Wow, I was visiting the ‘Top Gun’ model contest years ago in Florida and there was one beautifully built Bearcat and it even flew quite nicely. Unfortunately I don’t recall the builder. Could it have been based on your design? The year was something like 1999-2001.
-hh

I wish. I have one friend with a large 1/6 scale CAT. No mine were all 1/12 scale air combat designs. Last one is totally squeezed to meet the rules and its 2 cm deviation from the scale.

I would love to make an F8F-2 model with eclosed prop.

Also, just one last thought on the “Bearcat”…

Similar to the WAR replicas, any Bearcat replica will have a large frontal area due to the original being fitted with a radial – it’s simply something you can’t get round. The WAR replicas are also slightly wider in the fuselage to allow relative comfort for the chap flying it – something your Bearcat would need, too.

Building it small and light won’t necessarily make it the fastest (although I believe the prototype Rand KR1 was something of a hot ship after modification – and with a VW engine for power, too!)

DazDaMan,

You are correct, but as in a real CAT it is well formed with a cowl to have very little drag.
When you squeeze the F8F to 32% you thank the Lord that they made it to operate with a R2800.
Yes you have to make few changes to fit a man side in 32 % size. But looks exactly like in my attachment.
I have made 3 plans of a F8F-2 as R/C models and they were winning competitons…so I have some insight to this model as well.

KR-1 is a about 1/3 bigger than this tiny 32% F8F-2. Neat though !

How is your Isaacs Spitfire coming a long ? http://www.pfa.org.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000148
Why didn’t you go for the Jurca Spit ? http://www.spitfirebuilder.4t.com/custom4.html

rgds,

Juke

Hmm. I still don’t understand what are these features you keep referring to?

Well F8F-2 is a plane for carrier landings yet it is nimble and fast.

Those two ends of the best flying qualities a plane can have can be ratained also in a small F8F-2.

Able to land with a good view forward and down and still go fairly fast ( this makes AC economical ).

Mostly I refer to those abilities or qualities. It needs the change of foil and some recontouring of the fuse.

Gear is important…will it have to be retractable ?

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Are you following my blog…there is more about the cat too.

I depends where you make them.

Also this 32% plane would in fact be less than ½ size of a ½ scaled model ( in area vise and especially in cubature ).

See ½ scaled plane is 1/4 in wingarea…but 32% gives a just about one 10th ( of the 1:1 size ) for the area.

So 50 000 £ would be pretty close the market price for this tiny F8F-2. Building cost for a homebuilder would be close 15 – 24 000 £ or less depending if the engine is new or not.

Skeet Wyman explains his Hummelbird ( that is a lot bigger than this ) costs 2222 USD..this could be less if you get some used parts etc. Lumber and cloth and epoxy hardly cost more than 1000 £ for this 32% Bearcat. More difficult would be find a guy with hard enuf balls to fly it.

😎

World smallest AC => a 32% Bearcat !

I only just realized what it means that if some AC is the fastest ever…it actually means it has been “packed” so tightly that the power to weight ratio and other vital aspects stay eligible even if you scaled it down to 32%.

No wonder norwegians flew it in the late 1980ies as a 1/14 scale model R/C kite with flaps and rudder control added to regular aileron and elevator + throttle control.

Anyone want to start manufacturing these as kits for homebuilders ? I see a huge success ahead if equipped with reliable and powerful 2-stroke engine ( lotsa power and lite weight ).

Anyone building one would have plane with 2,3 m2 wing ( which is more than half of what 2 seater LH-10 has ) which is about same as Lars Gietz’s VmaxPROBE had ( wing could be enlarged with elevator by 15 % easily and scale looks remain ).

Wingloading would be about ½ compared to WW II fighters…no ultralite with little weight.

What a diffrence the model makes a 30% Skyraider would have no change to house a pilot inside: http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5194&KW=30%25+Skyraider&PN=0&TPN=64