F8F BearCat arrives @ Paine Field

[BOOM]

Real nice vid of BearCat's arrival @ Paine field for Historic Flight Foundation.
http://vimeo.com/10300124

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you for the link, Boom. It is great to see that the aircraft is finally out of restoration, having spent several years having work done to it by Pacific Fighters (who also built the P-51B for John Sessions/HFF). I always like the look of these fighters when they have the droptank installed, and all of the accurate stencils applied.

It's also always nice to see the guy responsible for the restoration work, John Muzala, getting to fly it, and in this case, dropping it off at the museum.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Outstanding footage. The lady who made it did a great job, pretty stable...what a beautiful machine...

Wish the Fighter Collection would fly their Bearcat this year at Duxford. I'd love to photograph it, albeit without the tank. Do I see 'Grumpy', the ex-British (previous owner was John Romain's company I think, Historic Aircraft Company or so) B-25D at 1:24 ?

[Bomber_12th]

Yep, that's the same Mitchell, also owned by John Sessions' Historic Flight Foundation museum, along with the P-51B also seen in the background.

This is the museum's website: http://historicflight.org/hf/

If you go to 'Collection' you can see a full listing of the museum aircraft, whether currently complete or under restoration, and there are also some great photos that can be found in the 'Gallery' and else where.

Actually, before this Bearcat had been brought back to the states in 1997, by Bill Anders, it was owned by The Fighter Collection at Duxford, having come to England in 1990.

[stansdds]

Nice video, disappointed that the Bearcat was towed to parking, I was hoping to see and hear it under its own power. Oh, well, it's still nice to see a freshly restored vintage aircraft.:applause:

[oakfloor]

I still to this day, do not understand why we have 4 P-51's, 4 spitfire's, 3 P-38's, 2 P-47's, and no high quailty F8F bearcat. I do think there may be one in the works, but until then..The bearcat would be a awesome plane to fly IMO.

[NWarty]

Absolutely gorgeous and one of my all time favorite aircraft :jump:

[Bomber_12th]

Oakfloor, I agree that a properly-made F8F would be very nice to have in FSX. Vertigo Studios has one underway it seems - would love to do one myself one day. From all reports I have heard, pilots that are rated in the F8F, just love it, and say that it is an easier airplane to fly than even the Mustang - of which it of course out-performs as well.

I have flown the pants off of the well-known freeware FS9 Bearcat, in both FS9 and FSX for several years now, which for being a few years old, is still a very high quality simulation of the real thing.

[jmig]

Here are some pictures of the one at the Texas Air Museum in Galveston. I think it is flyable.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Nice photos John :)! I'd love to just sit in the cockpit of a Bearcat (or any other warbird, since I haven't ever got to sit in one)...let alone fly it.

[bpfowler]

for those seattle locals--like me--who didnt know, the Historic Flight Foundation is a NEW building at the SW corner of Paine Field in Everett WA at 10719 Bernie Webber Drive (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=edmonds+wa&daddr=10719+Bernie+Webber+Drive,+Mukilteo,+WA+9827 5+(Historic+Flight+Foundation)&hl=en&geocode=FVyI2QIddau0-Cnpb2yLHRuQVDGgRrJx8kkkBw%3BFa7p2gIdP_u1-CEBEKrS9eMhCw&mra=ls&sll=47.884118,-122.312164&sspn=0.546133,1.652069&ie=UTF8&ll=47.900779,-122.290803&spn=0.004294,0.012907&t=h&z=17)

WACO UPF-7
NORTH AMERICAN P-51B MUSTANG
SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Mk. IXe
GRUMMAN F8F BEARCAT
CANADAIR T-33 SILVERSTAR
NORTH AMERICAN T-6A
GRUMMAN F7F TIGERCAT
DE HAVILLAND BEAVER
BEECHCRAFT STAGGERWING B-17
DOUGLAS DC-3
NORTH AMERICAN B-25D MITCHELL

The Indoor museum/education space just opened in this month. F,S, Su only.
Road Trip!!

It's around the corner from the Other Warbird outift, so between them, the Boeing Factory Museum and the Museum of flight Restoration Hangar, we now have 4 places to visit at one airfield.

Not to mention the pleasure of watching the 787 program develop...
Anybody planning a visit drop me a PM, meet you up thar.

cheerio,
brady

[redriver6]

check out the 109...

http://vimeo.com/6659618
http://vimeo.com/6660044

and the 88 flak gun:jawdrop:
http://vimeo.com/6659578

[redriver6]

the video is so good that it produces some decent stills too...