In
July I did a blog post about the Grumman Goose largely because I feature this
plane in my upcoming novel “Leviathan Deterrent”, which will be published later
this year, the sequel to my first novel “Whisper.” I mistakenly stated in that post that this is
the same plane that is used in the movies “The Expendables” and that they wreck
in the “The Expendables 2.” It was
actually a larger later version, the Grumman Albatross that they
used in the Expendable movies.
After the success of the Goose and World War II, Grumman Aircraft developed the larger Mallard for commercial use. It had many of the features of the smaller craft (the Goose and Widgeon) such as the twin radial engines, high wing, underwing floats, retractable gear and a slightly larger tail. They built 59 Mallards between 1946 and 1951.
Crew:
2 Capacity: 5,000 lb. or 17 passengers.
Length:
48ft 3in. Wingspan: 66ft 7in. Height: 18ft 9in.
Max
Speed: 215mph. Cruise Speed: 181mph.
Range:
1,289 mi. Ceiling:
24,500ft.
An improvement of the
design of the Grumman Mallard, the Albatross was developed to land in open
ocean situations to rescue downed pilots and other flight crew members. The HU-16 was the largest twin
engine amphibian built by Grumman Aircraft. The prototype made its first flight on October
24, 1947.
Originally designated as
the SA-16 for the U.S. Air Force
which ordered 297 for
use in the air-sea rescue role, as the 'Albatross' was able to operate from
land, water, and snow and ice when fitted with skis. Produced from 1949 – 1961, where they produced
466 of these amazing planes, primarily
as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft. The primary users were the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S.
Coast Guard and the Hellenic Navy (Greece) along with 21 other countries. The Albatross was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962.
Its deep-V hull
cross-section and substantial length enable it to land in the open sea. The Albatross was designed for optimal 4 ft
seas, and could land in more severe conditions, but required JATO (jet-fuel
assisted take off, or simply booster rockets) for takeoff in 8 - 10 ft. seas or
greater.
The majority of
Albatrosses were used by the USAF, primarily by the former Air Rescue Service. The USAF utilized the SA-16 extensively in
Korea for combat rescue, where it gained a reputation as a rugged and seaworthy
craft. Later, the redesignated HU-16B
(long-wing variant – with a 16 ½ foot increase to the wing span) Albatross was
used by the U.S. Air Force's Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service and saw
extensive combat service during the Vietnam War. In addition a small number of Air National Guard,
air commando groups were equipped with HU-16s for covert infiltration and
extraction of special forces from 1956 to 1971.
Chalk's International
Airlines Albatross arriving in Miami Harbor from Nassau, Bahamas, in 1987.
In the early 1980s Chalk's
International Airlines owned by Merv Griffin's Resorts International had 13
Albatrosses eligible to be used in scheduled airline operations.
Crew: 4-6 Capacity: 30,353 lb or 10 Passengers.
Length: 62ft 10in. Wingspan: 96ft 8in. Height: 25ft 10in.
Max Speed 236 mph. Cruise Speed: 124 mph.
Range: 3,220mi. Ceiling: 25,000ft.
Please excuse my oversight on my original post. Consequently we all get to learn about the growth, development and just a sliver of the history of the awesome amphibious flying boats, which are not only beautiful to behold but highly effective and versatile aircraft.
Posted in: 
12 comments:
I'm not convinced it's an albatross used in Expendables movie either. I've been searching online to find out what plane it is. But the nose is all wrong for an albatross. As are the wings. They are flat and squared off, while the albatross' wings and tailpiece round off more at the ends. The wingspan also looks too big by about 10-15 ft to be an albatross.
hey pal , try a CL-215 . It's Canadian and used a lot in forest fire preventions etc .
They switched to a CL-215 in the sequel but the original plane was indeed an Albatross.
What exact Albatross variant did they use for the first Expendables? I found a registry list that mentions a HU-16E however the wings appear a little on the short side for a variant that supposedly received the extended wings.
Nevermind, that one is registered PP-ZAT, ex Brazilian Air Force and the sole airworthy Albatross at the time.
Incorrect. There are a good number of airworthy albatrosses flying around.
And there has been for a long time.
What are your musings on over a wide span of time terribleness TV programs. By the way adore your online journal. In the event that it is conceivable you ought to put in a pursuit alternative on the grounds that I'm continually searching for a specific motion picture audit yet can never discover it.
http://movievisor.blogspot.com/
I'm sitting beside Kerr Lake in VA watching a Coast Guard Albatross land and take off from the lake!!!
What has happened to the Albatross owned by Jimmy Buffett in the Nineties? I believe it was registered to Strange Bird?
It's at the Margaritaville in Orlando. Hemisphere Dancer had quite the history.
I flew for Chalks in the early to mid 80s before going off to Continental/ United airlines in July of 85. Got to fly the piston Mallard and picked up the first G-73T turbo prop Mallard from Frakes in Texas. Finally left flying the Albatross. The greatest 5 years of my flying. A young 27 year old Captain flying for one of the most famous airlines in the world. Flying celebrities and politicians from all over to just plain folks everyone loved their first time on a seaplane. I moved on to the jet world flying the 727 as a second and first officer, 737s every model from the 300 to the 900s. I was a check pilot ,simulator instructor FAA 737 examiner and 23 years as a Captain retiring in the B-787 Dreamliner. 38 years of flying all over the world and it all began at Chalks. Great friends and great memories from a great Airline Chalks International Airlines.
Post a Comment