 |
|
|
| SPECIFICATIONS |
|
|
|
| ENGINE |
|
Pratt & Whitney J42-P-8 5,750 pounds of thrust |
| ARMAMENT |
|
Four 20mm cannon and up to 2,800 lbs. of ordnance |
| WING SPAN |
|
38 feet |
| LENGTH |
|
37 feet, 3 inches |
| HEIGHT |
|
11 feet, 4 inches |
| MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT |
|
19,494 pounds |
| CREW |
|
1 |
| MANUFACTURED BY |
|
Grumman Aircraft Corporation |
| TOTAL BUILT |
|
761 |
| TOTAL EXISTING |
|
9 |
| FIRST BUILT |
|
1947 |
| MUSEUM'S AIRCRAFT BUILT |
|
1949 |
| MAXIMUM SPEED |
|
526 m.p.h. |
| RANGE |
|
1,353 miles |
| SERVICE CEILING |
|
44,600 feet |
|
An aircraft of “firsts,” the sleek Grumman F9F Panther was the first jet powered fighter to see widespread service with the U.S. Navy and Marine
Corps. It was the first Navy jet to shoot down an enemy aircraft, the first Navy jet to shoot down an enemy jet-powered aircraft and the first jet aircraft
used by the Blue Angels aerobatic team. The Panther was initially designed as a four engined night fighter. However, when the Pratt & Whitney J42 engine
became available in 1946, Grumman redesigned the XF9F-1 into a single-engine day fighter, the XF9F-2. The first XF9F-2 flights took place in November 1947
and the Panther entered service in May 1949.
The remarkably strong and reliable F9F proved that jet powered aircraft could handle the rigors of carrier operations. During the Korean War, Panthers
supported United Nations operations there and illustrated the type's flexibility and effectiveness. The F9F, although clearly outperformed by the Soviet
MiG-15, brought down five of the swept-wing enemy fighters. Armed with bombs and High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVARs), F9Fs also conducted thousands of
interdiction and close-air-support (CAS) missions.
Grumman produced the Panther in a number of different variants. The F9F-5 had a longer fuselage and the more powerful Pratt & Whitney J48 engine. The
F9F-2P unarmed photo-reconnaissance version conducted numerous dangerous missions over Korea. The F9F-6 Cougar utilized the F9F-5's fuselage, but had a
swept wing that gave the Cougar a top speed of nearly Mach 1 and a climb rate of 5,600 feet per minute. Some Cougars remained in service until the 1970s.
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum's F9F-2B is the last flying example of her kind. The aircraft served in Korea with VF-721 aboard the aircraft carrier
U.S.S. Kearsarge (CVA-33). This Panther flew more than 30 combat missions and received damage from enemy fire on a number of occasions. The aircraft also
served aboard the U.S.S. Philippine Sea (CV 47) as a replacement aircraft with VF-91. The F9F it replaced was badly damaged during a landing accident and is
now on static display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. The Museum's Panther was acquired in 1993 and required 25,000 man hours to restore
it to its original flying condition. Restoration was completed during the spring of 1995. The plane carries the same colors and markings that it wore during
the Korean War. It was awarded the title “Grand Champion Warbird” at both the 1995 E.A.A. Sun n' Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida and the
1995 E.A.A. Oshkosh Fly-In in Wisconsin.
|
|
|
