his livery represents a fictional "What if" repaint of the magnificent payware Grumman F9F-5 by Vertigo Studios in a Royal Netherlands Navy Livery.
The aircraft resembles what it would look like if the Dutch government chose the Grumman F9F Panther over the Hawker Seahawk as their primary attack fighter operating from the sole Dutch Navy aircraft carrier from the late 40-ies till the early 60-ies; the HRMS Karel Doorman (CV, R81, Colossus Class). The Dutch navy operated two other aircraft carriers prior to this one (small MAC escort carriers, which were basically modified tankers), but the R81 was the first and only real aircraft carrier ever operational within the Royal Netherlands Navy, and to operate jet-fighters from.
This particular livery of the F9F is in a typical grey & duck-egg green pattern resembling all Dutch naval aircraft of that era, carrier-and land based.
This livery with the "D" marking denotes the aircraft has the CV R81 "Karel Doorman" as home base. Aircraft similar in operation and colour at that time (actually the Hawker Seahawk-era) were: Sikorsky S55, Grumman TBM 3S2/3W2 Avenger later added/replaced with the Grumman S-2A Tracker and the Sikorsky S58. In the final stages of Dutch aircraft-carrier operations the role of the HRMS Karel Doorman was reduced to an "Anti-Submarine Warfare" carrier.
The aircraft resembles what it would look like if the Dutch government chose the Grumman F9F Panther over the Hawker Seahawk as their primary attack fighter operating from the sole Dutch Navy aircraft carrier from the late 40-ies till the early 60-ies; the HRMS Karel Doorman (CV, R81, Colossus Class). The Dutch navy operated two other aircraft carriers prior to this one (small MAC escort carriers, which were basically modified tankers), but the R81 was the first and only real aircraft carrier ever operational within the Royal Netherlands Navy, and to operate jet-fighters from.
This particular livery of the F9F is in a typical grey & duck-egg green pattern resembling all Dutch naval aircraft of that era, carrier-and land based.
This livery with the "D" marking denotes the aircraft has the CV R81 "Karel Doorman" as home base. Aircraft similar in operation and colour at that time (actually the Hawker Seahawk-era) were: Sikorsky S55, Grumman TBM 3S2/3W2 Avenger later added/replaced with the Grumman S-2A Tracker and the Sikorsky S58. In the final stages of Dutch aircraft-carrier operations the role of the HRMS Karel Doorman was reduced to an "Anti-Submarine Warfare" carrier.
