Best Grumman 'Cat' plane

[Pong]

Beginning in the 1930s, Grumman made planes with the name ending with a cat. I thought, what is your favorite 'Cat' that ever flew?

 

[evangilder]

My favorite 'cat' is not on the list, the F7F Tigercat.

 

[Thorlifter]

During the 1930s, Grumman made planes with the name ending with a cat.

The F6F, F7F, F8F, and F-14 were not made during the 30's. Not sure if you can through in the F-14 as it's (obviously) a very different plane.

However, since your simply asking which is my "favorite" and not "the best", mine is the Hellcat.

 

[Wildcat]

Wildcat.

 

[timshatz]

Best was the Bearcat. Personally like the Hellcat, thought the Tigercat was a great bird. But the Bearcat, not my favorite but the best of the fighters.

 

[evangilder]

Wildcat.

I would never have guessed!

 

[DBII]

I am with Evan, the Tigercat.

DBII

 

[renrich]

As was said, the Wildcat was the only one mentioned made in the 30s and that just barely. The XF4F2 made it's first flight in 1937 but the first production airplane did not fly until Feb., 1940. The first airplane Grumman made, the FF1, made it's first flight on Dec. 29, 1931. I guess my favorite of all the Cats was the Tomcat. There were other Cats, F9F-Panther, F9F-9-Cougar, F10F-Tiger. Was not there a F11F?

 

[ToughOmbre]

Best looking - F7F

Best combat record - F6F

Best air racer - F8F

But my favorite is the F4F. For the same reason I love the P-40. Was all about "holding the fort" until help, in the form of superior types, became available.

TO

 

[DBII]

The F-11 was the Tiger. The Blue Angles flew them for a while. The F-10 was the Douglas Skynight. I like the Grumman in my Avatar.

Grumman F11

DBII

 

[Messy1]

I agree with Evan. Of the prop jobs, the Tigercat is my favorite. Although the Bearcat is a very, very close second!

 

[renrich]

DB, the F3D was the Skynight. My mistake the F9F6 was the Cougar. Thanks for the correction. The F10F was the Jaguar, a swing wing AC, not adopted by the Navy. The F11F as you said was used by the Blue Angels for a while. I remember standing near the runway at Grand Junction, CO with Jim Swope, an ace during WW2 and at one point the program officer for the F111B, looking at the shell of an F11F.

 

[DBII]

I agree with TO listing. Back in the 90's the Lone Start Flight Museum focus was the Pacific. At one time you could attend their Fly Day and see a F3, F4, F6 and F7 plus a F4U and a TBM. Talk about a dream. It was a sad day when the collection started to be sold off. Since then a SBD was restored along with a F8. However, the F7F was sold and both the F3 and F8 are for sale.

DBII

 

[Zarathos]

Hellcat. Fitting name for a fighter, not as fugly as F7F and F8F and better then F4F.

 

[Graeme]

DB, the F3D was the Skynight.

Skynights that remained in service after September 1962 were classed as F-10's

Grumman made planes with the name ending with a cat.

A potential military Grumman Cat was the G-164A Super Ag-Cat.

There was a plan to militarize the Grumman Super Ag-Cat when America's involvement in Vietnam was escalating. They were to be shipped out under the guise of a civil aircraft and converted to military status once handed over to the South Vietnamese. This was to be done in a number of ways…
Light machine guns "strapped" to the wings.
Use as a field ambulance with pods "strapped" to the wings.
Small bomb attachment points applied.
Perfect for observation duties, because of its superb flying capabilities which included the ability to turn in areas only 200 ft in diameter.

US Army pilots assessed the plan while flying an Ag-Cat and agreed that it was a tremendous aircraft and quite capable of doing everything that was asked of it, "but they could not recommend the purchase of an old-fashioned looking biplane to the Pentagon, when they were in a jet-orientated world".

 

[evangilder]

For sheer climbing ability though, the F8F rocks. It would go from a full stop to 10,000 feet in 96 seconds. For a prop, that is insane!

 

[The Basket]

Wouldn't the Tomcat have a better rate of climb than that...lol.

The Tomcat could do things that a Wildcat could only dream of...pure science fiction by 1940s standard.

 

[Hunter368]

But my favorite is the F4F. For the same reason I love the P-40. Was all about "holding the fort" until help, in the form of superior types, became available.

TO

You must like to underdog in sports allot I am guessing.

I like the Hellcat.

 

[ToughOmbre]

You must like to underdog in sports allot I am guessing.

Yeah, but the F4F was a "live dog" with an overall kill ratio of almost 7:1. I would actually rather be in a Wildcat than a Zero. Even if I lost the fight I'd have a better chance of surviving. Same with the P-40.

TO

 

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

I voted Hellcat. The Wildcat was good, but the Hellcat was it's tougher big brother. Made the most aces too out of the American planes, that's shows something.