The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious aircraft, which means it can land and take off on water. It was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly. It was also Grumman's first twin-engined aircraft as well as their first aircraft to provide commercial service. During World War II, the Goose was used to transport the US military (including the Coast Guard). It served with many other air forces. During battles, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles. It was also used after the war.
Design and development
In 1936, some rich residents of Long Island, such as E. Roland Harriman, asked Grumman to build them an aircraft. They would use this aircraft to fly to New York City. The G-21 was designed after this. It was an all-metal, high-winged monoplane powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr. nine-cylinder, air-cooled radial engines mounted on the leading edge of high-set wings. The deep fuselage served also as a hull and had hand-cranked retractable landing gear. First flight of the prototype took place on May 29, 1937.
The fuselage was very versatile. It had a lot of interior space. So it could be used as luxury or transport airliner. There were plans to market the G-21 as an amphibian airliner.
References
Notes
Bibliography
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. ISSN 0306-5634. Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Five Flying Boats. London:Macdonald, 1968. . March, Daniel J., ed. British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1998. . 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. .