The F8F Bearcat was Grumman's follow on to the very successful F6F Hellcat carrier based naval fighter of WWII. The basic idea behind the Bearcat was to fit the smallest airframe possible around the Pratt and Whitney R2800 radial engine. The resulting aircraft was the Bearcat. It was the fastest, most manuverable fighter of WWII. Unfortunately the war ended before the Bearcat could see combat. By the time it could flex its talons in the Korean war it had been surpassed by the jet age.
This is a 1/14 scale version of the venerable fighter built from a Ryan Aircraft kit. (unfortunately Jim Ryan is no longer kitting these as of December 2008) It's powered by a speed 400 electric motor utilizing an 8 cell 600AE battery pack and a Great Planes 20A ESC. Guidance is provided by a 3ch Hitec radio with 2 HS-55 sub-micro servos. Covering is Ultracoat with trim monokote used for the markings. This kit was one of the BEST kits I have ever assembled. The parts were laser cut and fit beautifully. Jim Ryan is to be highly commended for putting out such a fine product.
Flight performance, in a word is; AWESOME!!! Average flights are around 4 minutes and are filled with loops, rolls, split-S', cuban 8's and plenty of low, strafing runs. It's a great plane to take to the local soccer park for some flying fun.
2004 UPDATE:
The Bearcat has been improved with a brushless motor and Lithium Poly battery replacing the S400 and 600AE setup. The Bearcat is now powered by a Mega 16/15/5 brushless motor, Castle creations 25Amp brushless controler and a ThunderPower 3s 2100mAh battery pack. Performance is phenominal! The plane has unlimited vertical and the throttle is rarely above 1/2 stick. It is truly a new "Bear in the air". Typical flights now last over 10 minutes with at least 3 flights per pack charge.
specs. WS 30", length 22", wing area 170 sq in., weight RTF 18 oz (17.5oz with brushless and LiPo's) |
