Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Commercial twin-engine transport amphibian

Power Plant:

Two 448 kw (600 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S3H1 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

Designed as a versatile amphibious flying boat, the Grumman Mallard was sold in relatively small numbers, with only 59 examples being completed. However, because of its good size, it has seen some use as a commuter-type airliner, and in fact was originally designed to carry two pilots and ten passengers, meeting United States feeder-line transport regulations. In the event, most aircraft were sold for executive use. Production took place at the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation facility at Bethpage, Long Island, New York.

The prototype (NX41824) was flown for the first time on 30 April 1946, the first production aircraft (CF-BKE) being delivered to Porcupine Mills in Canada on 27 September that year. The Mallard was of all-metal semi-monocoque construction covered with flush riveted alclad sheeting. The hull was divided into six water-tight compartments, and the fuselage into three compartments, one for the pilots, and two for the passengers. A toilet was normally installed at the rear of the cabin, and total baggage capacity was 317 kg (700 lb) in the nose and rear cabin luggage compartments in an area of 2.06 m³ (73 cub ft).

A number of Mallards have been seen in Australasia over the years. The registration VH-KNB was allotted at one stage for a Mallard but this aircraft was not imported. The first aircraft imported was registered CF-FFG (c/n J-13) on 15 January 1947 and subsequently had a number of owners and registrations, including PK-AKG and JZ-PCB. In early 1962 it was obtained by a company called East Coast Airlines, which operated the aircraft in Queensland for some months in 1962-1963 as JZ-PCB.

In early 1963 it was purchased by the Australian National Airlines Commission and became VH-TGA to operate the Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) ‘Coralair’ services in north Queensland. A considerable amount of work was done on the aircraft at Archerfield, QLD to prepare it for services from Mackay to Brampton Island. However, the service was not approved by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and subsequently the aircraft was sold in New Zealand to Utah Williamson Burnett as ZK-CDV to be used for transporting personnel from Invercargill to Manapouri as part of the construction work for the hydro construction project. Later it became VQ-FBC, and in 1971 returned to the United States as N2442H. This aircraft later survived as NC2950.

The next aircraft N121SP (c/n J-4) was imported by South Pacific Airways of Sydney, NSW, for charter work. It became VH-SPL but was not permitted to commence services and, after some months at Bankstown, NSW it was taken to Malaysia where it appeared in a television series, eventually being exported and becoming N83781 in the United States, where it has survived.

A further Mallard arrived in Australia in 2012, this aircraft (N611DS) arriving for a private owner in Queensland. Imported by Thrillionair Pty Ltd, it became VH-CQA (c/n J-35) on 26 July 2013 and was operated by Peter Lynch of Chapel Hill, QLD, mainly being based at Evans Head on the NSW north coast where Mr Lynch had an interest in an aviation museum. On 13 January 2017 it arrived at Serpentine, WA where it was expected to be based, the owner moving to Western Australia. However, on 26 January 2017, during Australia Day celebrations in Perth, WA, it crashed into the Swan River during a flypast and was destroyed.

In the early 1970s Frakes Aviation of Angwin, California, set about installing new engines in a number of Mallards, fitting them with Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprops, the extra power providing a gross weight of 6,110 kg (13,500 lb) and, because of the lighter engines, a substantial increase in load-carrying capacity.

In May 1983 Air Whitsunday, a tourist airline operating five Lake Buccaneer amphibians in north Queensland from Airlie Beach, and later a fleet of de Havilland Beaver amphibians, imported two Mallards for scheduled services between Townsville, Mackay, and Shute Harbour, with water landings being made at various locations along the Great Barrier Reef. A service was also commenced along the length of the reef, carrying tourists for seven days, stopping overnight at different locations. These aircraft, respectively a piston-engined model and a Frakes turboprop conversion, became VH-LAW (c/n J-22) and VH-JAW (c/n J-26), entering service in June 1983. In 1986 VH-JAW was sold to Jayrow Helicopters and entered service in Western Australia.

In 1987 a Sydney company announced it was importing two Mallards to operate services between Sydney, NSW, Melbourne, VIC, and the Snowy Mountains, NSW but they did not arrive and these plans do not seem to have reached fruition.

Four Mallards remained on the register as at early 2017 but as noted above one was lost in an accident. The other three have been operated by Paspaley Pearling out of Darwin, NT. Although one of these operated up until the late 1990s with piston engines, all have since operated with turbines.

These aircraft were VH-JAW (c/n J-26 – ex N2419X, C-CHUM, N2966) which, after operating with Air Whitsunday in Queensland, later went to Jayrow Helicopters and operated in WA.  It was later exported to the United States where it became N73AH. It was again imported to Australia and became VH-PPT with Paspaley Pearling, being fitted with turbines in Darwin.

VH-OAW (c/n J-23) was initially registered to Air Whitsunday in May 1989. It was later sold to Paspaley Pearling, converted to turbine power and became VH-PPI.

VH-PPE (c/n J-22 – ex VH-LAW) was initially imported for Air Whitsunday of Airlie Beach, later becoming VH-PPE with Paspaley Pearling, and was also re-engined with turbines.

In 2014 it was announced Mallard Aircraft Company of Cleburne, Texas, in a long-term venture with Frakes Aviation, was proposing to put the Mallard back into production with Pratt & Whitney PT6A engines as the G-73T, offering it with VIP or utility cabin interiors for nine to 17 passengers, with a useful load of 2,586 kg (5,700 lb) and a cruising speed of 352 km/h (219 mph). It was stated the Turbine Mallard would be a new-production aircraft to be manufactured from the ground up and would be fitted with Collins avionics. The new aircraft would be similar in dimensions, be able to carry a crew of two with 17 passengers, and have a max take-off weight on land and water of 6,350 kg (14,000 lb).

In 2016 it was announced a facility would be constructed at Warnervale, NSW, the New South Wales Government granting a 40 year lease over the property, where new Mallards and Albatross would be built. Whether this latter project has anything to do with the venture announced in Texas is not known at this stage.