Grumman F3F#Popular culture

File:F3F NAS Anacostia NAN10-80.jpg]]

The Navy's experience with the F2F revealed issues with stability and unfavorable spin characteristics,{{cite web|url=http://www.vf31.com/aircraft/f3f.html|title=Grumman F3F|website=Air Group 31|date=2006-12-27|access-date=2013-06-21}} prompting the 15 October 1934 contract for the improved XF3F-1, placed before F2F deliveries began. The contract also required a capability for ground attack, in addition to the design's fighter role.Cacutt 1989, pp. 155–162. Powered by the same Pratt & Whitney R-1535-72 Twin Wasp Junior engine as the F2F, the fuselage was lengthened and wing area increased over the earlier design. A reduction in wheel diameter allowed greater fuselage streamlining, eliminating the prominent bulge behind the cowling of the F2F.

The prototype, BuNo. 9727, was delivered and first flown on 20 March 1935 with company test pilot Jimmy Collins making three flights that day. Two days later, six dive-recovery flights took place; on the 10th dive, the aircraft's pullout at {{cvt|8000|ft}} registered 14 g on the test equipment. The aircraft broke up in midair, crashing in a cemetery and killing Collins. A second, strengthened prototype was built, but it crashed on 9 May of the same year following the pilot's bailout during an unsuccessful spin recovery.Dann 1996, p. 4. The second prototype was rebuilt in three weeks, flying on 20 June 1935. An order for 54 F3F-1 fighters was placed on 24 August of that year, following the conclusion of the flight test program.{{cite web|last=Jordan|first=Corey C.|url=http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.webs.com/Grumman3.html|title=Grumman's Ascendency: Chapter Three|website=Planes and Pilots Of World War Two|access-date=2013-06-21|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054009/http://www.planesandpilotsofww2.webs.com/Grumman3.html|archive-date=2013-09-21}}

File:Grumman XF4F-3 prototype in flight in 1939.jpg prototype clearly shows the family lines.]]

The first production F3F-1 (BuNo 0211) was delivered on 29 January 1936 to the test group at Naval Air Station Anacostia, with squadron service beginning in March to VF-5B of {{USS|Ranger|CV-4|2}} and VF-6B of {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|2}}. Marine squadron VF-4M received the last six in January 1937.Dann 1996, p. 27.

Grumman, wanting to take advantage of the powerful new {{cvt|950|hp|0}} Wright R-1820 supercharged radial engine, began work on the F3F-2 without a contract; the order for 81 aircraft was not placed until 25 July 1936, two days before the type's first flight. The engine's larger diameter changed the cowling's appearance, making the aircraft look even more like a barrel, though top speed increased to {{cvt|255|mph}} at {{cvt|12000|ft}}.

The entire F3F-2 production series was delivered in between 1937 and 1938; when deliveries ended, all seven Navy and Marine Corps pursuit squadrons were equipped with Grumman single-seat fighters. Further aerodynamic improvements were made to an F3F-2 (BuNo 1031) based on wind tunnel studies in the NACA Langley 30' x 60' full-scale wind tunnel and became the XF3F-3. It featured a larger-diameter propeller, and a complete revision of the fuselage skinning forward of the aft cabane strut in order to improve aerodynamics and reduce carbon monoxide intrusion. On 21 June 1938, the Navy ordered 27 F3F-3s, as new monoplane fighters like the Brewster F2A and Grumman's own F4F Wildcat were taking longer to develop than had been planned.Crosby 2002, p. 77.

With the introduction of the Brewster F2A-1, the Navy's biplane fighter days were numbered. All F3Fs were withdrawn from squadron service by the end of 1941, though 117 were assigned to naval bases (Mainly NAS Miami and NAS Corpus Christi) and used for training and utility duties until December 1943.

The G-32 and G-32A two-place aircraft were used by the U.S. Army Air Force as ferry-pilot trainers, under the designation UC-103/UC-103A.

A civilian aerobatic two-seat variant, the G-22A "Gulfhawk II," was constructed in 1936 and flown by Major Alford "Al" Williams, head of Gulf Oil's aviation department.{{cite web|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19490059000|title=Grumman G-22|website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|date=2014|access-date=2014-08-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810230940/http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19490059000|archive-date=2014-08-10}}

• 30 October 1936, Lt (jg). Milton G. Stephens was fatally injured when both left wings of the F3F-1 he was flying tore off at 1,500 ft during dive bombing practice at Border Field, San Diego.{{Cite web |title=Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/casualties-usnavy-marinecorps-personnel-killed-injured-selected-accidents-other-incidents-notdirectly-result-enemy-action.html |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=public1.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}
• 10 November 1936, Aviation Cadet William H. Jones was killed when he crashed a F3F-1 into USS Ranger (CV-4) on approach. The plane sank in 4,600 feet of water.
• 25 August 1937, a F3F-1 crashed after colliding midair with a Navy Vought SBU-1 above Rancho Santa Fe near San Diego. The pilot bailed out safely.{{Cite web |title=Petaluma Argus Courier 25 August 1937 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=PAC19370825.1.1&srpos=4&e=25-08-1937-30-08-1937--en--20--1-byDA-txt-txIN-Plane+crash-------1 |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}

Data from: Aerofiles - GrummanEckland, K.O. [http://aerofiles.com/_grum.html "Grumman, Grumman-American."] aerofiles.com, 11 September 2008. Retrieved: 21 June 2013.

;G-11

:Company designation for F3F-1 carrier-borne fighters

;XF3F-1

:Three prototypes of the F3F (all with the same Bureau Number, 9727), powered by single {{convert|700|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Pratt & Whitney R-1535-84 Twin Wasp Juniors

;F3F-1

:Initial production version for the US Navy, 54 built. BuNos 0211 through 0264.

;G-19

:Company designation for the F3F-2 and F3F-3

;XF3F-2

:A single prototype (BuNo 0452), powered by a single {{convert|850|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Wright XR-1820-22 Cyclone G

;F3F-2

:Second production model for the US Navy, powered by a single {{convert|950|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Wright R-1820-22 Cyclone, 81 built. BuNos 0967 through 1047.

;XF3F-3

:A single prototype (BuNo 1031) of the F3F-3 with curved windshield, a modified forward fuselage with a widened diameter and cowling with a single cowl flap on either side

;F3F-3

:Final production variant for the US Navy, 27 built. Featured a redesigned forward fuselage forward of the aft cabane struts. BuNos 1444 through 1470.

;G-22 Gulfhawk II

File:Grumman Gulfhawk II NASM.jpg of the National Air and Space Museum]]

:A single hybrid F2F/F3F, powered by a {{convert|1000|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Wright R-1820 Cyclone, for display pilot Al Williams, sponsored by the Gulf Oil Company for demonstration flights and aerobatic displays. The G-22 Gulfhawk II was retired to the National Air Museum in October 1948.

;G-32 Gulfhawk III / G-32A

:A two-seat civilian variant of the F3F series, powered by a {{convert|1000|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Wright R-1820 Cyclone. Two aircraft were built, one (G-32, NC1051) for noted Gulf Oil pilot Alford Williams as the "Gulfhawk III", and the second (G-32A, NC1326) retained by Grumman as a fast executive transport-chase aircraft. Both of these aircraft incorporated landing flaps into the lower surface of the upper wing, the only variant of the series to be so fitted.

;UC-103

:Both G-32 aircraft were impressed into the USAAF in 1942; Williams's G-32 Gulfhawk III was destroyed in a crash in Florida and the G-32A survived until 1971 when it crashed after being abandoned due to an inflight fire

{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}

; {{USA}}

• United States Army Air Forces
• United States Marine Corps
• VF-4M
• VMF-1
• VMF-2
• VMF-211
• VMJ-1
• United States Navy
• VF-2B
• VF-3B
• VF-5B
• VF-6B
• VF-2
• VF-3
• VF-4
• VF-5
• VF-6
• VF-71
• VF-72

File:Grumman F3F-2 Flying Barrel, Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida (2).jpg

Today, there are four flying aircraft, three F3F-2 models and the Grumman demonstrator G-32A, all which were restored by Herb Tischler's Texas Airplane Factory in Fort Worth. The restorations took four years and consisted of rebuilding the G-32A from original blueprints with tooling built at the Texas Airplane Factory. The wreckage of three -2 aircraft which had originally crashed in Hawaii were utilized to complete the other restorations.{{cite web|last1=Wilkinson|first1=Stephan|title=F3F Biplane Barrels Back|url=http://www.historynet.com/f3f-biplane-barrels-back.htm|publisher=HistoryNet|access-date=2016-08-31|date=2013-01-15}}

• 0972 – F3F-2 owned by Hawks Zeroq3 in Sonoma, California. This airframe was restored by Chris Prevost and has been on the flight line at Vintage Aircraft in Sonoma, California. It has since been sold to Lewis Air Legends in Texas.{{cn|date=April 2023|reason=removed ref to unreliable (crowdsourced) site}}
• 0976 – F3F-2 on static display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. This aircraft was ditched off the coast of San Diego by Marine aviator Robert E. Galer on 29 August 1940 while attempting a landing on Saratoga. The fighter was rediscovered by a U.S. Navy submarine in June 1988, and recovered on 5 April 1991. It was restored at the San Diego Aerospace Museum before going on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum.{{cite web|title=F3F-2|url=https://navalaviationmuseum.org/aircraft_exhibits/f3f-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810031448/https://navalaviationmuseum.org/aircraft_exhibits/f3f-2/|archive-date=2023-08-10|access-date=2023-08-10|website=National Naval Aviation Museum|publisher=Naval Aviation Museum Foundation}}
• 1028 – F3F-2 on display at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.{{cite web|title=1938 Grumman F3F-2|url=http://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/aircraft/wwii/1938-grumman-f3f-2|website=Fantasy of Flight|date=18 September 2013 |access-date=2016-08-31}}
• 1033 – F3F-2 owned by the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.{{cite web|title=Grumman F3F Flying Barrel|url=https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/aircraft/grumman-f3f-flying-barrel|website=worldwariiaviation.org|access-date=2023-08-09}}
• 335 – G-22 on static display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia.{{cite web|title=Grumman G-22 Gulfhawk II|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/grumman-g-22|website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=2016-08-31}}
• Replica – G-32A owned by Comanche Warbirds Inc in Houston, Texas. This airframe is a replica rebuilt at the Texas Airplane Factory using the identity of G-32A construction number 447, which crashed in 1971.{{cn|date=April 2023|reason=removed ref to unreliable (crowdsourced) site}}

File:Grumman F3F drawing NAN9-77.jpg

{{Aircraft specs

|prime units?=imp

|ref=Great Aircraft of the World

|crew=one pilot

|length ft=23

|length in=2

|length m=

|span ft=32

|span in=0

|span m=

|height ft=9

|height in=4

|height m=

|wing area sqft=260

|wing area sqm=24.15

|empty weight lb=3285

|empty weight kg=

|max takeoff weight lb=4795

|max takeoff weight kg=

|eng1 name=Wright R-1820-22 "Cyclone"

|eng1 type=9-cylinder radial engine

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 hp=950

|eng1 kw=

|max speed mph=264

|max speed kts=

|max speed kmh=

|max speed note=at {{cvt|15250|ft}}

|cruise speed mph=150

|cruise speed kts=

|cruise speed kmh=

|range miles=980

|range nmi=

|range km=

|ceiling ft=33200

|ceiling m=

|climb rate ftmin=2800

|climb rate ms=

|climb rate note=at sea level

|guns=

• 1 × {{cvt|0.30|in|2}} M1919 machine gun
• 1 × {{cvt|0.50|in|1}} M2 machine gun

|bombs=2 × {{cvt|116|lb}} bombs, one under each wing

}}

{{Aircontent

|related=

• Grumman F2F
• Grumman F4F Wildcat

|similar aircraft=

• Avia B-534
• Curtiss BF2C Goshawk
• Curtiss F11C Goshawk
• Fiat CR.32
• Fiat CR.42 Falco
• Gloster Gladiator
• Polikarpov I-15
• Polikarpov I-153

|lists=

• List of fighter aircraft
• List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)

|see also=

• F3F in fiction

}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book|last=Cacutt|first=Len|title=Grumman Single-Seat Biplane Fighters|location=London|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=1989|isbn=1-85435-250-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Crosby|first=Francis|title=Fighter Aircraft|location=London|publisher=Lorenz Books|year=2002|isbn=0-7548-0990-0}}
• {{cite book|last=Dann|first=Richard S. (USN, LCDR)|title=Grumman Biplane Fighters in action. Aircraft In Action 150|location=Carrollton, Texas|publisher=Squadron/Signal Publications|year=1996|isbn=0-89747-353-1}}
• {{cite book|last=Orriss|first=Bruce|title=When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II|location=Hawthorne, California|publisher=Aero Associates Inc.|year=1984|isbn=0-9613088-0-X}}

{{Refend}}

{{Commons category|Grumman F3F}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.mucheswarbirds.com/F3Fart.html|title=The Grumman F3F: The U.S. Navy's Last Biplane Fighter|last=Muches|first=Jim|website=mucheswarbirds.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209214446/http://www.mucheswarbirds.com/F3Fart.html|archive-date=2007-02-09}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/f3f.htm|title=Fantasy of Flight's F3F|website=fantasyofflight.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516210159/http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/f3f.htm|archive-date=2011-05-16}}

{{Grumman aircraft}}

{{USN fighters}}

{{USAF transports}}

F03F

Category:1930s United States fighter aircraft

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Category:Biplanes

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Category:Aircraft first flown in 1935

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