Grumman Albatross departs the beach wheels down, checks engines, raises wheels, takes off with a lot of water streaming from the tail, disappears behind terrain and flies by still streaming water from the tail.
The air-frame, floats and wing are so good that an Australian company is coming out with a turbine powered version, brand new from the original plans. The common and modern PT6 turbines are planned, since they feel that there is a market in the Asian island-rich countries and other resort areas around the world. I love the sound of these radials, too, and they are much more fuel efficient.
Evderytime I watch this, I just smile at how cool the plane really is, just wish there were more in flying condition.......,. WOW........!!!!!! this is just " plane" fun at it's best
Grumman sure make beautiful airplanes, I LOVE the way they tuck their gear up into the wheel wells! I was an aircraft engineer in the Air Force in the 70's always to fly in a sea plane or flying boat - never got the chance ☹
My grand father once flew one of them here in Kiel/Germany at the MFG5 "SAR/Marinefliegergeschwader 5 "in the late 60's/ early 70's of last century :-)
I flew in them back in the 50s as a kid. Only air transport in the pacific islands. Landing and taking off on water. Great fun and great memories. Still have a picture of my dad and mom posing one one in the water.
I used to fly the HU-16 in the Air Force, We had the Triphibian's also. The only way to tell on by looking at it is to look at the pontoon. If it looks like it had a flag pole type pipe attached on the forward end of the pontoon to hold the ski, you have the triphibian. That is too much water trailing the plane. After landing and before takeoff, the flight mechanic checks the keel bays for water. The inspection holes are down the middle of the plane, Lift the cover and it should be absolutely dry. One inspection cover is different, you are looking at the lake. We used to play a trick on new crewmembers by having them check the bilges for water. They would of course find one full of water (lake) and report what they found. We would bring out the bilge pump and show them how to manually pump the water out. We would leave them there pumping away as we left in a boat for the dock. When we returned, they would say they pumped really hard while we were gone but it only went down a couple of inches (probably because the plane rose a bit with several people getting off). If you have a leak, the bilge, it will fill with water to the water line. It can increase the gross weight considerably causing a longer takeoff run and slow climb as the water drains out. That looked like a climb for an overweight airplane.
Sorry to learn about Terry and others. I understand the Albatross is leaving Nunavaugaluk in the Tikchick Lake system about 250 miles SW of Anchorage. Water drains for several minutes because it is a 'triphibian' (snow landings) with a ski assembly on the keel step with a false hull that fills with 30-40 litres of water which drains after take-off. I used to see USN Albatross aircraft in the South China Sea when I was serving in the Royal Australian Navy they would always fly low and wave.
It sure seems to "carry" a lot of water with it after it takes off. It was still expelling water even after take off, circling around and during the flyby. That's a lot of extra weight to be taking along on takeoff.
Awesome video. The Albatross is a huge amphibious airplane compared to a Mallard. I've only being around one in the Caribbean years ago. What a wonderful sound. Thanks for sharing.
I've heard that it's actually normal for an Albatross to vent a lot of water just after takeoff like that. The gear wells pick up about 1,000 lbs of water during water operations and there are actually drain pipes that lead from the wells to the area of low air pressure just behind the step to get rid of it-so the low air pressure at speed sort of sucks the water out of the wells; it just takes a while. Never flown one to verify, just what I've heard.
@Ace … I have never been in one but that explanation of the water draining from the wheel-wells is exactly what I was thinking. Someone above commented on the gear staying down in the water too long. I think it is: the pilot uses the gear to drag in the water while he is running up the engines. Stops the aircraft from turning so sharply. Nice condition though!
my great grandad flew these in the korean war.He also flew those pby's in ww2.He said that the pby was the mack truck and the albatross was the cadilac. He love to fly both of em but he loved those grummans.
In our 84th Air Rescue Squadron we had about three SA-16A a couple of H-19 helicopters and one C-47. I asked on two different occasions to fly in one of the helicopters but was denied. The excuse being that they would be flying low and if a problem came up then we probably be killed. We needed to get our parachutes inspected and for some reason Earding AFB couldn't do it although this had been done in the past. I found out that I could come along with our parachutes and fly to Wiesbaden AFB for the inspections. I quickly got a three day pass and planned to visit some friends in Wiesbaden city. I took a suit case, my steel guitar and amp. I came back on a train. By the way they did use the rocket assist bottles to experiment taking off as quickly as possible. I joined the ARS about Aug 1951 in Wiesbaden and left for home about Aug 1954.
Forgot to add! The name of their plane, "Shake Rattle and Roll" as you mentioned is a reference to Dan's behavior as the sausages were being extricated!
Nicely done video. I wonder how they keep the wheel bearings dry when the wheels are in the water... In the late 50s they used to fly those as a taxi to Catalina Island from San Pedro. I remember a day being so foggy we simply taxed the entire 26 miles to Catalina...
The Martin Mariner routinely landed in the middle of the Pacific to re supply nuclear submarines...we routinely scoop water off the mediterranean(100+ landing a day in VERY rough seas)
"We, as in this species of tool-users. Aren't there firefighters working wildfires pretty much continuously now? We should see more Be-200 "Altair" in different hands, along with the ShinMaywa US-2 from Japan, and the Chinese AVIC AG600 Kunlong (Kun Dragon). Russians are seriously looking at building Ekranoplans for dispersed and arctic operations for SAR and maritime travel and even the military has use for them in logistics roles. US Naval Institute Press published a good article on "Modern Sea Monsters" about possible US interest in GEVs for intra-theater fast transport.
I flew as an AD3 Flt. Mech. in "Ol, Goats" outta U.S.C.G. AirSt. Traverse City Mi. in 76&77. Gotta do a lot of pollutions on Lake Superior and Michigan looking for Bilge pumping. I operated the radar. Amazingly you can see a "slick" on radar when the are. I also did wildlife count patrols on Isle Royale in the winter. I still remember the smell of avgas&oil burnin, when you frirst turn the mags on during eng. runups and takeoffs! Oil drip cleanup was a bitch tho on cold days!!! BoxLunch anybody?
You really followed the take off and flight nicely. I'm surprised how much water sticks to the plane and comes off as spray long after the plane is out of the water. Maybe spray the bottom of the plane with non stick. LOL
first HU-16's flew around 1947. Were used extensively during the Korean war by USAF air-sea rescue to pickup downed fighter pilots. Also used by USN. US Coast GUARD used them until the 1980"s when they got jets to replace them. No water landings allowed by CG after 1968 due to advanced corrosion in the wing spars caused by repeated exposure to salt water. I was briefly qualified as a U-16 aircrew before transitioning to helos.. Not too many people liked flying in U-16's, very rough to fly in, everyone carried puke bags.
I have over 1000 hours in this model while in the Navy. A wonderful aircraft. In the movie In Harms Way this plane is shown in a movie about WW2, but this plane was not operational until the 50's. The Navy had many of these and th US Coast Guard also used them for search and rescue.
Anything above 12,000 pounds...so you dont need a type rating on a piston Grumman Mallard (12,000# gross weight) but you do for the turbine Mallard(14,000#)
wun1gee I'm trying to find out as well. I do know of one sitting in a remote part of the world in AZ that needs a lot of tlc. Would love to rework another one if you ever need a hand!
It is at an airport in Minesotta. Identifier is KANE. It’s been sitting for 3 years. I know the owner and if you offer the right price you could buy it as is.
You're flying across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, you lose power. You're going to have to ditch the plane in the ocean. What would you rather be flying in; a 747, or A-380 Airbus.....or this? This is a flying boat. So you have to land in the ocean in this. At least, this will float. They should make flying boats for trans-oceanic crossings. Why don't they? They used to.
My dad was on one when it had to land in the pacific. They carried a mechanic. He climbed out, did some stuff and then off they went. It floats, so no worries.
Sell me this goes amphibious aircraft, and sold me this water lake, how much it costs, I bring everything to my country, I used as a means to go to school,
Bombing the forest fires on the Vesuvius and scooping Naple's bay, I spied a couple in a speedboat copulating there...so we scooped just before and overflew the couple at ten feet above...bet the poor bugger lost his hard on!
I helped pull one of these out of the bone yard in the early 1990's in Arizona. Guy by the name of AL C. Of Utah and Soldotna AK God rest his soul, and a guy by the neme of Bill D. in Tuc. AZ of the AK "Dempsey Dumsters" reworked it. I'm proud to say I was probably the youngest kid to every be in charge of the boat when it was not in the Navy. I never got to fly in it though. Nither did my brother before his untimely death. I would really like the opportunity if anybody knows someone that can help me make that happen. I would really love show my kids a true piece of American History 1 day. I put thousands of hours into that project. Message me and I'll see if I can't drop some pictures of her first out of the bone yards. So Bob if you read this you'll know who I am. Please contact me. It's been way to long.
