Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F6F>HA1109
F6F-5 "Blue Angels"
General Background
The F6F Hellcat was basically designed as the “Zero Killer”. It could fly about an average 55 mph faster than the Zero and it was heavier and more powerful than the Zero. The Hellcat also had the highest kill ratio of any American fighter plane during WWII (19 to1). US Navy pilots referred the Hellcat as the "Aluminum Tank".
The Hellcat could carry two 1,000 pound bombs with its most destructive weapons being six 5-inch HVAR's (High Velocity Aircraft Rockets). It could also carry a torpedo under the fuselage but this was never seen in combat. When it was all over the F6F was one of the most feared and successful planes in WWII.
The Hellcat could carry two 1,000 pound bombs with its most destructive weapons being six 5-inch HVAR's (High Velocity Aircraft Rockets). It could also carry a torpedo under the fuselage but this was never seen in combat. When it was all over the F6F was one of the most feared and successful planes in WWII.
The Aircraft
When Lt. Cmdr. Roy Voris became the lead for the Naval Flight Demonstration Team he selected the F6F-5 as the team aircraft because this was the plane that made him a WWII Ace. To reduce weight the 3 Team F6F-5 aircraft were stripped of guns, ammunition boxes and any non-essential components. The paint scheme was an overall dark blue accented by the letters and number painted using gold-leaf paint. In 1954 the Blue Angels settled at NAS Pensacola, Florida where they remain to this day.
To keep the public interested in naval aviation Admiral Nimitz ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team. The first show took place in 1946 under the lead of Lt. Cmdr. Roy "Butch" Voris and flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Two months later the team transitioned to the Grumman F8F Bearcat. In 1947 Lt. Cmdr. Robert Clarke took over as team lead and introduced what has become the famous "Diamond Formation". Before the end of the 1940's the Blue Angels had advanced to their first jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther.
To keep the public interested in naval aviation Admiral Nimitz ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team. The first show took place in 1946 under the lead of Lt. Cmdr. Roy "Butch" Voris and flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Two months later the team transitioned to the Grumman F8F Bearcat. In 1947 Lt. Cmdr. Robert Clarke took over as team lead and introduced what has become the famous "Diamond Formation". Before the end of the 1940's the Blue Angels had advanced to their first jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther.
Specifications :
| Total production : | F6F-3 (4,403), F6F-5 (7,870) |
| Powerplant : | Single 2,000-horsepower 18-cylinder, Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10W air cooled radial engine |
| Climb rate to 14,000 ft. : | 6 minutes 42 seconds |
| Wingspan : | 42 ft. 10 in. (13.1 m) |
| Length : | 33 ft., 7 in. (10.2 m) |
| Height : | 13 ft., 1 in. (4.0 m) |
| Weight : | 9,238 lb. empty |
| Maximum speed : | 380 mph at 23,400 ft. |
| Ceiling : | 37,300 ft. |
| Range : | 945 miles |