Grumman Kitten
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Kitten | image=Grumman G-72 Kitten.jpg | caption=G-72 Kitten }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Cabin monoplane | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Grumman | designer=Dayton T. Brown | first flight=18 March 1944 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | number built=2 | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
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 ratio.
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 original single vertical tail was changed to twin fins before the first flight, but reverted to the single fin after the first 28 hours of flight testing.{{cite book|last1=Francillon|first1=René|title=Grumman Aircraft since 1929|date=1989|publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books|isbn=0-85177-835-6|page=263}}
File:Grumman G-72 Kitten II NX41858.jpg
The development project was terminated in 1946, and the Kitten II was used as a company transport until it was retired in the mid-1960s. The sole surviving Kitten, it was restored and is now on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, Long Island, New York.
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-63 modified for ducted-wing tests.
Specifications (G-63 Kitten I)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units? = imp
|crew=one
|capacity=two or three passengers
|length m=6.06
|length ft=19
|length in=10.75
|span m=9.75
|span ft=32
|span in=0
|height m=1.76
|height ft=5
|height in=9.25
|wing area sqm=12.08
|wing area sqft=130
|empty weight kg=519
|empty weight lb=1,145
|gross weight kg=862
|gross weight lb=1,900
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Lycoming O-290-A flat-four piston engine
|eng1 kw=93
|eng1 hp=125
|max speed kmh=238
|max speed note=aerofiles.com|max speed mph=149
}}
See also
References
;Notes
{{reflist}}
;Bibliography
- {{cite magazine |last=Phelps |first=Mark |date=August 1989 |title=Cat's Meow |url=http://members.eaavintage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/VA-Vol-17-No-8-Aug-1989.pdf |magazine=Vintage Airplane |location=Oshkosh, Wisconsin |publisher=EAA Antique/Classic Division |volume=17 |issue=8 |pages=18–24 |access-date=1 February 2021}}
- {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London }}
- {{cite book |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year=1985 |publisher= Orbis Publishing}}
External links
{{Commons category|Grumman Kitten}}
- [http://aerofiles.com/_grum.html Aerofiles - Grumman]
{{Grumman aircraft}}
Category:1940s United States civil utility aircraft
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1944
Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear