RARE BEARCAT TO PERFORM AT MIDLANDS AIR FESTIVAL 2023
The organizers of the Midlands Air Festival announced that the Fighter Collection's very rare Grumman F8F Bearcat will be performing at the next year's event.
The Grumman F8F Bearcat is an American single-engine 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. Currently, only 12 examples remain airworthy worldwide with only one of them in Europe.
Bearcat during it’s display at the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2022
The Fighter Collection Bearcat was built in 1948 and taken on charge in August of that year by the US Navy. She served at a number of Naval Air Stations before undergoing modification to the F8F-2P standard in 1952.
Following further Navy service, she was finally struck off charge in January 1957. She passed through two sets of private ownership in the US, the first between 1957 and 1972, and the second until 1981.
It was under this second private ownership that she underwent a full overhaul and flew once again in 1975. It was in 1981 that the Bearcat joined what was to become The Fighter Collection and has gone on to be the longest-serving member of the fleet.
TFC Bearcat on the ground during the Duxford Flying Legends 2013
Statement from the organizers
“The team at the Midlands Air Festival have been working tirelessly on next year's flying programme and we are delighted to announce that we have secured the mighty Grumman Bearcat FGF-2P for the air display!
This is one of the most powerful propeller fighters ever built. The combination of the growl of its Pratt & Whitney twin wasp radial engine pushing out over 2,000h horsepower and its sheer domination of the Ragley sky, will bring you to your feet in admiration.
The Bearcat is a stalwart of the world famous Fighter Collection and is its longest serving aircraft. It was the favourite display aircraft of Stephen Grey, who started the amazing collection of Fighter aircraft, currently based at Duxford.”
