The Buzz

摘要

On May 8,2020, pilot Steve Hinton undertook the first flight of Grumman F8F Bearcat NL3025 from Chino Airport in California, USA, following a near 15-year restoration. Originally built for the US Navy as BuNo 121707 in the late 1940s, the airframe passed through several owners once it was withdrawn from service, including spending time being used as a wind machine. During the 1970s, it resided at the US Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia, before it was bought by Elmer Ward of Pioneer Aero at Chino in the early 1980s. It was there that the aircraft assumed the guise of Grumman's sole G-58A, construction number D.739A, for an 11-year refurbishment.