Grumman F8F Bearcat Flight Demonstration - MONSTER Pratt & Whitney Radial Engine Sound !

Grumman F8F Bearcat Flight Demonstration - MONSTER Pratt & Whitney Radial Engine Sound !This video was taken at the 2006 airshow at Jacqueline Cochran Airport in Thermal, California. This Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat is a member of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and is based in Camarillo, Calif. Their Grumman Hellcat also attended the show. These aircraft attend most SoCal airshows, even the very small ones. This is at no small expense. Thank you very much!

This is my favorite Grumman "Cat" and I think the video really illustrates Grumman's "smallest possible airframe built around the P&W R-2800 engine" concept. What a beast! This thing is ALL engine. This aircraft was run at a substantially higher power setting than what you would normally see at an airshow, much to the benefit of us warbird enthusiasts! Enjoy the great sights and sounds. I got a little buffeted by the prop wash and also had to wash the oil droplets off my lens filter after the engine startup. Ah, y-e-s!

The town of Thermal was not so named because it is the most temperate spot in California, but is rather often the hottest place in the USA in the summer. Thermal is located approx. 33 miles southeast of Palm Springs and is in the central bowels (and I do mean bowels) of the California low desert :).

However, this airshow is held in November and the weather is just delightful. This is a relatively small, predominantly warbird-oriented show and being in SoCal, many nearby warbirds attend. Definitely worth going to if you live in SoCal or are visiting! Warbirds from the Planes of Fame Museum (Chino, Calif.), the Palm Springs Air Museum and the Southern California wing of the Commemorative Air Force attend, along with modern U.S. military aircraft and other historic, privately-owned warbirds (see my other videos).

If you'd like, please also check out my other warbird videos. Thanks and happy warbirding!