The Grumman built XF8F-1 Bearcat, owned and piloted by Howard Pardue, taxies along the ramp at Stead Field in Nevada following the 2007 Reno Air Races. BuNo 88458 is one of the first two prototypes ordered by the U.S. Navy in 1943. The Bearcat entered the Navy's air squadrons to late to see action in World War II and was quickly replaced by jets as a front line fighter in the years immediately following the war. Photographed 09/07