Wow! I searched the F8F on the web and found a way cool web page with all kinds of math mumbo-jumbo that some of you may understand.
http://nasaui.ited.uidaho.edu/nasaspark/safety/f8f/f8ftechnical.htmAlso... (to quote the article)
As soon as enough of the new fighters had been produced, two squadrons, VF-18 and VF-19, were equipped with F8F-1s. Their training was expedited in order to get the new fighter into service against Japanese kamikaze suicide attacks in the Pacific. The Bearcat-equipped VF-19 was onboard the carrier USS Langley, enroute across the Pacific, when the war ended on August 16, 1945. There is little doubt that if the war had continued, the Bearcat’s fantastic climb and acceleration would have been invaluable in combating the kamikaze menace.
As a final demonstration of the Bearcat's fantastic climbing ability, an F8F is reported to have set the record for a climb of 10,000 feet from a standing start in 91 seconds. It is said to have held this record for almost three decades, until finally beaten by an F-16 Fighting Falcon. The author witnessed a maximum performance takeoff by a civilian Bearcat in the late 1960s, and the airplane went up straight and out of sight.
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