1 Skyraiders representing F8F Bearcats.
Yes noticed that.
Apparently, since they are both painted blue, it's all the same to the author.🙂 smh
Very true and disappointing, but the Skyraider is a special aircraft.
I saw that too. Much larger and slower, not intended as a fighter
STOCK FOOTAGE drives me nuts in documentaries.
I hate clickbait titles, though this video did introduce the Bearcat to me.
well that may be its only plus. fascinating history
Introduce? Where in hell have you been?
I don't recall ever reading/hearing that Grumman's F8F Bearcat was a "jet killer." Oh well, the influence of "Dark Skies" is wide and pervasive.
I despise the "dark xxxx" channels, they are garbage from start to finish. This one is a lot less offensive, I think.
@@brettbuck7362 Why do you think that, I'm not a huge fan of the dark channels but they are better than a lot of other things on you tube.
They confuse it with the Hawker Sea fury They look similar and the fury shot down Jets
@@michaelshore2300 indeed and was the aircraft that Eric Brown described as almost impossible to choose between it and a Bearcat in their qualities. I would presume by then (Korean War) Sea Furies were used in mostly land attack roles so would be far more likely to confront a Mig than a Bearcat which would really only be for Fleet defence and Nth Korean pilots rarely ventured over the sea leading to Sea Fury pilots if engaged would thus dive low and out to sea and shake them off reasonably comfortably.
The Grumman were all in the Pacific theater I believe. The japanese did not have any jets whatsoever. Everyone should already know this!
No robot speakers please......😮
I am glad to be your 20th thumbs up on that!
@@paulbriggs3072 What is robot speakers, just wondering?
@@kpal2946 What does it sound like? A Text to speech software used to produce the "read lines" instead of an actual human being that knows how to put the emphasis on the right syllables and when to read through to a word instead of pausing right before it making the enunciation all weird.
My Father ran Grummans Flight Test from 1941-1965. He invented a means of airborne stress testing using radio telemetry. One of the many Grumman practices that earned them the name Iron Works.
As an old Grumman Pilot(F-14A/B), I appreciate the Grumman Iron Works...
Somebody needs to bone up on their aircraft ID. At .55 seconds they show an A1 Skyraider taking off then a few shots of the Grumman Tbf Avengers. Next, at 7.45 to 8.00 minutes they show more shots of A1 Skyraiders. Bearcat a jet killer? Maybe they can find some evidence, they did not show any in this presentation. I give the site an F!
Interestingly though, the Bearcat held the 'time to climb' record until the F16 broke it, that alone is quite telling of the machine's ablities.
It was a nasty bird but came to late
A highly modified Bearcat performed that climb.
End of an era for piston engine aircraft
Proper aircraft !
If you can't provide in-context footage, then don't use random video of Avengers, Skyraiders and other non F8F. It only confuses the viewer.
You beat me to the comment. Ridiculous mish mash...maybe the creator doesn't know the difference....
Gets a downvote for the clickbait title. Didn't bother watching the video after reading the comments.
Well, it was interesting to learn about the Bearcat, but yes, sadly turned out to be just a clickbait title. Not giving it a thumbs up due to that.
@@Ponchoman07 This video deserves a "thumbs up" but the click bait title compels me to give it a "THUMBS DOWN". I watch to the end expecting that a Bearcat of another air force shot down a jet post WW2.
Ensign eliminator is what my pre war naval aviator father called it. If it used full throttle when taking off torque would want to flip the plan. The -2 version had a taller tail to tame the slow speed roll near the ground on takeoff. That said he was a LCdr with two completed tours when he first flew it.
I had heard it called that , what could it do with a modern engine ?
The Bearcat never saw combat service with the US Navy, but the F4U Corsair, a WW2 warrior, saw its combat duty extended into the Korean War. That should tell you all you need to know about the Bearcat.
The reason it didn't see service in Korea is due to the fact that it was built as a point defense fighter, not a long range plane like the Corsair. If the US hadn't dropped the atomic bombs and had to invade Japan, the Bearcats would have been fleet defense fighters to counter the kamikaze menace because it was fast, had a hell of a good climb rate and was very maneuverable. It could also be flown off of the escort carriers that couldn't handle the Corsair or Hellcat safely. By the time of Korea, fleet defense was handled by Banshees. My uncle flew Banshees off of Korea as CAP. He did tell me the Bearcat was the most fun prop plane he ever flew though.
@@mudguy1503Good info - thanks.
It never demolished a jet.
The Bearcat was able to out climb all early jets until turbine technology advanced. It clearly demolished jets in this category.
@@RJHINKL64 They should have mentioned this,
@@RJHINKL64 it never out climbed any operational WW2 jet.
No but I believe it cloud
@@RJHINKL64 different definition of demolish, the text said it was a "jet killer" which it wasnt.
This is the fighter we needed in 1942- a 450mph Wildcat. Extremely fast at medium altitudes, out-climb anything and out-run most anything, and you can fit a lot of them on a carrier. The 'jet' reference should indicate that the F8F was used for comparison with early jets because of it's climb performance. 'Modern jet' wasn't even a term back then.
Ukraine needs these.
Love this in a funny way the vid is about the Bearcat but I keep seeing the A-1 Skyraider ....LOL
Agreed. I know I saw some Skyraiders. In some shots, in motion the Bearcats look quite alot like Skyraiders. 🙏🇺🇸
Lots of skyraider footage
The caption had me intrigued, so I watched it until the end .There is no. mention of combat with jets. I'll add this to the list of BS channels on RUclips .
I need to find my high school history teacher and scold him for lying to me. Fighter squadron 19 was activated in late May 1945, but only days later the US opted to use atomic bombs to bring WWII to an end. My history teacher told me that was in early August of 1945.
Well said, I caught that one too.
Video doesn't touch what the title promises: channel goes on my 'do not recommend' list.
The F-8F did not see combat in WW2, so what "modern jets" were "demolished"? You oversold a great airplane. Most people that watched this already have interest, your headline is written for those that don't have a clue.
I love the sea fury!😂
It has a mighty roar!
Me too. Seen it at Duxford ++++
The F8F-2 was slower than it's contemporary the F4U-5 and the Corsair had a better climb rate. The Bearcat could out turn the -5 but US Navy fighter pilots learned how to deal with the more maneuverable Zero.
Fantastic research and footage on a classic.
Bearcats had shorter range and were retired in 1947, but the Corsair continued on in development and production, like the Mustang, into the early 50's. Both served in Korea and the last actve Corsair squadron was taken out of service in 1962(?)
I Love to watch ANYTHING about the SENSATIONAL F-8F Bearcat.
4400fpm climb rate with the ability to reach 10.000 in 90 seconds, im confused..
So is the author.
Nice clip
Pinnacles of piston-prop design: F8 Bearcat and A1 Skyraider. An everlasting credit to their designers.
Grumman used many concepts found on a captured German FW-190 to design the Bearcat.
Really, the Bearcat seems to be a natural outgrowth of the Hellcat.
Was P-51 Mustang 🐎 That Shot Up a Early ME-262 German Jet.
no it was Canadian Spitfires
In 1968 my father's employer took me for a ride in his Bearcat. They did aerial photography. Later, he crashed the plane and died.
Designed specifically as a fleet defence fighter / interceptor . It was a one trick Pony . Short range, no ability to carry munitions , primarily a Kamikaze destroyer. Had the war progressed to invasion of the Japanese home islands I believe it would have been able to prove itself to be the right plane for that mission .
What are those things at 5:02 ? They look like Martin AM-1 Maulers.
Cool!
he irony of showing footage of skyraiders repeatedly combined with the click bait title title is that the skyraider DID demolish a pair of mig 17s in air to air combat during the Vietnam war
I'm sitting here and thinking about Trojan T-28. That plane would give most of the jets a run for the money.
There is 2 things wrong that title
The postal service LLV is made by Grumman.tough little vehicle.drove it for 12 yrs
Fun fact: I was really surprised to learn the other day that some of the radial engines used to power American WWII fighter planes also found their place on commercial DC--6's and Constellations.
Why the Skyraider footage mixed in with the Bearcat?
Sweet!
If the war had continued into the fall of 1945, I think the Bearcat would have been most useful on the Independence-class light carriers replacing the Hellcats and the escort carriers replacing the FM-2 Wildcats. Leave the F6F and F4Us on the Essex-class for strike escort.
Ok feature on the plane. However, the text to speech numbers need to improve.
Bearcat had very short range, so, even if jets had not been coming on-line,
it would never have replaced all the Corsairs (or Hellcats)
I've always thought Grumman missed the opportunity...
to stuff a PW R-2800 in a WILDCAT, stretch the tail and lengthen the wings
put bigger fuel tanks and bigger landing gear on it, then
put the whole thing in a wind-tunnel to optimize top speed.
Grumman did put a more powerful motor in the FM-2 "Wilder" Wildcat,
but that wasn't an PW R-2800!
Wonder if there was any thought on using the P & W Wasp major engine ?
Thank You :)
Terrific fighter.... when/against who??
Please give suggestions for shows of F-8 Sabre & F9F Pather Jets and the combat missions of famous iconic figures that flew them. Of the likes of Adrin "Buzz" Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn alsoTed Williams.
If you want see one up close, and have time, go to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, CA. They restored one a couple of years ago.
At 57 sec, you are showing an A1 Skyraider taking while talking about the Bearcat. You don’t know the difference?
Too many technical errors in the video, sorry.
I would be happy to own a Grumman canoe.
I have a very pretty Grumman sailing and rowing skiff with a Torqeedo electric motor.
Not sure it would have really stacked up against the Hawker Sea Fury
Rare Bear a Reno Air Race fave for decades.
The Bearcat never seen combat!!!
What aircraft company built the A1
Sky raider
Douglas Aircraft Corporation
Where on Long Island were the Cats made?
Looks a lot like the A1 Skyraider
Got to notice let's check it out.
I'm sure there is not a lot of F8F video footage, but using F6F and Douglas Sky Raider video footage is misleading!
I would have given this a thumbs up if the title hadn't been false. I hate being lied to. On the plus side it led me to learn that RUclips has added "misleading" to the categories which videos can be reported for, and I do like learning new things.
If I remember right, Rare Bear hit 6000 HP on fuel injected alcohol. I got to talk to one of the men who built up that powerpoint.
It was a highly modified Bearcat that climbed to 9,800 feet in 91.9 seconds.
While I think there’s a lot of whingers in the comments section, they are making some pretty valid points 😂
It was the Sea Fury that downed the Mig15. It was faster than the Bearcat.
Who built he a1 sky raider
Why doesn't anyone do a video on the F7F Tigercat?
Yeah! With the DH Hornet to compare it with...
F8F was 700 kg lighter than F4U with an engine of the same power, and nearly one ton lighter than Sea Fury with an engine of the same power as the R3350. There is a record of the prototype taking off at 35 meters. Air combat performance is determined by speed, climbing ability, and appropriate wing area.
If only this fighter had been available for frontline service by mid 1944….
Yes , the bearcat but you strayed quickly
2000lbs lighter with the same engine as the Hellcat and the Corsair? Yeah, I'd say it would outperform both of them handily. Never saw action for the US, even Korea. Oh well, still one of my favs at the airshows. Round sound is the best.
Nope!
Why so many images of AD-1 Skyraiders [Douglas] while talking about F-8F Bearcats [Grumman]? This video is clickbait w 1/2 truths.
Great airplane.
Cheapened by misleading title, and way too many clips of Skyraiders.
Hate to tell you this AD-1s are not F8Fs.
The F6F Hellcat had a 19 to 1 Kill Ratio IN WAR TIME AIR COMBAT encounters ...... it was not outclassed by ANYTHING THEN* regardless of weight. Secondly THE FIRST WW2 JET ( ME 262 ) was shot down by a BLACK PILOT in a P-51 Mustang !
The title is a lie and cannot be defended or expained. And some of the film is Douglas A-1 Skyraider attack / bombers. But the Bearcat was no match for, say, a MiG-15. Interestingly, the UK Sea Fury had one MiG-15 kill, but one has to consider pilot quality. The ability to engage, disengage, and avoid combat entirely were all in the MiG's favor. The MIG pilot must have been inexperienced and over-committed., or remarkably unlucky. That said, an A-1 Skyraider, ground attack-bomber, got one MiG in Vietnam, so maybe its not just the hardware...
I have heard that a Corsair bagged a MiG in Korea as well.
I missed the part about it "demolishing" jets.
A Dodge Hellcat has only 700 hp...
WHy footage of Sky Raiders at one point?
"Two zero zero horsepower"...really? Your channel and narration blow.
Well I suppose when you have no jets you have to use something.😅
click bait title, lots of mistakes, DOWN VOTE.
should have used this in Korea and Veitnam
(07:53) Those aren't Bearcats.
This video deserves a "thumbs up" but the click bait title compels me to give it a "THUMBS DOWN".
Far too long a video caused by repeating the same quotes over and over again.
More dross on the interweb.
They had some good aircraft manufacturers back then😅
Bad title.
It did NOT demolish "modern" jets, only some of the EARLY jets.
Strangely, I couldn't find any instances of a "bearcat" shooting down an enemy jet powered fighter. It was powered by the P+W R2800, which BTW was the same engine that the Corsair had. The Corsair does indeed is confirmed as having multiple kills of enemy jet aircraft, as did the Skyraider...Which was also prop driven.
7:52 Not Bearcats
Excellent synopsis! Thank you!
Ya Grumman made the best navel aircraft including the f7f and f8f bearcat & tigercat
Grumman were made for navel aviation
Gotta make a video of the history of Grumman aircraft during WW2
Wildcat hellcat bearcat tigercat
🕊️ Of ✌️
Navel = a “belly button”.
I would also note that the Bearcat was also noted for how easy it was to fly, and how "honest" it was. Grumman really knew what they were doing back then.
The Hellcat was well-known in WWII. The Bearcat sounds like it would have been great during WWII to bad it was to late. The P51s and Corsairs may not have been the best planes of WWII, but they were still great, beautiful planes.
It beat contemporary jets, NOT "modern" jets.
Hard to watch due to poor quality video.
They have gotten better with robotic narration, but it still has a way to go to become indistinguishable from real human speech.
Click Bait Title. Great plane, didn't need the lies to get people to read it. Pull this video or fix it. Thumbs down.