- 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-enginedfighter aircraft design to enter service with theUnited States Navy . Designed for the new "Midway"-class aircraft carriers, the aircraft were too large to operate from earlier decks. Although delivered toUnited States Marine Corps (USMC) combat units before the end ofWorld 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 They saw service in theKorean War and were withdrawn from service in 1954.Design and development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 aF6F 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 bomber s to fightforest fire s 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 engine s
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 fuselageee 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]
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