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Description
| Manufacturer: | Grumman | |
| Base model: | U-16 | |
| Designation: | HU-16 | |
| Nickname: | Albatross | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | |
| Designation Period: | 1952-Present | |
| Basic role: | Utility | |
| Modified Mission: | Search and Rescue | |
| Crew: | Crew of four/six, up to ten | |
| First Flew: | 1947/10/24 | |
| See Also: | ||
Specifications
| Length: | 62' 3" | 19.0 m | |
| Height: | 26' 0" | 7.9 m | |
| Wingspan: | 97' 8" | 29.8 m | |
| Empty Weight: | 22,840 lb | 10,382 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 35,635 lb | 16,160 kg | |
| Max Weight: | 35,635 lb | 16,198 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 2 | ||
| Powerplant: | Wright R-1820-76BA radials | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 1425 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 3,274 miles | 5,281 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 172 mph | 278 km/h | 150 kt |
| Max Speed: | 316 mph | 511 km/h | 276 kt |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Thomas Sullivan Rangeley, ME |
I flew on the "Ruptured Duck" at Naval Station Trinidad from 1965 to 1968, just as the base was being decommissioned. Flew the milk run to Porto Rico once a week, and daily SAR missions. Oh Yea, and catch fish at small boats pier every night.ha ha 01/10/2008 @ 13:37 [ref: 19219] |
| John Gould Payson, AZ | 1955-1956 I flew on many aircraft as radio operator but the time with the SA-16 with the 54th ARS in Goose Bay Labrador was my favorite time One year on that aircraft. Hated it at first but came to love this thing with all it's problems. Made so many water landings got used to it.Never had to use jato to get out of water. Landing, First one scared me. Thought I was a goner. Coufgt on fire from the apu many times. This plane would fly in weather and we had to, when nothing could get off the ground. GCA and tower could not get us down many times but we would land sooner or later. Several times a crew member would have to be at the end of a rope with a lite so the pilot could see the way to runway just to get our 4 hrs for flight pay before the 19th. Looking for a lost prospector was my favorite mission. Great story. johnny@localnet.com
Love to hear from anyone esp. radio ops. 12/09/2007 @ 08:32 [ref: 18857] |
| allan pochop Warrensburg,, MO | Better known to us Navy types as a UF-1 or 2. I was a SAR crew chief on Bu. No. 137922. Which was a UF-1 converted to UF-2 status, by a wing extensions.
Stationed at NAS Port Lyautey, Kentria, Morocco. 1960-62. JATO (why jato?) it was direct propulsion rocket, 1000lb. thrust for 14 seconds, four bottle maximum. (ok) JATO, I made takeoff's on land, and off the bay of Gibrator. Although the take offs were impressive, the water landings were of my concern. After the initial water contact, and when the aircraft would be awash with water, the thought crossed my mine are we still an aircrft or now a submarine? After landing in the bay, now came the task of hositing the four 145 lb. JATO bottles to there mounts, while the 32k aircraft is wallowing around, had an AO on board, must be for arming cannot remember, but the AE would confirm the circuit was dead. Had two engine failures while I was there, 1st, I was the flying crew chief out of Port Lyautey, when the no. 2 engine on rotation decided to eat itself up, a 360 back to field. The aircraft maintained altitude on the single engine, but extending the gear for landing, my memory tells me that the drag really knocked off the airspeed, stall prevention came with nose down for minimum slow flight, while waiting, for what seemed and hour for the single hyd. pump to extend the starboard gear and lock it. The second engine failure, again No.2, coming out of Terrojon AFB, Spain, I was a passenger setting on the starboard side noticed what looked like rain on the window, nope engine oil, lots of engine oil. Returned to Terrojon, for there 10-12K runway. As a mech. enjoyed the aircraft, my main engine problem was with the APU, hard to get to, slung oil all over the compartment, tempermental SOB. History shows that at one time 137922, was stationed at NS Midway Is. (I was there in 1962-63 AEWBARRONAPAC). Was in South America (Columbia). Bu. No. 137922 finished up its life with the Phillipine Air Force, they cut it up for scrap in 1995. 12/07/2007 @ 10:26 [ref: 18835] |
| allan pochop Warrensburg,, MO | Better known to us Navy types as a UF-1 or 2. I was a SAR crew chief on Bu. No. 137922. Which was a UF-1 converted to UF-2 status, by a wing extensions.
Stationed at NAS Port Lyautey, Kentria, Morocco. 1960-62. JATO (why jato?) it was direct propulsion rocket, 1000lb. thrust for 14 seconds, four bottle maximum. (ok) JATO, I made takeoff's on land, and off the bay of Gibrator. Although the take offs were impressive, the water landings were of my concern. After the initial water contact, and when the aircraft would be awash with water, the thought crossed my mine are we still an aircrft or now a submarine? After landing in the bay, now came the task of hositing the four 145 lb. JATO bottles to there mounts, while the 32k aircraft is wallowing around, had an AO on board, must be for arming cannot remember, but the AE would confirm the circuit was dead. Had two engine failures while I was there, 1st, I was the flying crew chief out of Port Lyautey, when the no. 2 engine on rotation decided to eat itself up, a 360 back to field. The aircraft maintained altitude on the single engine, but extending the gear for landing, my memory tells me that the drag really knocked off the airspeed, stall prevention came with nose down for minimum slow flight, while waiting, for what seemed and hour for the single hyd. pump to extend the starboard gear and lock it. The second engine failure, again No.2, coming out of Terrojon AFB, Spain, I was a passenger setting on the starboard side noticed what looked like rain on the window, nope engine oil, lots of engine oil. Returned to Terrojon, for there 10-12K runway. As a mech. enjoyed the aircraft, my main engine problem was with the APU, hard to get to, slung oil all over the compartment, tempermental SOB. History shows that at one time 137922, was stationed at NS Midway Is. (I was there in 1962-63 AEWBARRONAPAC). Was in South America (Columbia). Bu. No. 137922 finished up its life with the Phillipine Air Force, they cut it up for scrap in 1995. 12/07/2007 @ 10:26 [ref: 18833] |
| allan pochop Warrensburg,, MO | Better known to us Navy types as a UF-1 or 2. I was a SAR crew chief on Bu. No. 137922. Which was a UF-1 converted to UF-2 status, by a wing extensions.
Stationed at NAS Port Lyautey, Kentria, Morocco. 1960-62. JATO (why jato?) it was direct propulsion rocket, 1000lb. thrust for 14 seconds, four bottle maximum. (ok) JATO, I made takeoff's on land, and off the bay of Gibrator. Although the take offs were impressive, the water landings were of my concern. After the initial water contact, and when the aircraft would be awash with water, the thought crossed my mine are we still an aircrft or now a submarine? After landing in the bay, now came the task of hositing the four 145 lb. JATO bottles to there mounts, while the 32k aircraft is wallowing around, had an AO on board, must be for arming cannot remember, but the AE would confirm the circuit was dead. Had two engine failures while I was there, 1st, I was the flying crew chief out of Port Lyautey, when the no. 2 engine on rotation decided to eat itself up, a 360 back to field. The aircraft maintained altitude on the single engine, but extending the gear for landing, my memory tells me that the drag really knocked off the airspeed, stall prevention came with nose down for minimum slow flight, while waiting, for what seemed and hour for the single hyd. pump to extend the starboard gear and lock it. The second engine failure, again No.2, coming out of Terrojon AFB, Spain, I was a passenger setting on the starboard side noticed what looked like rain on the window, nope engine oil, lots of engine oil. Returned to Terrojon, for there 10-12K runway. As a mech. enjoyed the aircraft, my main engine problem was with the APU, hard to get to, slung oil all over the compartment, tempermental SOB. History shows that at one time 137922, was stationed at NS Midway Is. (I was there in 1962-63 AEWBARRONAPAC). Was in South America (Columbia). Bu. No. 137922 finished up its life with the Phillipine Air Force, they cut it up for scrap in 1995. 12/07/2007 @ 10:26 [ref: 18834] |
| John Fisk Chino, CA | In March, 1971, I was stationed on Midway Island as a Aviation Electronics Technician for one year. We had two UH34 Helicopters and two HU16 Grumman Albatross for logistics and SAR missions around the island. I was aircrew on the Albatross; a radioman on the HF radios, responsible for hourly position reports with Hickam AFB or Wake Island USB. We had tail numbers 13919, 13924. We got our wings wet with a JATO bottle take off out of the water inside the Midway reef. The NAVY had pulled our Open Water landing ability due to the age of the aircraft, but we were still allowed to land inside protected water. We used the HU16s for logistics flights to Kure Island, a Coast Guard Loran station, flights to Pearl and Hermes for the Hawaiian Wildlife surveys, and Search & Rescue activities around the Islands. . We all really enjoyed out time in the albatross, especially because we were on Midway, one of the premiere breeding grounds for the Albatross seabirds. 07/11/2007 @ 07:31 [ref: 17066] |
| Dale Bailey Auburn, WA | Hey came across this site by accident, spotted the Gene Dempsey entry and had a flash back. I worked for Gene at Hamilton AFB on radio maintence in the early 1964/65. I left the Air Force in Aug 1965 and went to work for The Telephone Co. Lots of fun times working on the old birds, the worse was when the radio operators forgot the pull in the trailing wire antenna when landing, the weight would break off and the copper wire antenna would make a nest like you wouldn't believe. We would install a new antenna but had to fish the tube under the aircraft to get to the motor for the antenna winder. 05/21/2007 @ 06:35 [ref: 16550] |
| George a. Moulios encinitas, CA | Stationed 41st Air Rescue, Hamilton Field Jan.1953 thru Sept 1953, as a radar observer. Water transistions in the bay was an experience. It took 2 JATO bottles to get the SA16 airborne 04/29/2007 @ 18:20 [ref: 16349] |
| Larry Meadows Wimauma, FL | I was an air crewman on Hu-16 USCG nos. 1299, 1300 and 1313 among others at The old St. Pete Coast Guard Air station in the early and mid '60s. Flew Key patrols and SAR's. Loved to taxi them around. Became a pilot in 1980 while working at Piper Aircraft in Lakeland, Fl.Sure would like to at least ride in one again. 03/22/2007 @ 16:32 [ref: 16002] |
| gerald hill px, AZ | i was a flt eng on the hu-16 in the 31 arrs in the pi and vn 1965-1968 this was a fun and some times scarry aircraft to be on i loved to be part of the arrs. 02/25/2007 @ 17:36 [ref: 15673] |
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