F7F Tigercat

infobox Aircraft
name=F7F Tigercat
type=Fighter aircraft
manufacturer=Grumman


caption=United States Marine Corps F7F-3P in flight.
designer=
first flight=2 November 1943
introduced=1944
retired=1954
status=
primary user=United States Navy
more users=United States Marine Corps
produced=1943–1946
number built=364
unit cost=
variants with their own articles=The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engined fighter aircraft design to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed for the new "Midway"-class aircraft carriers, the aircraft were too large to operate from earlier decks. Although delivered to United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat units before the end of World War II, the Tigercat did not see combat service in that war. Most F7Fs ended up in land-based service, as attack aircraft or night fighters; only the later F7F-4N was certified for carrier service. They saw service in the Korean War and were withdrawn from service in 1954.

Design and development

The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a plane that out-performed and out-gunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability. [ Thruelsen 1976, p. 204.] Armament was heavy: four 20 mm cannons and four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. Performance met expectations too; the F7F Tigercat was one of the highest-performance piston-engined fighters, with a top speed well in excess of the US Navy's single-engined aircraft—71 mph faster than a F6F Hellcat at sea level. [ Meyer 2002, p. 51.] The opinion of Capt. Fred M. Trapnell, one of the Navy's premier test pilots, was that "It's the best damn fighter I've ever flown." [ Meyer 2002, p. 54.] The Grumman F7F was originally named the "Tomcat" but this name was rejected as it was considered at the time too suggestive. [ Meyer 2002, p. 50.] The name would much later be used for the Grumman F-14.

All this was bought at the cost of heavy weight and a high landing speed, but what caused the aircraft to fail carrier suitability trials was poor directional stability with only one engine operational, as well as problems with the tail-hook design. [ Meyer 2002, p. 55.] Therefore, the initial production series was only used from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar. [ Thruelsen 1976, p. 205.] At first, they were single-seater F7F-1N aircraft, but after the 34th production aircraft, a second seat for a radar operator was added; these planes were designated F7F-2N.

The next version produced, the F7F-3 was modified to correct the issues that caused the aircraft to fail carrier acceptance and this version was again trialled on the USS "Shangri-La" (CV-38). A wing failure on a heavy landing caused the failure of this carrier qualification too. F7F-3 aircraft were produced in day fighter, night fighter and photo-reconnaissance versions. Taylor 1969, p. 504.]

A final version, the F7F-4N, was extensively rebuilt for additional strength and stability, and did pass carrier qualification, but only 12 were built.

urvivors

A number of Tigercats were used as water bombers to fight forest fires in the 1960s and 1970s, and for this reason 12 examples exist today. Six of these are still airworthy. [Carr 1976.] [O'Leary 2002.]

As warbird racers, in 1976, Robert Forbes qualified an F7F-3N but did not race at Reno. Another modified F7F-3N Tigercat, (Bu No. 80503) "Big Bossman" owned by Mike Brown presently competes in the national air racing circuit. [ [http://www.septemberpops.com/Racers/BossmanPage.htm September Pops Unlimited Air Racing Team] . Retrieved: 31 March 2007.]

At least three F7F Tigercats are preserved in aviation museums:
* F7F3 (Serial no. 80373/N7654C) National Museum of Naval Aviation, NAS Pensacola, Florida
* F7F3 (Serial no. 80410) Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona
* F7F-3P (Serial no. 80390/N700F) Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Operators

*
** United States Marine Corps
** United States Navy

pecifications (F7F-4N Tigercat)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref="Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II" Bridgman 1946, p. 233.]
crew=2 (pilot, radar operator)
length main=45 ft 4 in
length alt=13.8 m
span main=51 ft 6 in
span alt=15.7 m
height main=16 ft 7 in
height alt=5.1 m
area main=455 ft²
area alt=42.3 m²
empty weight main=16,270 lb
empty weight alt=7,380 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=25,720 lb
max takeoff weight alt=11,670 kg
engine (prop)=Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W "Double Wasp"
type of prop=radial engines
number of props=2
power main=2,100 hp
power alt=1,600 kW
max speed main=400 knots
max speed alt=460 mph, 740 km/h
range main=1,200 mi
range alt=1,000 nm, 1,900 km
ceiling main=40,400 ft
ceiling alt=12,300 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
avionics=
* AN/APS-19 radar
guns=
** 4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M2 cannon
** 4× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun
bombs=
** 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs under wings "or"
**1× torpedo under fuselage

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
* Ta 154
* de Havilland Hornet
* Bristol Beaufighter
lists=
* List of military aircraft of the United States
see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bridgman, Leonard (ed.). “The Grumman Tigercat.” "Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II". London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0.
* Carr, Orrin I. "Fire 'Cat!" "Air Classics", Vol. 12, No. 9, Sept. 1976. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications, pp. 38–47.
* Gault, Owen. "Grumman's Tiger Twins: The Skyrocket & Tigercat". "Air Classics", Vol. 9, No. 8, Aug. 1973. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications, pp. 22–27.
* Green, William. "Grumman F7F-1 - F7F-3 Tigercat". "War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters" London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1961, pp. 106–108. ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Grumman F7F Tigercat". "WW2 Fact Files: US Navy and Marine Corps Fighters". London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1976, pp. 57–61. ISBN 0-356-08222-9.
* Grossnick, Roy A. and William J. Armstrong. "United States Naval Aviation: 1910–1995". Annapolis, MA: Naval Historical Center, 1997. ISBN 0-16049-124-X.
* Meyer, Corwin ("Corky") H. "F7F Tigercat: The Untold Story". "Flight Journal", August 2002. Ridgefield, CT: AirAge Publications. pp. 48–56, 58.
* Morgan, Eric B. "Grumman F7F Tigercat F.7/30". "Twentyfirst Profile, Volume 1, No. 11". New Milton, Hants, UK: 21th Profile Ltd. ISBN 0-961-82100-4.
* Morgan, Eric B. "The Grumman Twins". "Twentyfirst Profile, Volume 2, No. 15". New Milton, Hants, UK: 21th Profile Ltd. ISBN 0-961-82101-1.
* O'Leary, Michael. "Tigercat Restoration". "Air Classics", Vol. 38, No. 11, Nov. 2002. Canoga Park, CA: Challenge Publications.
* O'Leary, Michael. "United States Naval Fighters of World War II in Action". Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press, 1980. ISBN 0-7137-0956-1.
* Taylor, John W.R. "Grumman F7F Tigercat". "Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present". New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
* Thruelsen, Richard. "The Grumman Story". New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976. ISBN 0-275-54260-2.
* Zuk, Bill. "Janusz Zurakowski: Legends in the Sky". St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2004. ISBN 1-55125-083-7.

External links

* [http://www.septemberpops.com/Racers/BossmanPage.htm F7F Tigercat "Big Bossman" air Racer]
* [http://www.kbvp.com/extreme-videos/f7f-tigercat-airshow-video-clay-lacy F7F Tigercat Flight Demonstration by Clay Lacy]