Commemorative Aircraft Shines a Light on Bearcat Operational Costs

An F8F Bearcat operated by the Commemorative Air Force will be needing a bit of love, with the aircraft prepped and ready to go on its way to a full restoration to airworthy condition.

Produced by Grumman as one of the last of the production run, Bureau of Ordnance Number 122674, was tendered to the Navy a scant week before the very last Bearcat changed hands. That makes it one of the youngest of the Naval superprops, entering service on April 7, 1949. The aircraft wound its way through the usual life cycle of a warbird in the early Cold War era, ending its service and languishing unappreciated in storage for years until a motivated group of operators wheeled it out into the daylight. The Commemorative Air Force acquired the Bearcat in 1991 in Chino, California, where it had been sitting for 8 years. Assigned to the Southern California Wing, the Bearcat needed plenty of handiwork to get back to fighting shape. Replacements for all fluid lines and electrical wiring did the trick, resulting in an airworthy aircraft once again. Since that initial work, the SoCal Wing's Bearcat has been a "mainstay at airshows ever since". 

Now, after 3 decades of continued service, the Bearcat is getting a full restoration. Right now, Bu. No. 122674 lies disassembled, with all surfaces prepped to bare metal for a fresh coat of primer and paint. As anyone familiar with aircraft paint knows... it doesn't come cheap. Particularly when the final product needs to be quality, period accurate work. The CAF estimates a cost around $75,000 for the completed paint job, along with a few miscellaneous niggles associated with reassembly and restoration. While the cost seems steep to the average LSA or Skyhawk driver, a five-figure job isn't too shabby for one of only 10 Bearcats left in the world.

FMI: www.cafsocal.com