@ Chino, CA
May 2019
On a recent trip to Chino, I finally had some time to check out the Planes of Fame Air Museum where this weathered Tigercat sits. First flown in 1943, the F7F was delivered too late to see combat in World War II but saw action as a night fighter and attack aircraft during the Korean War. The -3N night fighter variant was fitted with a radar unit in the nose (replacing the 4x .50 cal guns) and a second cockpit for the radar operator. Although the production count of the F7F-3N totaled only 60 aircraft, it saw service in the Korean war as a fighter-bomber where it saw service with the Marines until the mid-1950s. A F7F-3N of VMF(N)-513 shot down a Po-2 biplane on Sept. 23, 1951, the sole aerial victory for any Tigercat during the type’s service. Nikon D500 w/18-200mm.
