Grumman F3F-2 Flying Barrel
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On October 15, 1934, Grumman was awarded a contract for the design and construction
of the prototype XF3F-1. This aircraft was to use the same Pratt & Whitney R-1535
engine as the previous F2F-1, but be aerodynamically refined. Fifty-four production F3F-
1's were ordered in August 1935, proving to be more maneuverable and possessing
better directional stability than the F2F-2. The F3F-1 could take off within 200 Ft and,
despite higher weight and larger dimensions, proved equally as fast as the earlier single
seater.
In 1936, the 1000 hp Wright Cyclone was proposed to be used in a further improved
design, the prototype of which, the XF3F-2, was delivered to the Navy on July 27, 1936.
Improved performance included an increase in maximum speed to 255 mph (the F2F-1
and F3F-1 were capable of 229 mph at 9400 ft) and a service ceiling increased by 4000 ft
(versus the previous 29,800 ft). As a result, Grumman received a March 1937 U.S. Navy
contract for 81 production F3F-2s.
In 1938, because of difficulties arising from slow development of the Navy's first
monoplane fighters, a further improved modification of the famed "flying barrel" was
ordered as the F3F-3. These aircraft were considered to be a delight to fly. The F3F-3
was an extremely strong aircraft, faster and more maneuverable than its predecessors,
handled superbly, snap rolled with exacting precision, and could three point with any
power setting or loading condition. Its pilots considered it the ultimate biplane
shipboard fighter. By mid 1939, all first line U. S. Navy and Marine Corps squadrons flew
Grumman fighters, exclusively.

As the last days of peace for the United States drew near, there were still 140 Grumman
F2F and F3F fighters serving the U.S. Navy as fighter pilot trainers at the large air
stations at Norfolk, Miami and Corpus Christi. The last Grumman biplane fighter was to
remain in service until late in November 1943.
F3F-3 Specification

Crew 1 (pilot)
Engine 950 hp Wright R-1820-22
Span 32 ft
Length 23 ft
Weight 3254/4403 LB
Internal fuel 130 gal
Range 1150 st MI
speed 264 mph at 15,200 ft
Armament 1 30 CAL and 1 50 CAL machine guns

The Model
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INSTALLATION: Unzip F3F-2 barrel.zip into a temporary folder. Copy and paste the file F3F-2 Barrel into the CFS2 aircraft folder. The planes should show in the aircraft list as F3F-2.
- F3F-2 Marines VF-2M
- F3F-2 VF-3 Saratoga
- F3F-2 VF-7 Wasp

PANEL: New panel with standard CFS2 gauges. Add the GPS gauge into your gauges folder.

SOUND: Aliased to the f4u1a_corsair sound to keep the file size small.

CONTROLS: PLEASE READ: This plane is controlled like any other with the following exceptions. The canopy has a linear slide thanks to SDLEdit and is controlled by the Flaps controls since the real airplane didn't have any. Please note the carrier hook is actuated by the spoiler control. The hook works like a brake. The plane lands like any other unless you wish to land on a "landable carrier". If you accidently hit the spoiler key in the middle of a flight the plane will almost fall out of the sky. Note; A good landable carrier for CFS2 is the "Saratoga" cv602v10.zip. I suggest you include the update.

LEGAL: This project is released as freeware. You may modify it and repaint it. I include a palet.bmp for you to use the simple Microsoft paint program to change the colors of the plane. You may upload this file to another website as long as it is not for profit. You need the written permission of the original authors to use any of these files for commercial purposes, otherwise a simple credit would be nice. This file should not cause problems with your computer, but I accept no responsibility if you think it does.
Special thanks to Paul Clawson for a nice original model and to Mick Morrissey for some nice ideas on textures..

Happy Landings!! Ground or Carrier!!

A.F.Scrub
1 November 2004
Email: af_scrubbypc@hotmail.com