P-51D and F8F do formation takeoff... Sort of.

[Widewing]

I wasn't under the impression that the F8F was spectacularly fast.  I thought the Bf109K-4 was faster at best alt, not sure about on the deck.

The F8F-1's max speed was 421 mph using Military power @ 19,700 ft and 433 mph @ 17,200 ft using Combat power. Speed at Sea Level was 382 mph. This is based upon 2,100 hp MIL and 2,400 hp WEP. The most widely published test data for the F8F-1 used Military power only as there was no ADI fluid available at the test facility. This resulted in the 421 mph speed. Corky Meyer's notes (Corky was lead test pilot on the F8F program) provides Combat power data for best altitude and sea level. Essentially, the F8F-1 has the speed of the Tempest, better climb than anything in the game, and a turn radius not much greater than that of the FM-2. Like the F6F, the F8F has infinitely variable flap settings. Unlike any other Navy fighter, it also incorporated the NACA dive recovery flaps. Fuel load was 160 gallons internally and up to 300 gallons in drop tanks. It could carry two 1,000 lb bombs and a 150 gallon centerline fuel tank along with four 5" rockets.

Think about it.... It could run down just about anything down low. Its acceleration would be the best in the game, as would its rate of climb (excluding the Me 163). It would dominate below 20k. Its one weakness is the gun installation... The same as the FM-2. Later in the production run, it was re-gunned with four 20mm cannon (F8F-1B).

The fact is, that in the highly unlikely chance that HTC would model the Bearcat, it would have to be perked severely....

The F8F-2 could manage 431 mph using Military power and 447 mph @ 28,000 ft using Combat power. The F8F-2 could reach 387 mph at Sea Level. This is based upon 2,250 hp MIL and 2,550 WEP.

[Ardy123]

The F8F would severely unbalance the game. I'm glad its not added.

[Shuckins]

A direct comparison of P-51D and F8F-2 power loadings reveals why the Bearcat has such a startling climb advantage over the Mustang.

F8F-2                 Empty weight:  7,650 lbs              2,250 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800       Power loading 3.4 lbs per hp

P-51D                 Empty weight:  7,635 lbs              1, 720 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin              Power loading 4.4 lbs per hp

[Babalonian]

There's a reason why one Bearcat or another has held the world record for time to climb (standing start to 10k feet in 96 seconds, IIRC) for over 60 years. The F8F is wheels up and long gone before the P-51 is off the runway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5HfqMtksBI&feature=share

LOL.  That was our birds at Thermal this year.

And yes, there are MANY reasons why the F8F got off and away logn before the mustang.

1.  Most the hard numbers have been covered already.  One that has been more overlooked than other though, take into consideration fuel capacities (wet weight, even though the P-51 in the clip does not have it's aux tank anymore (trust me)).   

2.  One is blatantley made for carrier operations, the other for 2,000 foot runway conditions.

3.  This is more of a 1 + 2 from above thing: the F8F sits twice as high off the ground, and has a propeller of almost equal-sized air-beating proportions.  At this particular runway that this filming took place, it is called the "thermal airshow"... some *cough* carrier *cough* planes like taking off in a stiff breeze a lot better than others.

4.  I am 80% sure, if I can recall from two months ago, that the two pilots that day were as far opposites as you can get, with different incentives of getting into the air and then back "home".   
a. "Mutha" I think is in the F8F.  Besides his profession allowing him the leasure of showing up on the museum's tarmac with a $70-million 40-ton 6-month new Super Hornet a month later (he is the Commodore of Lamoore and the entire Pacific Fleet Fighter Wing), i believe this is the show that he got to take the Bearcat back to Lamoore afterwards and showoff around the base for a week (That thing was wheeles up before you can say "Iz cans borrows toy for week and takez tos F-18 fighter training baze!?").
b.  The other pilot in the P-51 is a very nice and gentle fellow pushing I'd guess 70-years.  You couldn't ask for a better pilot to make sure nothing gets rushed doing it right and to treat the one of those two planes which was only recently leased to our museum, lol  (besides, the pony is the favorite of the two).


PS - That IS the same F8F that emergency glided/landed at Burbank Airport (now Bob Hope I think) a few years ago.  Also I heard a rumor that one of our Yak3s finally flew again this past weekend.

[Widewing]

LOL.  That was our birds at Thermal this year.

And yes, there are MANY reasons why the F8F got off and away logn before the mustang.

1.  Most the hard numbers have been covered already.  One that has been more overlooked than other though, take into consideration fuel capacities (wet weight, even though the P-51 in the clip does not have it's aux tank anymore (trust me)).  

2.  One is blatantley made for carrier operations, the other for 2,000 foot runway conditions.

3.  This is more of a 1 + 2 from above thing: the F8F sits twice as high off the ground, and has a propeller of almost equal-sized air-beating proportions.  At this particular runway that this filming took place, it is called the "thermal airshow"... some *cough* carrier *cough* planes like taking off in a stiff breeze a lot better than others.

4.  I am 80% sure, if I can recall from two months ago, that the two pilots that day were as far opposites as you can get, with different incentives of getting into the air and then back "home".    
a. "Mutha" I think is in the F8F.  Besides his profession allowing him the leasure of showing up on the museum's tarmac with a $70-million 40-ton 6-month new Super Hornet a month later (he is the Commodore of Lamoore and the entire Pacific Fleet Fighter Wing), i believe this is the show that he got to take the Bearcat back to Lamoore afterwards and showoff around the base for a week (That thing was wheeles up before you can say "Iz cans borrows toy for week and takez tos F-18 fighter training baze!?").
b.  The other pilot in the P-51 is a very nice and gentle fellow pushing I'd guess 70-years.  You couldn't ask for a better pilot to make sure nothing gets rushed doing it right and to treat the one of those two planes which was only recently leased to our museum, lol  (besides, the pony is the favorite of the two).


PS - That IS the same F8F that emergency glided/landed at Burbank Airport (now Bob Hope I think) a few years ago.  Also I heard a rumor that one of our Yak3s finally flew again this past weekend.

All of that said, the fact remains that the F8F (especially the -2 model), handily outperforms the P-51D in every metric except range and raw speed above 25,000 feet. My former CO, Navy Captain John McConnell, flew F8Fs during his first assignment. He tangled with Air Guard P-51s on several occasions and was adamant that the Mustang was badly outclassed in mock dogfights.

[Babalonian]

All of that said, the fact remains that the F8F (especially the -2 model), handily outperforms the P-51D in every metric except range and raw speed above 25,000 feet. My former CO, Navy Captain John McConnell, flew F8Fs during his first assignment. He tangled with Air Guard P-51s on several occasions and was adamant that the Mustang was badly outclassed in mock dogfights.

It would be cool to see them race to their limit and in stock condition, the odds would still be in the bearcats favor, but my point was you'd never come close to seeing the mustang in the clip push any known or otherwise limits (and it would be pushing the wall a good majority of the time against the bearcat). 

Hmmm... clearly post-war, I wonder what model the AG mustangs were that your CO tangled with (wouldn't make too much a difference, but still, a difference)?