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Grumman Mallard
| Grumman Mallard | |
|---|---|
| Grumman G-73 Mallard | |
| Type | Amphibious Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Maiden flight | 30 April 1946 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Chalk's Ocean Airways (4) (Until September 2007) |
| Produced | 1946-1951 |
| Number built | 59 |
| Unit cost | $115,000 $4.0 million for turbine powered G-73T |
The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a large, twin engine amphibious aircraft. Many have been modified by replacing the original Pratt & Whitney Wasp H radial engines with modern turboprop engines. Manufactured from 1946 to 1951, production ended when Grumman's much larger HU-16 Albatross was introduced.
Contents
Design and development
Building on the success of the Goose and Widgeon, Grumman Aircraft developed Design 73, the larger Mallard for commercial use. Retaining many of the features of the smaller aircraft, such as twin radials, high wings with underwing floats, retractable gear and a large straight tail, the company built 59 Mallards between 1946 and 1951. Unlike the smaller aircraft, the Mallard featured tricycle gear, a stressed skin, two step hull, and wingtip fuel tanks.
Operational history
The Mallard prototype first flew on 30 April 1946, with the first production aircraft entering service in September of that year. While the Mallard was designed for regional airline operations with two pilots and ten passengers especially aimed at harbor-based, city-to-city hops on the eastern seaboard, postwar surplus aircraft sales and the availability of smaller airports limited market potential. A number of smaller air carriers did use the Mallard in its intended role, notably Tahiti-Hawaii Airlines and Pacific Western Airlines (Canada). However, most of the 59 Mallards delivered were for corporate use.
The Mallard received a lease in life in the 1970s when a number of airframes were refitted by Frakes Aviation with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turbines and upgraded for 17 passengers, to become "Turbo Mallards." Today, through attrition, only 32 Mallards remain registered in the US. Many of the rest are in use around the globe.
A similar program has been undertaken by Paspaley Pearling in combination with Aero Engineers Australia to re-engine and modernise it's Mallard fleet, which are used to support its pearling operations in Northern Australia. The fleet has been extensively rebuilt and also reengined with P&WC PT6A's and are currently undergoing a life extension program.
Incidents
The type received much attention after a 1947 Mallard, operating as Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101, crashed after takeoff from Miami on 19 December 2005. Eighteen passengers and two crew perished when the right wing separated from the fuselage. The cause of the accident was determined to be cracks and/or corrosion in the wing spar.
Prior to 2005, Chalk's Ocean Airways had an exemplary safety record operating Mallards for many years between Florida and the Bahamas, having never had a passenger fatality since the company began operations in 1917.
Operators
Civil operators
Military operators
Specifications (G-73T)
General characteristics
- Crew: two, pilot and co-pilot
- Capacity: Up to 17 passengers, but executive configurations are mostly applied.
- Length: 48 ft 4 in (14.7 m)
- Wingspan: 66 ft 8 in (20.3 m)
- Height: 18 ft 9 in (5.7 m)
- Useful load: 5,000 lb (2,268 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 , 600 hp (447 kW) each
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 187 Kts
- Range: 1,120 nautical miles (2,070 km)
- Service ceiling: FL245 ()
- Rate of climb: 1350 ft/m ()
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Thruelsen, Richard. The Grumman Story. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976. ISBN 0-275-54260-2.
- Winchester, Jim, ed. "Grumman Goose/Mallard." Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes (The Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-641-3.
External links
- New York Times' article about Chalk's accident
- Aircraft Maintenance Technology article about Chalk's accident
- NTSB preliminary report on Chalk's accident DCA06MA010 of 19 December 2005
- Picture of a Chalk's Mallard in Miami in 1996
- History of Chalk's Ocean Airways at answers.com
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
de:Grumman G-73 ja:グラマン マラード sv:Grumman Mallard
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Grumman Mallard". |
