The speed and competition of air racing drew test pilot Darryl G. Greenamyer to the National Championship Air Races, held every September near Reno, Nevada, beginning in 1964. Greenamyer and a team of fellow Lockheed Skunk Works employees used their engineering creativity to modify a Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat into a purpose-built air racer. Grumman designed the Bearcat late in World War II as a replacement for the F6F Hellcat Navy fighter. Conquest 1 featured a shorter wingspan than the production Bearcat, a special small bubble canopy, a larger propeller taken from a Douglas A-1 Skyraider, and a propeller spinner from a North American P-51H Mustang. Highlighted in this image are the propellers of the Bearcat "Conquest I" Grumman F8F-2.
Created by
Eric Long
Date Created
01/02/2020
Source
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Keywords
Aircraft; Aviation; Private
Rights and Restrictions
CC0
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