Grumman F9F PANTHER 72″ Wingspan

Grumman F9F PANTHER

Designer: ZIROLI

Wing Span: 72”

Length: 72”

Wing Area: 1050 in.sq.

Weight: .16 to 20 lbs

Engines: OS .91 DF with Dynamax Fan

Originally designed in 1947 as the Navy’s first jet, it lacked the power and reliability to be competitive and so Grumman imported  the Rolls Royce Nene turbo jet engine.  During production, the Rolls engine was produced under license by Pratt and Whitney as the J-42. The Panther was used extensively in Korea and was the star of the Movie ‘The bridges at Toki Ri” with William Holden and Grace Kelly.

Neil Armstrong flew the F9F Panther for the Navy and John Glen and baseball great Ted Williams flew Panthers for the Marine Corp.

The F9F Panther also was the first jet flown by the Navy’s Blue Angels.