The Goose Returns!

[the_gneech]

You may recall that I am a fanboy of The Grumman Goose. Well I was blown away this morning by the news that a company in North Carolina is manufacturing new ones -- for the first time since the 1930s!

Check out the video!

I'm neither an aviator nor a plane nerd generally, but this one really resonates with me. Somebody making new ones just makes the world a much, much cooler place!

-The Gneech

Comments

[maxgoof.livejournal.com]

It's the Sea Duck! Where's Baloo and Kit?

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

No, no, that's a Conwing L-16. ;) The Goose is a Grumman (nee Antilles) G-21.

-TG

[maxgoof.livejournal.com]

Awwwww........



Where's Baloo and Kit, anyway?

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

I have a long-held ambition to travel by seaplane. Luxurious cabins, fantastic meals, touching down at sunset on the sea or a lake...mmm.

(Recently read this; the plot is pretty dreadful but the details marvellous.)

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Well, the Goose isn't quite the China Clipper -- it's more like a minivan with wings! ;)

-TG

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

Somebody warn Fabio... :D

That's about eleven kinds of awesome.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

That was a very different goose. ;)

-TG

[level-head.livejournal.com]

And those are very modern, and very potent turboprops on that Goose. I expect good things from this if they can pull it off.

===|==============/ Level Head

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Yup; lighter than the old Pratt and Whitneys, yet with stronger thrust.

I wonder if they've put in a motor for the landing gear, or if it still has that silly little hand-crank... :)

Seriously tho, the classic Goose design with modern materials and manufacturing -- this should rock!

-The Gneech

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

I agree with both of you. It looks like a good mix of the old and the new. I'd love to see it be successful. Of course I'm also one of those who'd love to see some air ships make a comeback. Either that or a hybred of airship/lifting body/flying wing. Ah, to dream.

fyi

[robin-andersen.livejournal.com]

Did you know Kimba's dad worked for Grumman? He was a really great guy. We have the shirts with the tiger for the F14 (Not sure that's exactly right)...he was way too young to have ever worked on the goose, but he did work on the lunar module...

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

Many years ago a REALLY wealthy playboy did a 110% restoration of a *military* Grumman Albatross (like a Goose, only bigger), and got special permission to paint it and number it EXACTLY like it was when it was in military service.

I say 110% restoration, because the INSIDE was like a flying limousine! The guy took us newstypes up, flew us downstate and landed on a nice lake---surprising the hell out of some fishermen (though not *quite* as badly as in that great video clip that circulates via email---heh!).

I hope this company can make the business venture "fly"--- |;-) There's just something really NEAT (and unsettling!) about landing an airplane on/in the water!

[hossblacksilver.livejournal.com]

Really nice, though I admit to leaning more to the warbird type aircraft myself.