F7F-3P Tigercat 'Here Kitty, Kitty!' flight 2017

Stewart Dawson flying Lewis Air Legends Grumman F7F-3P Tigercat 'Here Kitty, Kitty!" during the 2017 Planes of Fame airshow.

[jlyarnall]

Hi: I had the privilege of flying this very F7F as a fire retardant aircraft when it was owned by Johnson Flying Service of Missoula Montana. It was one sweet machine.. Even with a 900 gallon tank on the belly it handled very well.I could fly it with just 2 fingers on the stick. I would go to a fire at 275-300 knots and come home at close to 400 knots. When dropping the retardant it would tend to pitch up but that was reduced if you dropped with gear down. It is great to see this F7F restored to its original colors and still flying.
Cheers Jack Yarnall

[Alienasa]

One of the best looking planes to date in my opinion.

[SuperDiablo]

criminally underrated aircraft if you ask me but Grumman does make some beautiful planes

[danahan]

The sound of big radial engines is music to my ears!!

[Vektorer]

This video is the best looking, sweetest sounding of all Tigercat vids on YT. Thank you, Voodoo, for posting it. For those unaware N700F was an EAA Grand Champion/Warbird Restoration in 1985. I recall working her first flights, post restoration. Very little, if any, expense was spared in the restoration effort. Better than fresh-from-the-factory 40 years prior.

I had the privilege of riding shotgun in THIS aircraft back in September of 1998 with a parachute on my back and one BIG grin on my face during a museum open house at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The backseater does not sit on a seat, per se. It's a wingspar and to sit correctly it must be done cross-legged. No flight controls in back and in no way could tall Marines fly in the back of this machine. If one is a 6-footer or more one's head is kissing the canopy. For me, the overall feel of riding in the back of the Tigercat was akin to riding on rails. So smooth and powerful. We were lead ship in a formation flight of 3; P-47 and F6F on the wing. To John Ellis, the man who commanded N700F over Michigan's blue skies for 25 years: Thank you again, for the joy from that afternoon.

[KillerKev]

One of the most beautiful propeller driven fighters ever produced. Just a fantastic aircraft.

[bmdbigfeet]

Tne sound of twin radials is mesmerizing. Mustang and Spitfires may look good but V 12s will never sound as good. What an awsome aircraft.

[carguy]

5:15 is my favorite part. In stereo, through head phones ... Love it! Great sound and quality in this vid.

[jamestheotherone]

My favorite prop Navy plane. Absolutely every thing optimized for Go Fast.

[ujijin]

Brought tears to my eyes...thank you very much!

One of my favorite 3 airframes ever.

[johnjohnson-cvkf]

Just spent two hours in traffic driving from Destin to Navarre Fl. I really needed this! Thank you.

[mauriciocastro]

Beautiful video, captures all the beauty of this magnificent flying machine.

[RAIDERZNATION]

I recognize this one, she came from the airzoo in Kalamazoo. I remember seeing her before she was sold. Happy to see her flying again! Those R2800 Double Wasp engines are music to my ears!

[FSAUDIOGUY]

The sound of that aircraft literally gives me goosebumps! TY for the awesome upload!

[pjweds]

What a lovely sounding Tigercat, thanks for sharing this.

[bernardw]

Probably my favourite piston engined fighter. Just look at it!

[Rocknranchman]

A couple of those low and close passes gave me that "there goes my hat" feeling! Great video!

[davidwolf]

It seems as though everything the Grumman folks ever produced were always on the cutting edge. I love this video.

[ivatt]

A real professional display & a superb recording - well done! Really enjoyed it! Thanks for posting!

[DAVIDBARTON-yx]

This is my boyfriends My Dad was a test pilot for this plane in WWII. He flew so many different planes but this was his favorite. because he had training in twin engine planes he was assigned by the Marines to fly this one when it came out. He was a 2nd lieutenant, and his birthday is July 21! So thank you for this it gave me goose bumps the engine sound is amazing! And the barrel rolls!! Awesome.... he's in heaven now but I feel close to him watching this.
p.s. I have his flight book, which my cousin who is a pilot is deciphering now and he's amazed at all the planes he flew and taught others to fly!