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Who would be the favorite in a dogfight? The Bearcat is said to have set new standards in manoeuverability and climb rate, the Fw 190Ds and Spits have always been known for their agility.
Say let's take the best performing versions of them, F8F-2, Fw 190D-13 (or maybe Ta 152C with half the fuel?) or Spitfire Mk 21. Would be nice if you could go into detail with the pros and cons for the contenders.
regards
Sounds like the story you dismissed as crap in which the Hurricanes beat the Wildcats in TorbayAn amusing story about Bearcats and Spitfires from "80 knots to Mach 2" by Linnekin. In the early post war period USS Kearsarge with VBF-3 flying Bearcats was on a Med cruise and eight of the Bearcats got into it with eight Spitfires out of Malta. The author says that it was a wonder that no one got killed. That same day, the RAF sent out two Vampires and the author and another pilot, being forewarned were waiting at 10000 feet. Anticipating a higher altitude mixup they were in high blower at exactly the threshold for the supercharger. At about three miles they spotted the Vampires making a low altitude run on the carrier. The two Bearcats firewalled the throttles and dived for the Vampires and having an angle actually closed on them. As long as the Bearcats were diving they continued to close and they crossed the flight deck at a very low altitude-Vampire, Bearcat, Vampire, Bearcat. Then the Brits pitched up and the jets pulled away. Linnekin says that he had no idea what his manifold pressure was but that "overboost was not a question, but a fact." One Bearcat pilot had a slight problem during a practise bombing run near Malta and was sent to Malta to have the poblem attended to. During lunch with the Brit pilots, who had never seen a Bearcat and after a few adult beverages, the Navy pilot bet the Brits that, "From a standing start-we both go together-I can make a run on you before you can get that thing off the ground." Later a rule modification was decided on to make sure that the contest was about the plane and not the pilot. The Brit was to fly the Bearcat and the USN pilot was to fly the Spit. Cooler heads prevailed and the contest was canceled. Later, Linnekin's engine became unhappy and had to be changed out. The power plants chief gave him a short lecture about engine operation and maintenance.
Light weight and a lot of power.
I believe the only thing that proved as false was the name of the ship but being wartime that could've been a security concern. did the crew wear ship names on uniforms back then or did the crew use the name to seem more worldly , if I knew USN ship movements for the period it might've been another ship. It could have been the US Naval base in Argentia.Pb, I remember that story and also remember that a number of sources discounted that story as being false. .