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Grumman F8F Bearcat
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===Concept=== The Bearcat concept began during a meeting between [[Battle of Midway]] veteran [[F4F Wildcat]] pilots and [[Grumman]] vice president [[Jake Swirbul]] at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 23 June 1942. At the meeting, Lieutenant Commander [[John Thach|Jimmie Thach]] emphasized one of the most important requirements in a good fighter plane was "[[climb rate]]".<ref>Ewing 2004, pp. 182, 308.</ref> Climb performance is strongly related to the [[power-to-weight ratio]], and is maximized by wrapping the smallest and lightest possible airframe around the most powerful engine. Another goal was that the '''G-58''' (Grumman's design designation for the aircraft) should be able to operate from [[escort carriers]], which were then limited to the obsolescent F4F Wildcat, as the [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]] was too large and heavy. A small, lightweight aircraft would make this possible. After intensively analyzing [[Aircraft carrier|carrier]] warfare in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater of Operations]] for a year and a half, Grumman began development of the G-58 Bearcat in late 1943.
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