Editing Grumman F8F Bearcat (section)

==Air racing==
[[File:Bearcat Grumman F8F-2 Rare Bear.jpg|thumb| The record-breaking racer ''[[Rare Bear]]'']]

Bearcats have long been popular in [[air racing]]. A stock Bearcat flown by [https://hydroplanehistory.com/personalities/mira_slovak_mira_slovak_1929_2014.html Mira Slovak] and sponsored by [https://hydroplanehistory.com/personalities/bill_stead_bill_stead_pt_1.html Bill Stead] won the first [[Reno Air Race]] in 1964. ''[[Rare Bear]]'', a highly modified F8F owned by [[Lyle Shelton (aviator)|Lyle Shelton]], went on to dominate the event for decades, often competing with [[Daryl Greenamyer]], another famous racer with victories in his own Bearcat (''Conquest I'', now at the Smithsonian's [[National Air and Space Museum]]) and holder of a piston-engined aircraft world speed record in it. ''Rare Bear'' also set many performance records, including the 3&nbsp;km World Speed Record for piston-driven aircraft ({{convert|528.33|mph|disp=sqbr|abbr=on}}), set in 1989, and a new time-to-climb record ({{convert|3000|m|disp=sqbr}} in 91.9 seconds ({{convert|6425.9|ft/min|m/s|abbr=on|disp=sqbr}}), set in 1972, breaking the 1946 record cited above).<ref>[http://www.RareBear.com "Lyle Shelton's "Rare Bear."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206003547/http://www.rarebear.com/ |date=2006-12-06 }} ''www.RareBear.com.'' Retrieved: 18 August 2010.</ref>{{efn|Note that Shelton's claim to be the "fastest propeller-driven aircraft in the world" does not acknowledge faster [[turboprop]] aircraft such as the Russian [[Tupolev Tu-95]] "Bear" bomber. Other sources credit ''Rare Bear'' as the fastest "piston-driven" aircraft.|group=Note}}<ref>[http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/performance/q0023.shtml "Aircraft speed records."] ''www.AeroSpaceWeb.org.'' Retrieved: 18 August 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.airrace.com/New%20speed%20records.htm "Speed records from archives of the Society of Air Racing Historians."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061221051938/http://www.airrace.com/New%20speed%20records.htm |date=2006-12-21 }} ''www.AirRace.com.'' Retrieved: 18 August 2010.</ref>