Getting off the ground at 30,000 pounds and the ability to land in the sea.
The Grumman HU-16 is a seaplane that has captured the imagination of aviation enthusiasts for decades. With its unique ability to land on water and carry heavy loads, the HU-16 has a rich history and continues to intrigue those interested in aircraft design and development.
Luckily, there’s one for sale and it has an incredibly outdated but enchanting paint job: https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Multi+Engine+Piston&make=GRUMMAN&model=HU-16B&listing_id=2382325&s-type=aircraft
The HU-16 was first developed in the early 1940s, with the original mission being to provide a reliable seaplane for the US Navy and later other branches.
The HU-16 was designed to be rugged and versatile, able to land and take off on both water and land, making it an ideal aircraft for a wide range of missions. In the years following its development, the HU-16 would go on to achieve many notable accomplishments, including breaking altitude records and serving in search and rescue missions.
We found a great video interview about breaking the record for how high this bird's flown.
While the pilot was taking it up, it was running hot. Oil temps were high and the flight engineer was getting a little sweaty. Luckily, cooler air formed near the aircraft. The pilot decided to take it into the system to cool the engines down.
And it worked, and the bird soared to almost 33,000 feet!
Wild to imagine being a commercial airliner and looking out to your left to see an absolute beast of a machine floating in the sky.
This thing is a monster.
The HU-16 has a wingspan of 96 feet and a length of 62 feet, with a maximum takeoff weight of 30,,000 pounds. The HU-16's most notable feature is its ability to land and take off on water, thanks to its unique hull design and amphibious landing gear.
The HU-16 is also capable of carrying up to 10,000 pounds of cargo, making it ideal for transporting heavy loads to remote locations.
The potential. Some of these renovated Grumman aircraft are incredible.
Like a full blown tailgating RV of the skies. An awesome midwest dad heading to the college football game with a decked out RV. Only this one flies. And burns an incredible amount of fuel along the way.
We also really like this paint job.
Curious who owned it before. To us, it screams spring break party plane. If there is someone who wants to open up the most insane charter business in Miami to the Bahamas, this is the aircraft for you. There just aren’t that many aircraft on the market that can truly turn heads and inspire the imagination of people who are not pilots.
But this is one. Any spring breaker would drop their Mai Tai at the FBO when they see this big bird pull up.
Also the interior of these aircraft are wild!
Even the original had live in compartments for sleeping. Some of the renovated ones are a true piece of luxury.
Practicality needs to be thrown out of the window completely when repurposing this plane.
There must be a billionaire pilot who wants to fly spring break charters and part time rescue missions. If that ends up being you, keep us posted.
Who knows where this bird will find its home but we want to keep tabs on it. It would be incredible to see if it comes fully back to life and finds a new home in Miami.
Current interior in the image above. The image below is what this bad boy can be upgraded to.
Photo via TP Aero.
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