You should go back and read the report again. The two best fighters overall (in the opinion of the pilots) were the XF8F-1 and the F7F-1. Both blue and both powered by the R-2800. Indeed, a unmodified F8F-1 held the time to climb record from 1946 into the mid 1980s. From a standing start to 10,000 feet in 96 seconds. I've spoken to pilots who currently fly the F8F-2, F7F-3N and P-51D. All readily concede that either Grumman would easily abuse a Mustang. Both Grumman planes climb much, much faster. Both accelerate much, much faster. The Bearcat easily out-turns the Mustang (the Bearcat's turn radius is slightly greater than the FM-2). The F7F can stay with the P-51 through any maneuvers its pilot may attempt, and can break off combat at will by simply taking the fight vertical.
I've got more than 3,200 hours behind R-2800s and R-1820s.... How many do you have?
What "record" would that be?
An airshow stunt in a hot-rodded Bearcat?
That aint a kosher record..
How many hours have you got behind a V-1650-9 @ 90in boost?
Or WFO behind a Napier Sabre?
How many of those F8F jockeys mentioned have `51H stick time?
I suggest you go back to the wwiiaircraftpeformance website & run the numbers of a mil-spec F8F vs `51H, it wont cut it against the equivalent
load out toting `51H..
& [from memory] didn't Corky Meyer [Grumman test pilot] concede that the XF8F needed a lot of work to solve directional stability issues, & would be unacceptable to the USN as a service fighter until they did?
I note that Grumman had finally got around to fitting a decent blown bubble canopy of the kind used in operational service by Hawker fighters for quite some time already..
