The Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American singleengine carrierbased fighter aircraft that arrived too late to participate in World War II.

Still, it was considered one of the best pistonengine fighters ever built, and even test pilot Eric Brown, known to have flown more airplane types than anyone else in history, considered it his favorite American aircraft.

The F8F eventually found its way into the civilian market, but it took one legendary American pilot to put it back on the map, giving people something to talk about in the late 1980s when a heavily modified version shattered a world record that no one saw coming...



Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, topsecret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.