Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>F3F>HA7303
Grumman F3F-2, ex 2-M-16, 1942
General Background
Produced in the mid to late 1930s the F3F-1 as well as the 2 and 3 variants belonged to what probably was the most colorful era in US military aviation history. Grumman took all the lessons learned from the F2F and incorporated them into the F3F. The Flying Barrel, as it was commonly called, had a wide fuselage to accommodate the large radial engine and a three-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller. The plane had improved retractable landing gear, longer fuselage. The last F3F was retired by the USN in November 1943.
The Aircraft
The USN received the first Grumman F3F-2 on December 1, 1937 and the last of the sixty-four F3F-2 aircraft on May 11, 1938. The last F3F flew in front-line service at the end of 1941 when it was replaced by the Brewster Buffalo and the F4F Hellcat. The USN took 117 F3F-2s and F3F-3s and sent them to various bases around the USA for training and transport duties. The last F3F-2 was retired from military service in November 1943.
Specifications :
Crew: |
1 pilot |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 23 ft 2 in (7.06 m) |
| Height: | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
| Wingspan: | 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m) |
| Wing area: | 260 ft² (24.15 m²) |
| Weights | |
| Empty: | 3,285 lb (1,490 kg) |
| Max takeoff: | 4,795 lb (2,175 kg) |
| Performance | |
| Powerplant: | 1× Wright R-1820-22 "Cyclone" 9-cylinder radial engine, 950 hp (710 kW), 8 ft 6 in. 3 blade Hamilton-Standard propeller |
| Maximum speed: | 229 knots, 264 mph (425 km/h) at 15,250 ft (4,658 m) |
| Cruise speed: | 150 mph (130 knots, 240 km/h) Range: 980 mi (850 nm, 1,600 km) |
| Service ceiling: | 33,200 ft (10,120 m) |
| Rate of climb: | 2,800 ft/min (14 m/s) at sea level |
| Armament | |
| Guns: | 1× 0.30 in (7.62 mm) M2 machine gun, 500 rounds |
| 1× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun, 200 rounds | |
| Bombs: | 2× 116 lb (52.6 kg) Mk IV bombs, one under each wing |