Flight Notes— how to fly the G–21A Goose

Sometimes an aircraft design is so right, so attuned to a special set of tasks that it flies on long after the production line shuts down. The Grumman Goose is that kind of plane, and the story of aviation in Alaska and western Canada would not be the same if this sturdy flying boat had never gotten off Grumman's drawing board.

Rugged, roomy, powerful, and above all amphibian, the Goose can go anywhere. Its boat hull and retractable landing gear provide the ability to take off from and land on a runway or the water, so the Goose can get to places most aircraft can't. Manufactured by Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co., whose sturdy World War II combat aircraft earned the company its "Grumman Iron Works" reputation, the Goose is built like a battleship-or a tank. It can handle heavy loads, take a lot of punishment, and still operate economically. Its twin radial engines, mounted high on the wing to keep them relatively dry while maneuvering on the water, give it the kind of reliability that made naval aviators feel safe flying over the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean.

The Goose was designed during the heyday of the flying boat in the late 1930s, when big, luxurious four-engined Boeing, Sikorsky, and Martin "Clippers" provided the well-heeled a glamorous means of travel to exotic locales. The more modestly scaled Goose-initially intended as a transport for wealthy Long Island businessmen-first flew in 1937. It soon caught the eye of the U.S. Navy, which eventually acquired two-thirds of its entire production. Originally designed to carry six passengers in luxury comparable to the big Clippers, the Goose became a Navy utility transport-a workhorse that could get people and equipment into and out of remote areas. From people and parts hauling to target towing to antisubmarine patrol with bombs and depth charges, the Goose did it all.

With the end of World War II, the big flying boats vanished from the world aviation scene. The biggest of them-Howard Hughes' gigantic eight-engined "Spruce Goose"-flew just one mile before disappearing from public view in 1947. The Grumman Goose, on the other hand, has never fallen out of favor wherever people need transport to coastal and island locations. Forty of the 345 Gooses built by Grumman between 1937 and 1945 are still flying; some have even been converted from piston to turbine power. Thirty-four more are in museum collections, or being rebuilt or restored.

In this era of mass transit air travel, the Goose is an honest, old-fashioned aircraft that's easy to love, and one that, after seventy years of service, still transports people and goods to places few modern aircraft can.

Specifications

	U.S.	Metric
Maximum Speed	201 mph	323 km/h
Cruise Speed	191 mph	307 km/h
Engine	Two Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1
Propeller	Hartzell three-blade constant speed
Maximum Range	695 nm	1,118 km
Service Ceiling	21,300 feet	6,492 meters
Fuel Capacity	200 gallons	757 liters
Empty Weight	5,425 pounds	2,460 kilograms
Maximum Gross Weight	12,500 pounds	5,670 kilograms
Length	30 feet, 3 inches	9.2 meters
Wingspan	48 feet	14.61 meters
Height	12 feet	3.66 meters
Seating	8