Grumman G-73 Mallard
Plane History | The Air Zoo’s Model | Plane Stats
Plane History
After World War II, Grumman Aircraft Corp., which had supplied many of the fighter and torpedo planes that helped win the war in the Pacific, cut back tremendously on production but still provided aircraft for the civilian market.
The war had shown how important air transport was and the nation was slowly changing from a country traveling by rail to one traveling by air.
To accommodate this need, Grumman designed a commercial/private amphibian that could provide transportation for 10-12 people to areas that did not have airport facilities but did have a nearby body of water.
There was a forward compartment for six people and a rear compartment for four. The design bore a lot of similarity to Grumman’s highly successful pre-war Widgeon and Goose amphibian design which were used by the Navy, the Coast Guard and the British Royal Air Force as patrol aircraft.
However, because of the huge training program instituted by the Army Air Force during the war, airfields were now located across the country, and there really was no need for amphibian aircraft. Plus, the abundance of surplus cargo aircraft after the war made these types very inexpensive for small start-up airlines, so only 59 of Mallards were built.
They were used by private individuals, charter services and small “feeder” airlines, with the most famous operator being Chalk’s Ocean Airways which flew regular passenger service from Miami to the Bahamas.
The Mallard sold in the standard configuration for $90,000. However, there were luxury models produced according to the buyer’s specifications. One definitely non-standard model was a Mallard for King Farouk of Egypt that had the most luxurious of appointments.
Another went to the Royal Family of the Netherlands. A number of Mallards were converted to a turbo-prop configuration, where a propeller, driven by a jet turbine replaced the original radial engines.
The Air Zoo’s Grumman G-73 Mallard
After many years of operation, the remaining Mallards were experience wing spar fatigue and one was destroyed in a fatal accident in Miami in 2001, which resulted in the grounding of all Mallards until repairs could be made.
Mr. Rolland LaFont had one such aircraft configured as an executive transport and decided to donate his Mallard to a museum. He got on the internet, came across the Air Zoo’s website, and was so impressed he decided that this is where he wanted his plane to go.
Just before the aircraft was to be flown to Kalamazoo, the inspector giving the ferrying permit informed him that his spar HAD the repairs made and there was nothing wrong with it.
Even though Mr. LaFont had an offer of over $1 million for the plane, he had already committed to donating it to the Air Zoo and he went through with that commitment — quite an honorable man!
The Air Zoo’s Mallard was the 14th airframe produced and according to its logbooks, it was once flown by billionaire Howard Hughes.
Plane Stats
Powerplant: Two Pratt & Whitney R1430 Wasp radial engines developing 600 HP each.
Wingspan: 66 ft. 8 in. (20.3 m)
Length: 48 ft. 4 in. (14.7 m)
Height: 18 ft. 9 in. (5.7 m)
Speed (max.): 187 knots
Capacity: Up to 17 passengers, but executive configurations are mostly applied.
Crew: 2
Useful Load: 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kg)