GRUMMAN G-73 MALLARD

Following the successful G-21 Goose and smaller G-44 Widgeon designs, towards the end of World War II Grumman designed the much larger G-64 to replace the PBY Catalina. Because the end of the war precluded the Navy from procuring the G-64, Grumman developed a smaller version for the civilian market. The result was the G-73 Mallard, and it was only years later that the Navy proceeded with the procurement of the G-64 in its various Albatross incarnations.

The Mallard first flew in 1946 and was delivered through 1951, by which time the cost of building this magnificent aircraft exceeded the sales price and production was terminated.

A total of 59 Mallards were built, of which some 17 remain in airworthy or flyable condition today.

Of the 59 Mallards built, 13 were converted to turbine power with the PT6A turboprop. The result was a very different aircraft with significantly increased performance and a ten percent increase in gross weight. This made the turbine Mallard a viable commercial aircraft and many led a long and hard life providing a memorable seaplane experience to passengers traveling to islands in the Caribbean.

Most remaining Mallards are now in private hands, with a very few having been maintained or restored to their original classic style of the immediate post-war era.