Grumman F3F-2 Navy and Marine Biplane Fighter at Pikes Peak Airshow Colorado Springs

Here you will find photos of the Grumman F3F-2 Navy and Marine Biplane Fighter. These in-flight photographs of the Grumman F3F-2 Biplane Fighter were taken at the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow in Colorado Springs on September 21, 2019.

A Bit of History of the Grumman F3F-2

The Grumman F3F-2 was the last Navy and Marine biplane fighter. It entered service in 1936, and retired from front-line service in 1941. Its short operational life served to underscore its role in the Navy’s transition from biplanes to monoplanes. A total of 147 F3Fs of three variants were delivered with this F3F-2 having an upgraded, 950 horsepower engine.

The F3F inherited the Leroy Grumman-designed retractable main landing gear configuration used on an earlier Grumman aircraft design. This landing gear configuration was carried over to the much improved F4F Wildcat single wing fighter, the successor to the F3F.

The entire F3F-2 production series was delivered between 1937 and 1938. When deliveries ended, all seven Navy and Marine Corps pursuit (fighter) squadrons were equipped with Grumman single-seat fighters.

The Grumman F3F-2 Biplane Fighter Photo Gallery

Photographs of The Grumman F3F-2 Navy and Marine biplane fighter

The following camera gear was used in the Aviation Photography of the The Grumman F3F-2 at the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

• a Nikon D850 with the Nikon MB-D18 Multi Battery Power Pack,
• F-Stop Gear Aloe Green Tilopa 50L Back Pack (with large Pro ICU),
• a Really Right Stuff TVC 34L tripod,
• the Movo GH800 Carbon Fiber Professional Gimbal Tripod Head with Arca-Swiss Quick-Release Plate,
• with a Really Right Stuff BH-50 LR Ballhead,
• and an AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens with a Really Right Stuff Tripod foot.

The in-flight photos were all taken with a Gimbal and tripod set up using the 200-500mm lens. The D850 exposures for the images average between 1/125 and 1/640 of a second at f/7.1 and f/8.0. The native ISO of settings of 64 was used on the Nikon D850 and all images captured as RAW files. We also used Adobe Lightroom Classic CC to process all of these images. Since this was a sunny blue sky day with very few clouds, we used Adobe Photoshop’s new new sky replacement feature to add clouds in most of these images.

Order High Quality Archival Prints Online

Looking for aviation photographs as a gift or to adorn the walls of your home or office? Need photographic prints for a Building Lobby or Corporate Foyer? Please click on the button below to learn more about ordering prints of our Colorado photographs for your home, lobby or office. We have a wide variety of archival media to choose from along with several custom high quality frame and mat options. Make sure you also check out our new Augmented Reality Wall Preview using your smart phone or tablet.