Does anyone have any info on the Gulfhawk IV replica?

[Mike51]

I suspect you're referring to the other civilian Bearcat, which ended up with Bob Pond.

[wingman]

The ever cheerful Howard Pardue checking out the Gulfhawk replica...

Neal

[supercub]

Something else unique about the replca IV was they modified it so as to incorporate a very small 2nd seat. I forget the gentlemans name that owned it, but his wife rode with him in the rear seat. I believe I heard it said that this was the only time a Bearcat had been modified with a second seat. Does anyone know that for sure?
Brian

[Big_Jim]

Something else unique about the replca IV was they modified it so as to incorporate a very small 2nd seat. I forget the gentlemans name that owned it, but his wife rode with him in the rear seat. I believe I heard it said that this was the only time a Bearcat had been modified with a second seat. Does anyone know that for sure?
Brian

Wasn't Elmer Ward the owner?

[Chad Veich]

Elmer Ward was indeed the owner, and a nicer guy you could never meet. We happened upon him and his family working on the Bearcat in a Chino hangar a year or so before it was finished and Elmer made us feel like old friends. Even invited us to jump up into the cockpit. I too would love to see the airplane returned to the Gulfhawk paint scheme but something tells me that with the current consortium of owners that will not happen.

I don't have any proof, and I could be wrong, but it seems to me that I recall one of the Bearcats owned by "Chubb" Smith and "Bubba" Beal had a second seat installed as well. No?

[T J Johansen]

Another reason for the rear seat was that Elmer planned to install a second set of controls in it so that he could continue to fly it even after his medical had expired. Elmer was a great guy. Highly thought of, dearly missed!

I can not vouch for truth of it, but seem to remember someone saying that the Friedkin F8F N198F had a "hell hole" installed in the early 90s. Wouldn't have been very comfortable, but who'd say no to a ride in a Bearcat?

T J

[sledge39]

...Bob Kucera's N212KA "Race 99" had a second seat complete with door and window...

[Mike51]

...Bob Kucera's N212KA "Race 99"...

....now under restoration at Ezell's, incidentally.

[Mike51]

I don't have any proof, and I could be wrong, but it seems to me that I recall one of the Bearcats owned by "Chubb" Smith and "Bubba" Beal had a second seat installed as well. No?

That could well be, I remember Stephen Grey telling me a story, well before Elmer Ward completed his, about a Bearcat with the second seat added and a lot of fuselage structure removed. He said that the fuselage would twist in flight in a most alarming manner!

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Big question is where these two seat Bearcats F8's or G58's. Much easier to put a second seat in a G58. The one Hinton owns is a G58; just looked it up.

G-58A Gulfhawk G-58A - Steven Hinton Chino CA. So it's not a replica; it's the real deal! One of two built.