Author Topic: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas  (Read 35606 times)

Offline perttime

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #50 on: March 05, 2015, 03:42:10 PM »
There's a drawing of a Sabrecat on the first page of this thread - but I prefer the Bearcat based ones that I've seen posted elsewhere...

Like this one:



https://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzyfugu/8967143220/in/pool-1859736@N23

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #51 on: March 05, 2015, 03:54:02 PM »
Oh, that is tasty. :)
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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #52 on: June 27, 2015, 05:07:30 AM »
A different looking Hellcat - in NMF and with spinner:

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Offline jcf

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #53 on: June 27, 2015, 06:24:48 AM »
XF6F-1 with R-2600, later re-engined with R-2800 as XF6F-3, and then, following a crash, as the XF6F-4
with turbocharged R-2800.

The F6F was originally designed to use the R-2600, which is one of the reasons the cowling is so large,
the Wright being larger in diameter than the P & W.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2015, 08:59:21 AM by jcf »
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Offline Kerick

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #54 on: June 27, 2015, 06:31:11 AM »
A different looking Hellcat - in NMF and with spinner:




That sure gives it a different look! I wonder if that was a company bird or some kind of test aircraft.

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #55 on: June 27, 2015, 06:44:23 AM »
As Jon has said above, this is the Grumman XF6F-1, prototype of the F6F Hellcat fighter.  The first Hellcat was powered by a  R-2600-10 Twin Cyclone  radial engine, which produced 1,700 horsepower. Beginning with the second prototype the Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine became the standard power plant.

Here is another shot:



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Offline elmayerle

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #56 on: October 03, 2015, 06:32:30 AM »
Odd thought, FM-2S "Wildcatfish II" with either streamlined pylons for twin floats or a singe centerline float with streamlined pylon and two small outrigger floats.  I rather favor the single float concept, particularly if you could do the structure so that landing loads pass into the main landing gear attach points.

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #57 on: December 06, 2015, 07:50:03 AM »
Looking at little like a cross between this:



and this:



I give you the real world Edo XOSE-1:

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Offline ysi_maniac

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #58 on: October 24, 2017, 01:15:33 PM »
Wildcat powered by Allison engine.


Offline finsrin

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #59 on: October 24, 2017, 01:57:37 PM »
Allison Wildcat sure looks faster than with original radial.
Problem with prop to deck clearance and increased length on deck and elevators.
But sure looks faster.  Nice rendition  :smiley:
« Last Edit: October 24, 2017, 03:28:11 PM by finsrin »

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #60 on: December 20, 2018, 01:39:20 AM »
Something I found yesterday:

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Offline elmayerle

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #61 on: December 20, 2018, 02:00:09 AM »
Needs a revamped and streamlined set of struts for the floats, but the basic concept looks good.  Kit bash of a Hellcat and a Wildcatfish conversion?

Offline kitnut617

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #62 on: December 20, 2018, 02:24:34 AM »
Interestingly, the Hellcat's AUW is almost the same as a Blenheim, so floats about the same size would be about right. And the floats in the drawing look a bit like Edo floats too ---

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #63 on: November 10, 2019, 03:33:47 AM »
Random idea:  RNZAF Hellcat instead of Corsair - using this sort of scheme:

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Online Jonesthetank

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #64 on: November 12, 2019, 03:51:27 AM »
How about.....

Early USN 3 tone scheme.  I know the sharkmouth is wrong, but I've always loved it on the USN Hellcats


Late scheme.  Repainted in RNZAF Ocean Blue and Sky Grey.  Used on some of the late war Corsairs, before the Overall USN Sea Blue models began to arrive


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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #65 on: November 13, 2019, 01:27:06 AM »
Love the lower one best. :smiley:
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Offline Volkodav

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #66 on: December 28, 2019, 02:03:16 AM »
Been a long term fan of the light carrier / fighter carrier / aircraft cruiser.  The interest kicked off when Australia was buying Invincible from the UK then the Falklands war, I became fascinated with the concept of small to very small carriers operating a small but useful group of fighters and ASW aircraft.  The Vosper Thornycroft Harrier Carrier was a favorite, as was the Chakri Naruebet and the various RN Escort Cruiser sketches from the 1960s.

In the late 40s the RN planned to replace their cruiser squadrons on colonial station with light carriers supported by a smaller number of cruisers, operating fighters, strike fighters and ASW aircraft.  These were to be the Colossus and Majestic classes, a type powered by a half a Crown Colony cruiser propulsion set, then there was the USN CVL, based on a light cruiser hull.  There were multiple prewar studies in a number of countries on aircraft cruisers etc. Hermes design was based on a cruiser hull form, then there was the Washington treaty clause which excluded carriers with a standard displacement below 10000tons from being counted against the signatories total carrier tonnages.  Overall I am surprised, except for the financial restrictions of the time, that there weren't a significant number of just under 10000 ton carriers built pre WWII.

Anyway, the reason I've been rabbiting on about light carriers, in particular, fast light, cruiser sized carriers, is the logical aircraft to operate from them would be pretty much any pre-war naval fighter but during the war, the Wildcat and post war, the Bearcat.  What I'm thinking of doing is building a Sea Gladiator, a Wildcat and my Bearcat as aircraft operated from my wiff RAN prewar light carrier class based on the County class cruiser hull.

Offline kim margosein

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #67 on: January 02, 2020, 10:52:36 AM »
The   problem is when you make the carriers smaller, you lose aircraft faster than you lose tonnage.  In the late 40s, aircraft were getting larger, denser and faster.  This means larger decks for operations, more room needed belowdecks, more room for fuel for the much thirstier jets, etc.  And if you really want a 10k ton carrier, there are plenty of WWII surplus ones that still have the new ship smell. 

Offline Volkodav

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #68 on: January 02, 2020, 10:30:49 PM »
The   problem is when you make the carriers smaller, you lose aircraft faster than you lose tonnage.  In the late 40s, aircraft were getting larger, denser and faster.  This means larger decks for operations, more room needed belowdecks, more room for fuel for the much thirstier jets, etc.  And if you really want a 10k ton carrier, there are plenty of WWII surplus ones that still have the new ship smell.

True but prewar the finding was that a flight deck length of 600' was the effective minimum required, but anything over 800' resulted in diminishing returns in terms of increased aircraft numbers.  Also it was determined that for a given cost a larger number of small carriers could effectively operate a greater number of aircraft, its only when the price of escorts is factored in, if the smaller carriers were dispersed instead of operated together.

Other factors that became obvious during the war were larger carriers can operate aircraft in more severe weather conditions and larger carrier are more survivable, irrespective of armouring.

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #69 on: January 18, 2020, 12:43:53 PM »
For an outrageous bit of over-powering, how about a R4360 installed in a Bearcat?  I suspect the tail surfaces would need to be moved farther aft for weight and balance purposes, but it could be interesting to see with either a 5-bladed prop or counter-rotating 3-bladed props (as on first XP-72).

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #70 on: January 19, 2020, 02:47:04 AM »
Would take "Rare Bear" to a whole new level:

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Offline Small brown dog

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #71 on: January 19, 2020, 02:59:56 AM »
Would take "Rare Bear" to a whole new level:

That would be bordering on the erotic  :-*
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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #72 on: January 19, 2020, 03:15:26 AM »
Think Rare Bear crossed with Furias (latter below):

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Offline Small brown dog

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #73 on: January 19, 2020, 03:25:43 AM »
Think Rare Bear crossed with Furias (latter below):

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Offline kitnut617

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Re: Grumman Wildcat/Hellcat/Bearcat Ideas
« Reply #74 on: January 19, 2020, 03:26:13 AM »
But would it make it faster  ???