Exceptionally Plane People: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

David Lednicer

December 7, 2013

How Grumman Aircraft Was Formed16 Former Loening employees, including:Leroy Grumman ($16,950)Bill SchwendlerJake Swirbul ($8,125)Edmund Ward Poor ($12,500)

Other backers:E. Clinton Towl ($6,250)Grover Loening ($25,000)Albert Loening ($12,500)

Timeline:1917: Loening Aeronautical Engineering Co, 31 St at East River, New York NY1928: Hayden, Stone and Company buys Loening1928: Merged with Keystone Aircraft Corporation as Loening Aeronautical Div.1929: Merged entity acquired by North American Aviation1929: Keystone Manhattan factory closed and operations moved to Bristol, PennsylvaniaOctober 1929: The stock market collapsesJanuary 2, 1930: Grumman Aircraft started in a rented garage in Baldwin (Long Island) NY

An initial investment of $81,325 ($1,145,423 in 2013 dollars)

Increased 7,700 fold in value by 1970

Grover Loening• Born September 12th, 1888• Received first-ever aero engineering degree in the US, from

Columbia University in 1910• Queen Aeroplane Company in NYC, building Bleriots • Managed the Wright Company factory in Dayton, Ohio

1913-1914• Designed the Wright Model G "Aeroboat“ flying boat• Left after conflict with Orville concerning the Model C

• Chief engineer for the US Army Aviation Section in San Diego in 1914

• VP and GM of the Sturtevant Aeroplane Company, 1915-1917

• In 1917 formed the Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corp.• Won the Collier Trophy in 1921 for work on the Air

Yacht• Sold company in 1928 and started consulting practice• Died February 29th, 1976

Leroy Grumman• Born January 4th 1895 in Huntington, Long

Island NY• Received engineering degree from Cornell

University in 1916• Became US Naval Aviator #1216, despite poor

eyesight• Stationed at the Loening factory in 1919 to

oversee construction of the Loening M-8• Hired by Loening in 1920

• Test pilot• Designer• General Manager• Designed the Loening retractable landing

gear• Didn’t want to leave Long Island

Leroy Grumman• Left Loening in 1929• Mortgaged his house to start Grumman

Aviation, as the President• Wanted to keep the company small, like a

family• Designed the STO-Wing fold mechanism used

on the F4F Wildcat• Personally led attempts to develop a general

aviation aircraft after World War II • Flew until 1944

• Lost most of his eyesight due to a reaction to a penicillin injection

• Retired as President in 1946, Chairman in 1966, retired from the board in 1972

• Died October 4th 1982

First Grumman Product

Amphib floats for US Navy, based on Loening patents

Amphib Landing Gear Design

Loening XS2L-1 (1931)

Landing gear designed by Leroy Grumman when he worked at LoeningHand cranked on all

Grumman designs

Grumman Landing Gear Design

G-15 Duck (1936)

G-111 Albatross (1949)G-73 Mallard (1946)G-44 Widgeon (1941)

G-21 Goose (1937)

FF-1 (1931) F2F (1933) F3F (1936)

F4F (1937)

Grumman Wing Folding

F4F-4, FM-1 and FM-2 wings fold aft

F4F-3 wings do not fold F6F wings fold aft

F7F outer wings fold up (XF5F was similar)

F8F outer wings fold upTBF wings fold aft

Grumman Sto-Wing Fold Still in Use

E-2C HawkeyeLeroy Grumman showing his development model

C-2C Greyhound

Bill Schwendler• Born April 1st, 1904 in Farmingdale, Long Island

NY• Received aero engineering degree from NYU in

1924• Worked for Loening• Co-founded Grumman (employee #10) and

served as:• Chief engineer• Executive vice-president• Chairman of the Board

• Officially retired in 1950• Led or participated in the design of every

Grumman aircraft through the F-14 Tomcat• His philosophy of using a safety factor of 2

created the “Iron Works” reputation • Died January 15th, 1978

Leon "Jake" Swirbul• Born March 18th, 1898 in Manhattan NY• Attended Cornell, but left during WWI to join the USMC• Worked for Loening as shop superintendent• Borrowed $6,000 from his mother to help co-found Grumman

(employee #2)• Served as:• Vice-president• General Manager• President (1946)

• Died June 28th, 1960

Robert Hall• Born August 22nd, 1905 in Taunton,

Massachusetts• Engineering degree from University of Michigan

in 1927• Initially worked at Fairchild Aircraft in

Farmingdale NY• Joined Granville Brothers Aircraft in 1929

• Designed the Gee Bee Z in 1931• Flew the Gee Bee Z to victory in the General Tire

and Rubber Trophy race• Founded Hall Aircraft in 1932

• Designed the Bulldog and Cicada, which raced in 1932

• Hired by Stinson in 1933 as experimental test pilot• Helped design and test Stinson SR Reliant• Continued to race a Gee Bee Y

Robert Hall• Hired by Grumman in 1936 as engineering test

pilot • Made first flights of F4F Wildcat, G-21 Goose,

XP-50, F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat

• Became Chief Engineer in 1950 and Vice President in 1954

• Instrumental in design of the F9F Panther, F9F Cougar, F10F Jaguar, F11F Tiger and the Gulfstream I

• Retired from Grumman in 1970• Died February 25, 1991

Corwin “Corky” Meyer• Born April 14th, 1920 in Springfield, Illinois• Joined Grumman as an experimental test pilot in

November 1942• At the time, he didn’t have a college degree and hadn’t

served in the military• Participated in flight testing of the F4F, TBF, F5F, F6F,

F7F, F8F, F9F, XF10F and F11F• Made first flights of the F9F Panther, XF10F Jaguar and

F11F Tiger• Later, served as:

• Director of Aircraft Development and Director of Program Development (1960)

• Director of Flight Test (1965)• Vice President (1967)• Director of Manufacturing (1968)• Senior Vice President (1972)• President and CEO of Grumman American (1974)

• Died June 1st, 2011

Julius Holpit• Worked at Loening, Keystone and LWF

Aircraft• Joined Grumman on the first day of

business as the 5th employee• Led experimental manufacturing shop• After the XF3F-1 crashed, during a

dive test, he led the building of another prototype in six weeks

• After this airframe crashed, in a spin test, they built another in 21 days

• One of Grumman’s first field reps

Dick Hutton• Started as a mechanic at Loening in

1928• Joined Grumman as the 21st employee• Studied evenings to get his engineering

degree from the Pratt Institute in 1935• Led the preliminary design of the F4F

Wildcat, TBF Avenger, F5F, XP-50, F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat, F9F Panther, F9F Cougar, F11F Tiger, Gulfstream I and Gulfstream II

• Active in the design of the F-14 Tomcat• Retired in 1973

F8F First Sketch

Genesis of the F4F Wildcat• Original design (G-16, XF4F-1) was

a biplane• Lost to Brewster F2A Buffalo in

1936 US Navy competition • Redesigned as a monoplane (G-

18, XF4F-2)• XF4F-2 built in 1937 for US Navy

as a backup for the F2A• After one more redesign (1939),

the XF4F-3 (G-36) was ordered by the Armée de l'Air and the US Navy

• More built by GM than Grumman

Development of the F6F Hellcat• Started life as an improved F4F Wildcat• The XF6F-1 prototype (G-50), powered by a two-speed, single-stage

supercharged Wright R-2600-10 Cyclone 14, first flew on June 26, 1942• The XF6F-2 second prototype, powered by a turbocharged Wright R-

2600-16 Cyclone 14 flew soon thereafter• The XF6F-3 third prototype, powered by a P&W two-speed two-stage

supercharged P&W R-2800-10 Double Wasp flew on July 30, 1942• Production versions were the F6F-3 and F6F-5

XF6F-1

Development of the TBF Avenger• Torpedo and level bomber• First flown on August 7, 1941• First prototype lost after just 25

hours of flight• Crew of Hobart Cook and Gordon

Israel bailed out• First public roll-out on December

7, 1941• First saw combat on June 4, 1942

at the Battle of Midway• Adapted for AEW and ASW• In military service until 1960• More were built by GM than

Grumman

Gordon Israel• Born January 31st, 1911• Only had a high school education in St. Louis• Worked with Benny Howard, from 1929, to

design the DGA-3 Pete, DGA-4 Mike, DGA-5 Ike, DGA-6 Mister Mulligan (copilot in 1935 Bendix race), DGA-8 and DGA-18K

• At Curtiss Robinson designed the Kingbird• In 1932 he designed, built and raced the

Redhead• At Stinson, redesigned the Reliant, resulting in

the SR-9

Gordon Israel• To Grumman in April 1941 to 1953

• Worked in flight test• Helped design XP-50, XTBF-1, F7F, F8F, F9F

Panther and F9F Cougar• Project engineer on the G-73 Mallard and

XF10F-1 Jaguar • Joined Bill Lear in 1953

• Designed modifications to Lockheed Lodestar, creating, the Learstar

• Helped design the Lear Jet 23• Working with Alan Paulson, designed the AJI

Hustler• Died December 1st, 1982

Grumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket• One prototype (G-34) flown in April 1940• Powered by two Wright R-1820-40/42 “handed”

engines• The design was superseded by the larger F7F

Tigercat

Grumman XP-50• Prototype (G-45), built for US Army Air Force, flown

in February 1941• Powered by two Wright R-1820-67/69 “handed”

engines• Pioneered nose landing gear configuration later used

on the F7F Tigercat• Bob Hall bailed out after a supercharger explosion on

May 14th 1941 and the airplane was destroyed

Grumman F7F Tigercat

• XF7F-1 (G-51) first flown on November 2nd 1943

• Powered by two P&W R-2800-27, production F7Fs powered by later model R-2800s

• Unlike the XF5F-1 the engines were not “handed”

• The aircraft was found to be deficient in directional stability, so the vertical tail was increased in size

• Design adapted as a land-based two-seat night fighter (F7F-2N and F7F-3N)

F7F Carrier Qualifications• F7F-1 failed carrier suitability tests due to poor

single-engine characteristics (VMC was 160 kt, 35 kt above spec)

• F7F-3 developed to address these problems, but also failed carrier suitability tests due to a structural failure

• F7F-4 finally passed carrier qualifications

Carrier Qualifications• Vought F4U Corsair failed carrier qualification trials in September

1942 and March 1943 due to numerous shortcomings including poor stall characteristics, landing gear bounce, insufficient directional control at low-speed, high-power conditions and poor cockpit visibility on approach

• After further development the F4U Corsair passed carrier qualification trials in April 1944

• P-51D was carrier qualified, but the US Navy did not like the liquid-cooled engine

Grumman F8F Bearcat• Designed to be a light-weight highly

maneuverable fighter similar in concept to the Fw 190A, which Bob Hall flew in 1943

• First prototype XF8F-1 (G-58) flown in August 1944

• Horizontal stabilizer span increased after first flight due to insufficient longitudinal stability

• Powered by a P&W R-2800-34W• Inlets for oil coolers and engine

induction air located in the wing roots• Plans existed for GM to produce

Bearcats under license as the F3M-1• Two built by Grumman for civil use,

including one as Gulfhawk IV for Al Williams

Bearcat Wing Tips• Designed to break off under high loading conditions (8.6g)• The goal was to reduce root bending moments 20% at

extreme conditions and save 230 lb of structural weight• Proof of concept tests conducted on a modified F4F-4• In service, the wing tips proved to be impractical

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Final Grumman Cats

F9F Panther

F9F CougarF10F Jaguar

F11F Tiger and F12F Super Tiger

F-111B

F-14 Tomcat

Final Grumman Fighters

Shenyang J-8II Peace Pearl

X-29A

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In 1965 employment surpassed WWII level

In 1953 gross sales surpassed WWII level

Grumman Diversification

The End• Grumman American Sold to American Jet Industries in

1978• AJI became Gulfstream American and then Gulfstream

Aerospace• Grumman boat and canoe division was sold to OMC in

1990• In 1996, Marathon Boat Group purchasee the canoe and

boat operation from OMC, and resumed production• Grumman was purchased by Northrop in 1994 for $2.1

billion to become part of Northrop Grumman

Where to See Them Locally• The Museum of Flight has a FM-2

Wildcat in the Restoration Center at Paine Field

• The Historic Flight Foundation has a F7F-3 Tigercat and a F8F-2 Bearcat at Paine Field

• The Flying Heritage Collection has a F6F-5 Hellcat at Paine Field

• A cut-away Wright R-1820 and P&W R-2800 are on display in the Personal Courage Wing at the Museum of Flight

Conclusions• Grumman was founded by a group of native

Long Islanders who didn’t want to leave• Founders took a great financial risk• One goal was to create a family company• Hard work and innovation paid off• Most of the initial leadership stayed with the

company for up to 50 years• Diversification into business jets, truck bodies

and electronics persists to this day