HU-16B

About

The Grumman HU-16 Albatross was developed in the late 1940s as a successor to the smaller Grumman SA-16 (and earlier Goose and Mallard) flying boat lineage that had served the U.S. military and civilian operators since the 1930s. The XJR2F-1 prototype made its first flight in October 1947, and production aircraft entered service with the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force through the 1950s and 1960s in search-and-rescue, anti-submarine, and special-operations roles. Total production reached approximately 466 airframes.

The HU-16 was the workhorse of long-range over-water rescue operations during the Cold War — capable of operating from runways, calm-water harbors, or open ocean as conditions allowed. Twin Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial engines, a deep-hulled fuselage with retractable tricycle landing gear, and the unmistakable high-wing flying-boat silhouette gave the aircraft a presence that few amphibious aircraft could match. Albatrosses participated in countless rescues across the Pacific and Atlantic during the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the type continued in foreign military service into the 1990s. Some surviving HU-16s are still flown today by civilian operators and air-show pilots.

The unmistakable Albatross silhouette — high wing, deep boat-hull fuselage, twin radial engines — is one of the more challenging amphibious flying-boat subjects in modern RC scale flying, typically tackled at giant-scale by serious scale modelers.

In the simulator

A demanding twin-engine amphibious scale subject. The Albatross has the kind of inertia and deliberate handling that suits a flying boat — twin-engine throttle coordination, careful approach speeds for water landings, and the unhurried pattern of a long-range search-and-rescue aircraft. Use it for sport-scale flying with substantial visual presence. Pairs especially well with coastal and lake landscapes that suit a flying-boat mission. A unique entry in this pack — flying-boat and amphibious subjects are rare in RC scale fleets.