World War 2 In Review: Fleet Air Arm

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Blackburn Firebrand: British Naval Strike Fighter

Centaurus IX-powered Firebrand T.F. Mk IV torpedo fighter.

The Blackburn Firebrand was a British single-engine strike fighter for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy designed during World War II by Blackburn Aircraft. Originally intended to serve as a pure fighter, its unimpressive performance and the allocation of its Napier Sabre piston engine by the Ministry of Aircraft Production for the Hawker Typhoon caused it to be redesigned as a strike fighter to take advantage of its load-carrying capability. Development was slow and the first production aircraft was not delivered until after the end of the war. Only a few hundred were built before it was withdrawn from front-line service in 1953.

In general, the Fleet Air Arm had required fighters that were capable of navigating long ranges over sea and speed differential over attackers was not critical. Defense of British naval bases was a RAF commitment but provision had not been made for this and so the Admiralty accepted that it would have to take on the duty. For this it needed an interceptor fighter and experience in the Norwegian Campaign of early 1940 had also shown a high-performance, carrier-based, single-seat fighter would be an advantage. Blackburn tendered their B-37 design using the Napier Sabre 24-cylinder H-type engine, and this was accepted by June 1940 with a proposal to order "off the drawing board" (meaning without prototypes). Air Ministry Specification N.11/40—stating a minimum top speed of 350 knots (650 km/h; 400 mph)—was raised to cover this design and an order placed in January 1941 for three prototypes.

The B-37, given the service name "Firebrand" on 11 July 1941, was a low-winged, all-metal monoplane. Aft of the cockpit the fuselage was an oval-shaped stressed-skin semi-monocoque, but forward it had a circular-section, tubular-steel frame that housed the 169-imperial-gallon (770 l; 203 US gal) main fuel tank and the 71-imperial-gallon (320 l; 85 US gal) auxiliary fuel tank behind the engine. The radiators for the neatly cowled Sabre engine were housed in wing-root extensions. The large wing consisted of a two-spar center section with manually folded outer panels (with five degrees of dihedral) to allow more compact storage in the hangar decks of aircraft carriers. To increase lift and reduce landing speed the wing was fitted with large, hydraulically powered Fowler flaps that extended to the edges of the Frise ailerons. The fixed armament of four 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano autocannon was fitted in the outer wing panels with 200 rounds per gun. The fin and rudder were positioned forward of the elevator to ensure spin recovery and that the rudder would retain its effectiveness. The mainwheels of the conventional landing gear were mounted at the ends of the center wing section and retracted inwards. The Firebrand was unusual in that there was an airspeed gauge mounted outside of the cockpit so that during landing the pilot would not have to look down into the cockpit to take instrument readings, foreshadowing the modern heads-up display.

The unarmed first prototype first flew on 27 February 1942 using the Sabre II, the first of two armed prototypes following on 15 July. The initial flight trials were a disappointment as the aircraft could only reach 32 mph (51 km/h) below Blackburn's estimated maximum speed of 390 mph. Replacement of the Sabre II with a Sabre III (an engine built specifically for the Firebrand) improved its top speed to 358 mph (576 km/h). The second prototype, DD810, conducted deck-landing trials, with Commander Dennis Cambell at the controls, aboard the fleet carrier HMS Illustrious in February 1943. The Sabre engine was also used in the Hawker Typhoon, a fighter already in production and the Ministry of Air Production (MAP) decided that the Typhoon had priority for the Sabre. The Sabre was also experiencing production problems and so a new engine was needed, along with the necessary airframe adaptations. To use the time and effort invested in the design, the MAP decided to convert the Firebrand into an interim strike fighter, to meet a Fleet Air Arm requirement for a single-seat torpedo bomber capable of carrying bombs, rockets and being capable of air-to-air combat. Nine production F. Mk I aircraft were built to the original specifications and were retained for trials and development work.

After it was badly damaged during an emergency landing, DD810 was converted into a prototype of the first strike variant, the Firebrand T.F. Mk II (with the company designation B-45), that flew on 31 March 1943. It was an adaptation of the Mk I with the wing center section widened by 1 foot 3.5 inches (39.4 cm) to make room for the torpedo on the centerline between the mainwheels. Like the Mk I, the TF Mk II only saw a very limited production run of 12 aircraft and they were also allocated for development work, including those assigned to 708 Naval Air Squadron, a shore-based trials unit. Blackburn proposed several versions of the Sabre-powered aircraft including one for the RAF as the B-41, a version with a high-lift wing as the B-42, and the B-43 floatplane, none of which were accepted for further development.

A new specification was issued as S.8/43 to cover the development of the Firebrand T.F. Mk III (B-45) with the 2,400-horsepower (1,800 kW) Bristol Centaurus VII radial engine. Two prototypes were converted from incomplete F Mk Is and 27 additional aircraft were delivered, completing the first batch of 50 aircraft. The first prototype flew on 21 December 1943, but construction of the new aircraft was very slow with the first flight not being made until November 1944. Most changes were related to the installation of the larger-diameter Centaurus engine, including air intakes for the carburetor and oil cooler in the wing-root extensions that formerly housed the engine's radiators. Spring-loaded trim tabs were also fitted to all control surfaces. Production aircraft after the first 10 were fitted with the improved Centaurus IX engine. The Mk III was found to be unsuitable for carrier operations for a variety of reasons. The new engine produced more torque than the Sabre, and rudder control was insufficient on takeoff with the full flaps needed for carrier use. Visibility while landing was very poor, the tailhook attachment to the airframe was too weak, and the aircraft had a tendency to drop a wing at the stall while landing, so development continued to rectify these issues.

The T.F. Mk IV (B-46), as the new development was designated, featured larger tail surfaces for better low-speed control. The enlarged rudder was horn balanced and the vertical stabilizer was offset three degrees to port to counteract the four-bladed Rotol propeller's torque. The wings now featured hydraulically operated dive brakes on both upper and lower surfaces. The aircraft's wings were now stressed to carry one 2,000-pound (910 kg) bomb under each wing or a 45-imperial-gallon (200 l; 54 US gal) drop tank or eight RP-3 rockets. The frame that held the torpedo was connected to the undercarriage so that it pivoted nose-downward to increase ground clearance with the landing gear extended and pivoted upward to reduce drag while in flight. A 100-imperial-gallon (450 l; 120 US gal) fuel tank could be fitted on the centerline in lieu of the torpedo. The Mk IV first flew on 17 May 1945, and was the first version of the Firebrand to enter mass production, with 170 built, although 50 more aircraft were cancelled.

The later Firebrand T.F. Mk 5 featured minor aerodynamic improvements and 123 were converted from Mk IVs. The final version was the Firebrand T.F. Mk 5A with hydraulically boosted ailerons to increase the aircraft's rate of roll. Two Mk 5s and five Mk IVs were converted to the Mk 5A standard.

The Firebrand did not see action in World War II, as TF 4s were not issued to 813 Naval Air Squadron until 1 September 1945. The squadron was disbanded 30 September 1946 without ever deploying to sea. It was reformed with TF 5s on 1 May 1947 and flew them from the carrier HMS Implacable, later HMS Indomitable, until it was reequipped with turboprop Westland Wyvern attack aircraft in February 1953. 827 Naval Air Squadron received their TF 5 and 5As on 13 December 1950 and flew them primarily off the carrier HMS Eagle until it disbanded on 19 November 1952. A variety of second-line squadrons were issued Firebrands of various marks for training or trials at one time or another.

In test pilot and naval aviator Captain Eric Brown's opinion the aircraft was "short of performance, sadly lacking in maneuverability, especially in rate of roll." Furthermore, the positioning of the cockpit even with the trailing edge of the wing gave the pilot a very poor view over the nose and inhibited his ability to view his target and to land his aircraft aboard a carrier, enough so that Brown called it "a disaster as a deck-landing aircraft."

General Information

Role: Strike fighter

National origin: United Kingdom

Manufacturer: Blackburn Aircraft

First flight: 27 February 1942

Introduction: 1945

Retired: 1953

Primary user: Royal Navy

Produced: 1942–47

Number built: 220 + 3 prototypes

Variants: Blackburn Firecrest

Specifications (Firebrand T.F. IV)

Crew: 1

Length: 38 ft 9 in (11.81 m)

Wingspan: 51 ft 3.5 in (15.634 m)

Height: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)

Wing area: 383 sq ft (35.6 m2)

Empty weight: 11,457 lb (5,197 kg)

Gross weight: 16,700 lb (7,575 kg)

Fuel capacity: 239 imp gal (1,090 l; 287 US gal)

Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Centaurus IX 18-cylinder radial engine, 2,520 hp (1,880 kW)

Propellers: 4-bladed Rotol, 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m) diameter

Maximum speed: 342 mph (550 km/h; 297 kn)

Cruise speed: 256 mph (412 km/h; 222 kn)

Range: 745 mi (647 nmi; 1,199 km)

Rate of climb: 2,600 ft/min (13 m/s)

Armament: Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano autocannon; Rockets: 16 × RP-3 ;

Bombs: 1 × 1,850 lb (840 kg) torpedo or 2 × 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs

Variants

Blackburn B-37: Three prototypes ordered to meet Specification N.11/40, named Firebrand on 11 July 1941. Second prototype re-built as T.F. II prototype.

Firebrand F. I: Production variant of the Blackburn B.37 with an order for 50 aircraft to be built at Brough, most completed as T.F. II and T.F. III variants, first nine completed as F. Is.

Firebrand T.F. II: Improved variant, 12 built from original production branch.

Firebrand T.F. III: Blackburn B-45, a Centaurus VII powered-variant, two prototypes to S.8/43 and 27 production aircraft for original production batch.

Firebrand T.F. IV: Blackburn B-46, improved variant with 2,520 bhp Centaurus IX or Centaurus 57, 250 ordered, but only 170 were completed, of which 124 were converted to T.F. 5 standard, some before delivery. Six were modified and designated as T.F. IV(mod).

Firebrand T.F. 5: Improved variant, 124 modified from T.F. IV, two conversions to T.F. 5A.

Firebrand T.F. 5A: One prototype modified from a T.F. 5 and six conversions from either T.F. IV or Vs.

Operators

United Kingdom: Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm: 813 Naval Air Squadron; 827 Naval Air Squadron

Bibliography

Brown, Eric. "The Firebrand...Blackburn's Baby 'Battleship'". Air International, July 1978, Vol. 15:1. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. pp. 25–31, 46–47.

Buttler, Tony. Blackburn Firebrand – Warpaint Number 56. Denbigh East, Bletchley, UK: Warpaint Books, 2000.

Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters & Bombers 1935–1950. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004.

Friedman, Norman. British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1988.

Jackson, A. J. Blackburn Aircraft Since 1909. London: Putnam, 1968.

Sturtivant, Ray. Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft Since 1946. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain, 2004.

Sturtivant, Ray. The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians), 1984.

"Blackburn Firebrand IV". Flight. Vol. XLVII, no. 1918. 27 September 1945. pp. 339–41.

"Blackburn Firebrand IV". Flight. Vol. XLVII, no. 1918. 4 October 1945. pp. 367–69.

Thetford, Owen (1991). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, an imprint of Conway Maritime Press Ltd.

Firebrand F.I prototype DD804.

Firebrand first prototype DD804.

Firebrand F.I.

Firebrand F.II.

Firebrand.

Firebrands.

Firebrand TF.II prototype (NV636). Originally the second prototype Mk I (DD810) but was given a new serial number when it was rebuilt following a forced landing.

Firebrand TF.II.

Firebrand.

Firebrand TF.III.

Firebrand.

Firebrand F.III.

Firebrand.

Firebrand TF.IV.

Firebrand.

Firebrand EK748.

This view of the Blackburn Firebrand illustrates the huge flaps of the aircraft as it taxis up the flight deck. The Blackburn Firebrand IV, first single-seater torpedo fighter ever built in Britain, during aircraft trials held on the Clyde on board the carrier HMS Illustrious. The Firebrand IV is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine and is armed with four cannons.

A Blackburn Firebrand IV warming up on the flight deck of HMS Illustrious during aircraft trials in the Clyde. The chocks are just being removed from around the wheels. The Blackburn Firebrand IV, the first single-seater torpedo fighter ever built in Britain, is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine and is armed with four cannons.

Mechanics checking over the Blackburn Firebrand naval strike aircraft after a trial landing on board HMS Illustrious in the Clyde.

The Blackburn Firebrand IV taking off from HMS Illustrious during aircraft trials on the Clyde. The Blackburn Firebrand IV, the first single-seater torpedo fighter ever built in Britain, is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine and is armed with four cannons.

This angle shows the advanced lines of the Blackburn Firebrand torpedo fighter. It will be seen that the cockpit is amidships with a long sweep of cowling ahead of the pilot. The Blackburn Firebrand IV, first single-seater torpedo fighter ever built in Britain, during aircraft trials held on the Clyde on board the carrier HMS Illustrious. The Firebrand IV is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine and is armed with four cannons.

Another view of the Blackburn Firebrand torpedo fighter just landing on the flight deck of HMS Illustrious for the first time during trials on the Clyde. The Blackburn Firebrand IV, first single-seater torpedo fighter ever built in Britain, is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine and is armed with four cannons.

The Blackburn Firebrand torpedo fighter Mark IV at Heston Aerodrome. This single-seater aircraft is capable of striking with torpedoes, heavy bombs or rockets, and after it releases its load, it is capable of defending itself as a fighter with four 20mm guns. It is powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine driving a Rotol four-blade constant speed propeller.

Blackburn Firebrand.

Firebrand F.I.

Firebrand TF.IV.

American Grumman G-21 Goose Amphibious Flying Boat

Grumman JRF Goose. (Grumman Corporation aircraft print from the 1950s)

The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious flying boat designed by Grumman to serve as an eight-seat "commuter" aircraft for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman's first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service. During World War II, the Goose became an effective transport for the US military (including the United States Coast Guard), as well as serving with many other air forces. During hostilities, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles.

Design and Development

In 1936, a group of wealthy residents of Long Island, including E. Roland Harriman, approached Grumman and commissioned an aircraft that they could use to fly to New York City. In response, the Grumman Model G-21 was designed as a light amphibious transport. Grumman produced a high-wing monoplane of almost all-metal construction—the trailing half of the main wing and all of the flight control surfaces except for the flaps were fabric-covered. It was powered by two 450 horsepower (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engines mounted on the leading edges of the wings. The deep fuselage served also as a hull and was equipped with hand-cranked retractable landing gear. First flight of the prototype took place on May 29, 1937.

Modifications

A number of modifications were made for the Goose, but the most numerous are those by McKinnon Enterprises of Sandy, Oregon, which holds 21 supplemental type certificates (STCs) for modifying G-21-series aircraft and which also manufactured four different conversions that were re-certified under a separate FAA type certificate as brand-new "McKinnon" airplanes. The first was the McKinnon model G-21C which involved replacing the original R-985 radial engines with four Lycoming GSO-480-B2D6 piston engines. It was approved under TC 4A24 on November 7, 1958, and two examples were converted in 1958–1959.

New Production

In November 2007, Antilles Seaplanes of Gibsonville, North Carolina, announced it was restarting production of the turbine-powered McKinnon G-21G Turbo Goose variant, now identified as the Antilles G-21G Super Goose. Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprops flat-rated to 680 shp (510 kW) would have replaced the original PT6A-27 engines, and the airframe systems and especially the avionics (aviation electronics – i.e. radios and navigation systems) would have been updated with state-of-the-art "glass panel" instrumentation and cockpit displays. However, as of 2009, Antilles Seaplanes' manufacturing center has been foreclosed and sold at auction. The fate of new Goose production is currently unknown.

Operational History

Envisioned as corporate or private flying yachts for Manhattan millionaires, initial production models normally carried two to three passengers and had a bar and small toilet installed. In addition to being marketed to small air carriers, the G-21 was also promoted as a military transport. In 1938, the U.S. Army Air Corps purchased the type as the OA-9 (later, in the war years, examples impressed from civilian ownership were designated the OA-13A). The most numerous of the military versions were the United States Navy variants, designated the JRF.

The amphibious aircraft was also adopted by the Coast Guard and, during World War II, served with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the transport, reconnaissance, rescue, and training roles. The G-21 was used for air-sea rescue duties by the Fleet Air Arm, who assigned the name Goose. A single aircraft was used briefly by No. 1 Air Ambulance Unit, Royal Australian Air Force in the Mediterranean.

After the war, the Goose found continued commercial use in locations from Alaska to Catalina and the Caribbean.

A total of 345 were built, with about 30 known to still be airworthy today (although around 60 are still on various civil registries, many of them are known to have crashed or been otherwise destroyed), most being in private ownership, some of them operating in modified forms.

Variants

G-21

The original production version, these were powered by two 450 hp (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior SB engines, at 7,500 lb (3,400 kg) gross weight, with six passengers, and 12 were built, all converted to G-21A standards.

G-21A

Increased gross weight (8,000 lb (3,600 kg)), 30 built.

G-21B

Export coastal patrol flying boat armed with .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun in bow and dorsal hatches and two 100 lb (45 kg) bombs underwing, 12 built for Portuguese Naval Aviation.

G-21C

Conversion by McKinnon Enterprises, these were re-engined with four 340 hp (250 kW) Lycoming GSO-480-B2D6 air-cooled, geared, and supercharged flat-six engines and fitted with retractable wingtip floats, a fiberglass radar nose, a one-piece wraparound windshield, and enlarged cabin windows; gross weight increased to 12,499 lb (5,669 kg) as result of internal structural reinforcements. Two were converted as piston-powered models G-21C in 1958–1959, and two other airframes subsequently were converted in 1968, but with two 550 shp (410 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprops per STC SA1320WE as G-21C Hybrids. Two G-21C Hybrids were identical to the later 10,500 lb (4,800 kg) model G-21E, but they were never certified as such.

G-21D

One G-21C was further converted by McKinnon with an extended nose marked by two extra windows on each side and accommodating another four passengers. Recertified as G-21D in 1960. In 1966, it was re-engined with two 550 shp (410 kW) PT6A-20 turboprops and fitted with revised Alvarez-Calderon electric flaps in accordance with STC SA1320WE, retaining the G-21D designation, but subsequently identified as the McKinnon "Turboprop Goose".

G-21E

A fully certified new model, it was based on a simplified turbine conversion of the McKinnon G-21C, with 550 shp (410 kW) PT6A-20 engines (680 shp (510 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines optional) and more fuel, but without all of the structural reinforcements of the G-21C. 10,500 lb (4,800 kg) gross weight. One converted.

G-21G

The final McKinnon conversion also was fully certified as a new model with 680 shp (510 kW) PT6A-27 engines, 586 US gal (2,220 L; 488 imp gal) of fuel, and 12,500 lb (5,700 kg) gross weight. Two converted.

Kaman K-16B

Experimental tilt wing aircraft, with JRF-5 fuselage powered by two General Electric YT58-GE-2A engines; one built but not flown.

XJ3F-1

Prototype eight-seat utility amphibian, built for the US Navy; one built in 1938.

JRF-1

Production XJ3F-1, five built for US Navy.

JRF-1A

Similar to JRF-1, but with target towing gear and camera hatch added, five built for US Navy.

JRF-2

U.S. Coast Guard version with provisions for carrying stretchers; seven built.

JRF-3

Similar to the JRF-2, fitted with autopilot and deicing boots on the wing leading edges for Arctic operations. Three built for US Coast Guard.

JRF-4

Similar to JRF-1A, these could carry two underwing depth bombs. Ten built for US Navy.

JRF-5

Major production version with bomb racks, target towing and camera gear, and deicing gear; 184 built. In 1953, a modified JRF-5 tested hydro skis for the US Navy.

JRF-5G

24 JRF-5s transferred to the US Coast Guard.

JRF-6B

Navigation trainer purchased for supply under Lend-Lease; 50 built.

OA-9

Transport and air-sea rescue for United States Army Air Forces, 26 ordered in 1938, supplemented by five JRF-6Bs under the same designation.

OA-13A

Three G-21As impressed by the USAAF.

OA-13B

Two JRF-5s transferred to the USAAF.

Goose Mk.I

British designation for three JRF-5s supplied to the Fleet Air Arm.

Goose Mk.IA

British designation for 44 JRF-6Bs, supplied under Lend Lease for observer training by the 749 Naval Air Squadron in Trinidad.

Goose Mk.II

British designation for two JRF-5s staff transports for British Air Commission in the United States and Canada.

General Information

Type: Transport amphibious aircraft

Manufacturer: Grumman

Primary users:

United States Navy

United States Army Air Forces

Royal Air Force

Royal Canadian Air Force

Number built: 345

First flight: 29 May 1937

Variants: Kaman K-16B

Specifications (JRF-5 Goose)

Crew: 1-3

Capacity: 5-7

Length: 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)

Wingspan: 49 ft 0 in (14.94 m)

Height: 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m)

Wing area: 375 sq ft (34.8 m2)

Airfoil: root: NACA 23015; tip: NACA 23009

Empty weight: 5,425 lb (2,461 kg)

Gross weight: 8,000 lb (3,629 kg)

Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-6 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 450 hp (340 kW) each

Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers

Maximum speed: 201 mph (323 km/h, 175 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)

Cruise speed: 191 mph (307 km/h, 166 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)

Range: 640 mi (1,030 km, 560 nmi)

Service ceiling: 21,300 ft (6,500 m)

Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (5.6 m/s)

Wing loading: 21.3 lb/sq ft (104 kg/m2)

Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (0.18 kW/kg)

Bombs: 2 × 325 lb (147 kg) depth charges or 2 × 250 lb (110 kg) GP bombs

Operators

Military Operators

Argentina

Argentine Naval Aviation: Six aircraft were used 1947–1966.

Australia

Royal Australian Air Force: A single aircraft was used briefly by No. 1 Air Ambulance Unit RAAF in the Mediterranean.

Bolivia

Bolivian Air Force: At least two aircraft (one JRF-2 and one JRF-6B) received in 1942.

Brazil

10 used for anti-submarine patrols during Second World War.

Canada

Royal Canadian Air Force: 36 received

Cuba

France

Honduras

Honduran Air Force

Indonesia

Indonesian Air Force

Japan

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Paraguay

Paraguayan Naval Aviation

Peru

Peruvian Air Force

Portugal

Portuguese Naval Aviation; Portuguese Air Force

Sweden

Swedish Air Force

United Kingdom

Royal Air Force (several impressed examples by 24 Squadron and ATA)

Royal Navy (44 Lend Lease examples)

United States

United States Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Forces

United States Navy

United States Coast Guard

Aircraft on Display

Canada

B-77 – G-21A in storage at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.

Indonesia

PB-521 – G-21A on static display at Suryadarma Air Force Base in Subang Regency, West Java.

Sweden

37810 – JRF-5 under restoration for static display at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping, Östergötland.

United States

1048 – G-21A on static display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia

1086 – G-21A on static display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida

1157 – G-21A under restoration for static display at the Tongass Historical Society in Ketchikan, Alaska

B-102 – G-21A on display at the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage, Alaska

B-122 – G-21A on static display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon

B-130 – G-21A on static display at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Project in Brooklyn, New York

Reproduction – G-21A on static display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York.

Bibliography

Ablitzer, Fabrice. "Round-Out". Air Enthusiast, No. 79, January/February 1999. p. 79.

Donald, David, ed. American Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1995.

Francillon, René J. and Gary L. Killion. "Sauce for the Goose – turbine style". Air International, July 1993, Vol. 45, No 1, pp. 53–57. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing.

Francillon, René J (March 2008). "Grumman G-21 "Goose": L'oie qui ne se pose jamais". Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French). No. 460. pp. 32–40.

Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Five Flying Boats. London: Macdonald, 1968.

Hagedorn, Daniel P. (1993). Central American and Caribbean Air Forces. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.

Ledet, Michel (April 2002). "Des avions alliés aux couleurs japonais" [Allied Aircraft in Japanese Colors]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (109): 17–21.

March, Daniel J., ed. British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1998.

Niccoli, Riccardo. "Pottuguese Numerology: Serial systems used by the Aeronautica Militar and the Força Aerea Portuguesa". Air Enthusiast, May–June 1998, No. 75. pp. 33–40.

Núñez Padin, Jorge Felix (2009). Núñez Padin, Jorge Felix (ed.). JRF Goose, PBY Catalina, PBM Mariner & HU-16 Albatros. Serie Aeronaval (in Spanish). Vol. 25. Bahía Blanca, Argentina: Fuerzas Aeronavales.

Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976.

Thruelsen, Richard. The Grumman Story. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976.

Winchester, Jim, ed. "Grumman Goose/Mallard." Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes (The Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004.

This JRF-5 Grumman JRF-5 Goose was assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida (USA), in 1941 and remained on the station throughout the Second World War (photo taken in 1942). Only one of these aircraft flew from the station and was used for utility purposes, including photography. (Naval Air Station Jacksonville photo CNIC 042527)

Preserved ex-British JRF-6B Goose in U.S. Navy JRF-1 markings. (Ted Rufus Ross, 17 October 2006)

Grumman JRF-5 on 5 February 1945. Grumman F8F Bearcat in background. (NASA Langley)

Grumman Goose s/n 798 of RCAF. This aircraft is in fact the former Texaco-owned Goose, NC20648, bought by the Canadians during 1942. (City of Vancouver Archives CVA 1184-1561)

Goose Mark I, MV993, of No. 24 Squadron RAF based at Hendon, Middlesex, in flight. This aircraft was formerly G-AFKJ, owned by Lord Beaverbrook. (Imperial War Museum CH 6901)

Grumman JRF-5G Goose from air station Port Angeles in flight over the Olympic Mountains in Washington, 2 February 1943. (National Archives 80-G-K-5178)

Aircraft at the U.S. Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, circa 1944. Visible are (l-r): a Vought OS2U Kingfisher, a Howard NH-1, a Grumman JRF-5 Goose, and four Martin PBM-3 Mariners. (US National Archives and Records Administration, cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 179036550)

Airmen and women with Grumman OA-9 Goose, USAAC, Isla Grande, Puerto Rico, 1 January 1939. (DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

A Grumman JRF Goose amphibian is hoisted on board the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Long Island (ACV-1) from a seaplane wrecking derrick (YSD), off Palmyra Island, 19 April 1943. (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-66769 via U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command)

A U.S. Navy Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 Yellow Peril (BuNo 2885) photographed in front of building 57, Naval Air Station Anacostia, Washington D.C. (USA), in 1940. A Grumman JRF-4 Goose (BuNo 3852), assigned to NAS Anacostia, is in the background. This aircraft was sold by the U.S. Navy on 31 July 1946. It later crashed on 3 December 1946 at the Llanganattes Range, Ecuador (civil registration HC-SBL). (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-13392 via U.S. Naval History & Heritage Command)

Junior Birdsmen in front of Grumman OA-9 Goose, USAAC, Isla Grande, Puerto Rico, 1 January 1939. The Junior Birdmen of America was a national organization created by the Hearst newspaper publishers to promote airmindedness among young people. (DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

Grumman OA-9 Goose, USAAC. (Bill Larkins)

Grumman OA-9 Goose, USAAC, Isla Grande, Puerto Rico, 1 January 1939. (DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

Grumman Goose MV993, after being impressed from Lord Beaverbrook’s ownership.

The cockpit of a pre-war G-21A, and a period executive interior.

Grumman JRF-2 Goose s/n V176 was part of the initial batch supplied to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The unique dorsal hatch fitted only to the G-21B flying boats of the Aviação Naval Portuguesa.

Fleet Air Arm Grumman Goose Mk.Ia s/n FP486 in Tobago, 1942.

Grumman Goose Mk.I s/n MV993 of No. 24 Squadron RAF based at Hendon, Middlesex, in flight. This aircraft was formerly G-AFKJ, owned by Lord Beaverbrook. (Imperial War Museum CH 6901)

Grumman Goose Mk.I s/n MV993 of No. 24 Squadron RAF. (Imperial War Museum CH 6899)

Grumman JRF-6B flying boat operated by the British Fleet Air Arm as the Goose Mk.IA in flight in April 1942.

Grumman JRF dropping practice bomb during training mission. Note the white lower surface carried up to the underside of the horizontal stabilizer. (NASM, Rudy Arnold collection)

The potential utility of the design was not lost on the U.S. Coast Guard, who soon placed orders for the Goose outfitted for the Search and Rescue (SAR) role. Pictured at Floyd Bennet Field in 1940 are two JRF and a Hall PH flying boat in the Yellow Wings scheme.

The U.S. Army Air Corps designated the aircraft the OA-9 and ordered 26 examples in 1938. These were used as light transports in addition to SAR duties. Another attractive scheme.

The British Fleet Air Arm also adopted the type, and the Goose was also operated by Canada. Here is FB486 in the Temperate Sea Scheme on a delivery flight in 1942.

After America’s entry into the war, the USCG used the Goose for anti-submarine patrol. At least two kills were claimed, but post-war analysis reduced this to one damaged. Here Coast Guard personnel load depth charges. Modelers should note the color and condition of the ordnance. (NASM, Rudy Arnold collection)

The Goose was well-suited for rescue work. Here is a posed shot demonstrating casualty evacuation. (NASM, Rudy Arnold collection)

The red surround to the national insignia dates this photograph to the Summer of 1943. An interesting detail is the retractable wheel, which was apparently painted without the benefit of masking the tire; modelers take note! (NASM, Rudy Arnold collection)

Grumman Goose s/n 941 was flown by No. 13 Operational Training Squadron based at RCAF Station Sea Island, British Columbia. Prior to military service the aircraft was on the Canadian civil aircraft registry as CF-BQE. It also at one time carried the code AN*J. This aircraft was sold through war assets to North West Air Services in Seattle, Washington on 5 January 1945.

Another view of Grumman Goose s/n 941 at the same time as the previous photo.

Grumman Goose s/n 942, presumably after No. 13 Operational Training Squadron's code letters AN had been superseded by MK in May 1942 and before the latter were removed in October 1942.

Grumman Goose s/n 798 of no. 122 (K) Squadron RCAF in late 1942/early 1943. This is a zoom from a much larger picture showing it anchored at Prince Rupert along with No. 7 (BR)'s Sharks.

Grumman Goose s/n 798 again. A nice clear picture with some good detail, but not certain when it was taken. Certainly, it appears to have a nice fresh paint scheme. The same comment applies to the photos of s/n 941 posted above.

Grumman Goose s/n 924, taken while on the strength of No. 111 (CAC) in 1940, show that for part of that period operated with both civilian and RCAF markings.

Grumman Goose s/n 796 during its service in EAC, probably 1942. This photo (actually a motion picture frame) may serve to indicate the extremely large number of color schemes the RCAF used on the type during the war.

Grumman OA-9 Goose, USAAC, in Hawaii, pre-war.

Grumman JRF-2 Goose s/n V174 of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Grumman JRF Goose s/n V191 of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Interior view of Grumman JRF-2 Goose of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Pilot's side of cockpit of Grumman JRF Goose of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940.

Control panel of a Grumman JRF Goose of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940.

Grumman Goose Mk. II s/n 925, RCAF Station Borden, Ontario, 14 Aug 1940. (RCAF photo)

Grumman Goose Mk. II s/n 917, RCAF, 29 October 1939. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3581487)

NX925 before delivery. NX925 was the U. S. civil aircraft registration it had when purchased by the Canadian government. (RCAF photo)

Grumman Goose Mk.II s/n 925), RCAF Station Borden, Ontario, circa August 1940. (RCAF photo)

Grumman Goose Mk.II s/n 983. This aircraft is mounted on wheeled dollies. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3583400)

Grumman Goose s/n 924 with General Andrew McNaughton, 31 October 1939. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3581543)

Grumman Goose Mk.II s/n 386, 25 July 1945. This RCAF image RE2822-8 was taken 25 July 1945, showing Grumman Goose (Serial No. 383), U.S. Navy (BuNo. 37797), taken on charge by No. 12 (Communication) Squadron on 8 March 1944. The RCAF roundel marking was first painted [LAC Skip Rutledge] on Canadian flown Wellington Mk. X aircraft in Tunisia, North Africa, in August 1943. This same “unofficial” Maple Leaf marking was now adopted by No. 12 (Communication) Squadron and painted on all V.I.P. aircraft flown at RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ontario. It is interesting to note [for model builders] the original [over painted] U.S. Navy “National U.S. Star” is still showing behind the new RCAF nose markings. Two of these aircraft were photographed still wearing the U.S. Star on 29 August 1944, so the RCAF markings and nose art were applied soon after that date. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3583792)

Grumman Goose Mk.II s/n 388), Boundary Bay, No. 5 Operational Training Unit (OTU), RCAF, Spring 1944.

Grumman Goose Mk.II, RCAF, August 1941. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3589806)

Grumman Goose Mk.II, RCAF, August 1941. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3589811)

Grumman Goose Mk.II, January 1944. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3650857)

Grumman Goose Mk.II s/n 917, RCAF, 1939. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3545907)

Grumman Goose Mk.II s/n 917, 24 October 1939. (Library and Archives Canada photo MIKAN No. 3581488)

Grumman Goose s/n 942 (MK-H), presumably after No. 13 Operational Training Squadron's code letters AN had been superseded by MK in May 1942 and before the latter were removed in October 1942. On the ramp at Pat Bay Air Station, Victoria, BC.

Grumman OA-9, Shemya, Alaska.

Grumman Goose (AN-G) presumably before No. 13 Operational Training Squadron's code letters AN had been superseded by MK in May 1942 and before the latter were removed in October 1942. Starting a patrol at Pat Bay Air Station, BC, circa 1944.

Grumman Goose Mk.III (G-21A) s/n 917, RCAF, crashed near Cape Yakataga, Alaska, 21 July 1942. One died on impact, one drowned attempting rescue, five rescued after 11 days in the wilderness.

Grumman JRF-4 Goose en route to Alaska along the coastal route with a stop at the RCAF base at Alliford Bay, circa summer 1942.

Grumman JRF Goose, Aircraft 11 of Utility Squadron 1 (1-J-11), U.S. Navy. (SDASM Archives)

Grumman XJ3F-1 Goose BuNo 1384, U.S. Navy. XJ3F-1 was a prototype eight-seat utility amphibian, built for the US Navy; one built in 1938.

Grumman OA-9 Goose. (SDASM Archives)

Grumman Goose and Wildcats share an assembly building.

Royal Canadian Air Force Goose. (Air Ministry)

Grumman JRF Goose.

Grumman JRF-2 s/n V176, U.S. Coast Guard.

Grumman JRF-3 s/n V192, U.S. Coast Guard, riding at anchor off White Fish Point, Michigan.

Grumman JRF-2 s/n V176, U.S. Coast Guard, on tarmac.

Grumman JRF-2 s/n V176, U.S. Coast Guard.

Grumman JRF s/n V176 of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Two Grumman JRF Gooses at the factory, circa Summer 1943.

Grumman G-12A Goose "W2H" of the Royal Naval Observer Training School at Piarco, off Trinidad in 1944. A number of these sturdy little amphibians served with this unit.

Grumman JRF-4 Goose. (SDASM Archives)

Grumman OA-9 Goose. (SDASM Archives)

Grumman JRF-5 Goose. (Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department)

Grumman G-21A / JRF-3 Goose.

A U.S. Navy Grumman JRF-5 Goose sitting rather awkwardly in a cabbage field after a wheels-down landing on soft ground. The Goose was an amphibian, but if the pilot forgot to raise the gear before putting it down on anything other than a runway, this is what happened. The wheels dug in, the nose dropped, and the aircraft came to a very abrupt stop indeed. There is a nice rut between the cabbage and the right side of the airplane. It clearly landed, gear down coming from the photographer's left, set down parallel to the cabbage rows, and then ground looped, and in the process damaged the right main gear, which you can see lying at an angle next to the plane.

Grumman JRF Goose with D-Day invasion stripes underneath the rear fuselage.

Grumman JRF-5 Goose.

A Grumman JRF-5 Goose amphibious aircraft used by NACA to transport workers between Langley and Wallops Island. (NASA photo)

World War II, March 1944, An American built Grumman G-21 Goose Amphibious Flying Boat aircraft of the Royal Air Force is pictured in flight during the Second World War (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)