4 July 1973: One of the last Grumman Albatross flying boats in service with the United States Air Force, HU-16B 51-5282, set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) altitude record for amphibians (Class C-3) when, at 12:33 p.m. EDT, it reached 10,022 meters (32,880.577 feet), breaking the previous record which had been set 37 years earlier by more than 4,000 feet. Flown by Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Manning, Major Paul M. Schaeffer and Technical Sergeant Emund K. Schindler, 5282 was assigned to the 301st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Homestead AFB, Florida. After the flight, Manning said, “It wasn’t very comfortable. The outside temperature was 25 below zero.” The Air Force Times reported that the cold caused the lens of Sergeant Schindler’s watch to pop out. FAI Record File Num #3208 [Direct Link] Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code Region: World Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes) Sub-Class: C-3 (Amphibians) Category: Not applicable Group: 1 : internal combustion engine Type of record: Altitude Performance: 10 022 m Date: 1973-07-04 Course/Location: Homestead AFB, FL (USA) Claimant Charles H. Manning (USA) Aeroplane: Grumman UH-16B “Albatross” (O-15282) Originally built as an SA-16A, 51-5282 was modified to the SA-16B standard which increased the wingspan to 96 feet, 8 inches (29.464 meters). In 1962 its designation was changed from SA-16B to HU-16B. The Albatross was operated by a crew of 4 to 6 airmen, and could carry up to 10 passengers. The amphibian was 62 feet, 10 inches (19.152 meters) long and had an overall height of 25 feet, 10 inches (7.874 meters). The airplane had an empty weight of 22,883 pounds (10,379.6 kilograms), loaded weight of 30,353 pounds (13,767.9 kilograms) and maximum takeoff weight of 37,500 pounds (17,009.7 kilograms). It was powered by two 1,823-cubic-inch-displacement (29.88 liter) air-cooled, supercharged, Wright Cyclone R-1820-76 nine-cylinder radial engines producing 1,425 horsepower each, giving the flying boat a cruise speed of 124 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour) and a maximum speed of 236 miles per hour (380 kilometers per hour). The service ceiling was 21,500 feet (6,553.2 meters) and its maximum range was 2,850 miles (4,586.6 kilometers). Two weeks after the record-setting flight, 51-5282 was flown to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, making the very last USAF HU-16 flight. r/max
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 21:00:00 +0000
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