aviation - the past, present and future of flight

T

he Grumman Aircraft Engineering

Corporation originally made its

name as a supplier of carrier-borne

aircraft to the US Navy. It, like

other American military suppliers, realised

the end of the Korean War in 1953 was likely

to signal reductions in lucrative defence

contracts.

Grumman’s solution

to impending cutbacks

was to  ll the need for

a dedicated business

aircraft to replace the

many war-surplus

transports then in

use. Market research

was commissioned

to discover likely

requirements from

existing and potential

users.

In the mid-1950s

they found 478

Douglas C-47/DC-

3s and around 260

Lockheed Lodestars

were in corporate

service. Potential

customers seeking a replacement would

want a DC-3-sized aircraft with ‘stand-up’

cabin headroom, a cruising speed of around

350mph (563km/h) and a range of 1,800 to

2,200 miles (3,540km).

Grumman’s research led it to believe

around 1,000 examples would be needed.

DESIGN

Initially, the company

considered producing

a ‘stretched’ version

of its TF-1 Trader, a

carrier-based naval

transporter derived

from the Tracker anti-

submarine machine.

That idea was

dropped because

the Trader’s wing

had been designed

for optimum, high-

endurance, low-

altitude  ight, making

it unsuitable for

modi cation to permit

the high cruising

speed required. A

GRUMMAN’S

LIMOUSINE

OF THE AIR

The Gulfstream I

pioneered

corporate fl ying

as it is known today.

Charles Woodley

details its

development

and career.

78 Aviation News incorporating Jets April 2018

Above: An aerial shot of Gulfstream I

demonstrator N712G, which went on to see

service in Australia with Skywest Airlines.

Key Collection

Below: The Gulfstream I is powered by two

Rolls-Royce Dart 529 turboprop engines and

has built-in hydraulic airstairs. Rolls-Royce

78-82_gulfstreamDC.mfDC.mfDC.indd 78 02/03/2018 17:23