Grumman Kitten
| Kitten | |
|---|---|
| 300px | |
| G-72 Kitten | |
| Role | Cabin monoplane |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Designer | Dayton T. Brown |
| First flight | 1944 |
| Number built | 2 |
The Grumman Kitten was a 1940s American cabin monoplane designed and built by Grumman. Two versions were built; the G-63 Kitten I with a retractable tailwheel landing gear, and G-72 Kitten II with a retractable nosewheel landing gear.
Development
In 1943, as part of the postwar plan for the company, Grumman started looking at entering the light aircraft market. The first design was the G-63 Kitten I which was an all-metal two/three-seat cabin monoplane with a retractable tailwheel landing gear and powered by a Lycoming O-290 piston engine. The aircraft first flew on 18 March 1944. Although testing continued, the aircraft did not enter production due to the continuing war effort. The original wing was replaced by a ducted mainplane to improve the lift/drag ration. On 4 February 1946, a version with a retractable nosewheel landing gear and dual controls, the G-72 Kitten II was flown. The Kitten II also has improvements to the wing and the single vertical tail was changed to twin fins, although it reverted to a single fin before it was flown.
In 1947, the G-72 was modified for ducted-wing testing as the G-81, it was fitted with slotted flaps to induce slow flight. It was first flown on 11 February 1947, but the project was abandoned.
Variants
- G-63 Kitten I
- Prototype with retractable tailwheel landing gear, one built.
- G-72 Kitten II
- Prototype with retractable nosewheel landing gear and dual controls, one built.
- G-81
- G-72 modified for ducted-wing tests.
Specifications (G-63 Kitten I)
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Capacity: two or three passengers
- Length: 19 ft 10¾ in (6.06 m)
- Wingspan: 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m)
- Height: 5 ft 9¼ in (1.76 m)
- Wing area: 130 ft2 (12.08 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,145 lb (519 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,900 lb (862 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-290-A flat-four piston engine, 125 hp (93 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 149 mph (238[2] km/h)
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grumman Kitten. |
