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Navy
Approves New Landing Gear Washington, D.C. March 21, 1930 Following exhaustive tests using a Vought Corsair observation airplane the U.S. Navy has announced that it is pleased with the amphibious float built by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co. The float incorporates two wheels that retract into the float in the air, but can be lowered by the pilot for landing on airfields. The testing included catapult launches from and arrested landings on the carrier USS Lexington and the battleship USS Tennessee. Grumman is now concentrating on demonstrating how the retractable wheels can be designed into a high-speed fighter. Work is now going ahead on the Grumman XFF-1, called "Fifi" in the factory. Although a two-seater it promises to be faster than any single-seat fighter in the U.S. Navy. Grumman hopes to fit the retractable landing gear to single-seat fighters able to reach speeds as high as 250 mph. Because of its new features, this one airplane will cost the Navy $73,975. Production models will be much cheaper.
© 2004 The Long Island Early Fliers Club, P.O. Box 221, Bethpage, NY 11714-0221 • info@longislandearlyfliers.org |
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