This short, silent film shows the first flight of the first Grumman F6F Hellcat — designated XF6F-1 because it was a prototype. This flight took place on June 26, 1942, when the XF6F-1 was equipped with a Cyclone engine. The first Double Wasp-equipped aircraft, designated the XF6F-3, first flew a month later in 30 July 1942. The footage almost certainly was shot at the Grumman plant in Bethpage, New York.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the U.S. Navy’s dominant fighter in the second half of the Pacific War. In gaining that role, it prevailed over its faster competitor, the Vought F4U Corsair, which initially had problems with visibility and carrier landings. The F6F made its combat debut in September 1943. It subsequently established itself as a rugged, well-designed carrier fighter, which was able to outperform the A6M Zero and help secure air superiority over the Pacific theater. In total, 12,275 were built in just over two years. Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA). This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft. After the war, Hellcats were phased out of front-line service in the US, but radar-equipped F6F-5Ns remained in service as late as 1954 as night fighters

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com