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Description
| Manufacturer: | Grumman |
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| Base model: | F7F | ||
| Designation: | F7F | ||
| Version: | -3 | ||
| Nickname: | Tigercat | ||
| Designation System: | U.S. Navy / Marines | ||
| Designation Period: | 1922-1962 | ||
| Basic role: | Fighter | ||
| Crew: | Pilot |
Specifications
| Length: | 45' 4" | 13.8 m | |
| Height: | 16' 7" | 5.0 m | |
| Wingspan: | 5' 6" | 1.6 m | |
| Wingarea: | 455.0 sq ft | 42.2 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 16,270 lb | 7,378 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 25,720 lb | 11,664 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 2 | ||
| Powerplant: | Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 2100 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 1,200 miles | 1,932 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 222 mph | 357 km/h | 192 kt |
| Max Speed: | 435 mph | 700 km/h | 378 kt |
| Climb: | 4,530 ft/min | 1,380 m/min | |
| Ceiling: | 40,700 ft | 12,405 m | |
Known serial numbers
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| National Museum of Naval Aviation | NAS Pensacola | Florida |
| Pima Air & Space Museum | Tucson | Arizona |
F7F-3 on display
National Museum of Naval Aviation | Pima Air & Space Museum |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Rocco Reno, NV | Just a few minutes ago a flight of 3 F7F's came over my house. After 3 passes they landed at Stead. What a sight what beautiful birds. 09/10/2008 @ 18:39 [ref: 22662] |
| Craig Crippen West Hills, CA | What lead me to this site was the sound of the two big radial engines on an F7F flying over my house yesterday 9-9-2008. My wife thinks I'm a little nuts at 63 years of age to be running out of the house when I think I hear something cool flying over. I guess it came out of Van Nuys. This was the first time I had ever seen the F7F. Thankfull one present from a past Christmas was Janes's Fighting aircraft of WW II that helped me identify the F7F. 09/10/2008 @ 10:00 [ref: 22652] |
| Wayne King Winterhaven`, CA | Early in 1952 I arrived at the Naval Air Technical Training Commanad, Norman, Oklahoma. The Navy was opening three taining schools AN"P" Airman Preparitory School, AD"A" Aviation Machinest Mate School, and AM"A" Aviation Structural Mechanic School. They were receiving aircraft to be used for the schools and there were 2 F7F aircarft among them. I thought they were two of the most beautiful A/C i had ever seen. To this day I feel the same way. CPO,King,USN,Ret 06/09/2008 @ 21:44 [ref: 21219] |
| Wayne King Winterhaven`, CA | Early in 1952 I arrived at the Naval Air Technical Training Commanad, Norman, Oklahoma. The Navy was opening three taining schools AN"P" Airman Preparitory School, AD"A" Aviation Machinest Mate School, and AM"A" Aviation Structural Mechanic School. They were receiving aircraft to be used for the schools and there were 2 F7F aircarft among them. I thought they were two of the most beautiful A/C i had ever seen. To this day I feel the same way. CPO,King,USN,Ret 06/09/2008 @ 21:43 [ref: 21218] |
| Greg Berge , CA | To D Pat Harrington
I have contact with an F7F driver of VMF 513 from the Korean War. Contact me if you would like 05/07/2008 @ 09:34 [ref: 20820] |
| D. Pat Harrington , AZ | I am building a 1:48 scale model aircraft of the Grumman Tigercat F7F-3N Night-fighter deployed with VMF(N)-513 at Pyongtaek S. Korea during the summer of 1952. The bird has the name "Linda" and the numeral "24" painted on the nose in red paint. It also carries the code "WF" in large red letters on the vertical stabilizer.
It has the menacing "Droopsnoot" nose typical for this night-fighter type that housed the SCR-720 radar apparatus... but what is not so typical is the box-like protuberance that appears to sit directly on top of the nose (immediately above the nose gear's main leg if you were to extend an invisible line "north" through the airframe). This appears (to me, anyway) to be some sort of "field modification"... a blister or a fairing that may have housed some additional radar or radio component. If I had to guess, the shape (in profile) seems to suggest that the "box' is wider and more massive in the front that it is at the back, and would therefore have some taper to the shape: front-to-back. I can say with certainty that this is not the football-shaped ADF antenna housing familiar on many earlier F7F-2D airframes. I've spend hours on-line trying to get some additional information and/or some additional images of this aircraft's nose that is more complete than the profile illustration that has appeared in print over the years (I'm using Squadron/Signal's F7F Tigercat in Action #79). The profile is good and very well-rendered, but in order to do this airframe justice, I really need some overhead and nose-on photos to work with. Can anyone offer any additional insights into this apparent one-of-kind modification? Regards, I D. Pat Harrington 04/21/2008 @ 13:56 [ref: 20644] |
| Keith , CA | F7F-3 is at Van Nuys airport today 3/28/08 sitting right beside the fence acros the alley from Hawker Beechcraft 03/28/2008 @ 12:41 [ref: 20272] |
| Bill Wheeler Upland, CA | I, too, saw that beautiful and very rare F7F departing Brackett Airport the previous writer commented on. I happened to see it from a slightly different vantage point, though. I was in the stands watching the drag racing. I pointed out the Tigercat to my wife, and she enjoyed using out binoculars to watch the big warbird take off and do a circle around Brackett before departing the area. I am an FAA air traffic controller at the Ontario, California, International Airport's control tower (ONT), so I get to watch thousands of aircraft taking off and landing each week, but it's always a special treat to get to see a rare aircraft like that F7F in flight. I also wanted to mention that the rather odd-looking canard-winged corporate aircraft the previous writer mentioned was an Italian-built Piaggio. Pretty cool to watch, as well! 11/07/2007 @ 19:17 [ref: 18446] |
| George Godwin Rowland Heights, CA | We went to Norm's Hangar Restaurant at Brackett Field in Pomona for breakfast. We had hoped to enjoy the landings and takeoffs of Cessnas, Beachcrafts, etc. We were REWARDED with those plus a corporate-sized somewhat cunard-winged turbo prop, and a thrilling take-off and subsequent LOW level fly by of a Grumman f7f.
There was at the same time a large drag racing event at the adjacent fairgrounds, but the sound of those huge radial engines, the plane's unique beauty, and it's history, brought a tear to my eyes. 11/04/2007 @ 12:20 [ref: 18396] |
| George Leon Miami, FL | While stationed at Boca Chica Naval Airstation I was assigned for training as a Radar operator on an F7F Tiger Cat at the time if I remember correctly I was also training as a Radioman on TBF Avengers VTN-53. tThis was during the period 1945 to 1947 My strongest memory is the feelings that you get when pulling out of a seven G dive. I also remember the start of VPW1 weather patrol that flew in ventura aircraft. because of time and age I may not be exactly accurate 08/20/2007 @ 13:07 [ref: 17691] |
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