VNAF F8F-1 Bearcat serial numbers
This list was researched and compiled by Cyril Defever from France, for which my thanks!
From 21 february 1956 to 3 july 1956, twenty-five Bearcats were used at the Centre de
Transformation à la Chasse (CTC) at Cap Saint Jacques air base (Vung Tau) by the French air force. The CTC did the conversion training of Vietnamese pilots on the Bearcat who had 200 hours flying on the T-6 Texan and 20 hours on the Morane Saulnier MS 472 in France.
These were the aircraft, sorted on tailcode:
| CTC Bearcats, French controlled: | ||
| Serial | Tailcode | Details (where known) |
| 122139 | A | |
| 094836 | B | |
| 095305 | C | |
| 094781 | D | |
| 095349 | E | |
| 122133 | F | |
| 095453 | G | |
| 095062 | H | |
| 121489 | I | |
| 095039 | J | |
| 094993 | K | |
| 121509 | L | |
| 095022 | M | Crashed 13 march 1956, Vietnamese pilot |
| 095143 | N | |
| 095128 | O | |
| 094998 | P | |
| 095379 | Q | |
| 095003 | R | |
| 095113 | S | |
| 121491 | T | |
| 122145 | V | |
| 095229 | W | |
| 095295 | X | |
| 121490 | Y | |
| 095203 | U or Z | Crashed 21 march 1956 |
The CTC had disbanded on 1 June 1956 to become 1er GCVN (1er Groupe de Chasse Vietnamien aka 1st VN Fighter group) and a few weeks later 1er GCRVN(R for Reconnaissance) These aircraft at first flew in French colors. They later temporarily used civil registrations in the series XV-FFA to XV-FFZ and kept their individual letters.
On 10 march 1956 there are 70 bearcats left in Vietnam (19 having been delivered to the Thai air force). 2 will be striken off charge, so by order of USA, 68 aircraft were to be given to the VNAF.
Bearcats delivered to the VNAF,
sorted per batch delivered and in numerical order:
| 1st batch, 24 aircraft, | 2nd batch, 18 aircraft, | 3rd batch, 5 aircraft, | 4th batch, 21 aircraft (ex CTC), |
| delivered 7 may 1956: | delivered 14 may 1956: | delivered 7 june 1956: | delivered 3 july 1956 |
| 094837 | 095803 | 095303 | less 094993 |
| 094889 | 094899 | 095308 | less 095022 |
| 094882 | 094922 | 095352 | less 095203 |
| 094920 | 094975 | 095381 | less 095349 |
| 094939 | 095035 | 122128 | |
| 095956 | 095092 | ||
| 094983 | 095100 | ||
| 094993 | 095129 | ||
| 094999 | 095224 | ||
| 095015 | 095255, tailcode I | ||
| 095022 | 095262 | ||
| 095033 | 095322 | ||
| 095068 | 095338, tailcode E | ||
| 095114 | 095349 | ||
| 095138 | 095433 | ||
| 095146 | 095484 | ||
| 095190 | 121503 | ||
| 095238 | 121510, tailcode G | ||
| 095244 | |||
| 095445 | |||
| 095492 | |||
| 121482 | |||
| 121484, tailcode D |
|||
| 122094 |