Grumman HU-16 Albatross

what is it?

The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a twin-radial-engined, amphibious flying boat that was designed and produced by American aircraft manufacturer Grumman. Originally designated as the SA-16 in USAF service and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 in USN and USCG service, respectively, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962. It was operated by a wide range of air services, including the United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 29.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 380 km/htop speed
• seats 10passengers
• size 17 tmax take-off weight
• built 466made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 77 years ago, in 1949.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 29.5 m: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1949

introduced

1949

retired

1995

status

retired

number built

466

role

air-sea rescue flying boat

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Grumman

engines

2× Wright R-1820-76A Cyclone 9

crew

4

passengers

10

length

19.2 m

wingspan

29.5 m

height

7.9 m

max take-off weight

17 t

top speed

380 km/h

cruise speed

200 km/h

range

—

ceiling

6,553 m

wings

monoplane

landing gear

amphibious aircraft

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.