Grumman G-65 Tadpole

G-65 Tadpole
Role	Recreational amphibian
Manufacturer	Grumman
First flight	7 December 1944
Number built	1
Variants	Colonial Skimmer

The Grumman G-65 Tadpole was an American prototype light amphibian designed and built by Grumman.^[1] Only one was built and it did not enter production. It was later developed into a family of amphibious aircraft by David Thurston.^[1]

Design and development

Part of a project by Grumman to find types to produce once World War II had ended, the G-65 Tadpole was designed by a team under the direction of Hank Kurt.^[1] The Tadpole was a two or three-seat shoulder-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear.^[1] It was powered by a 125 hp (93 kW) Continental C125 engine above the rear fuselage driving a pusher propeller.^[1] Kurt first flew the Tadpole on 7 December 1944.^[1] The G-65 Tadpole postwar was not put into production for numerous reasons, those to include; the over anticipation of a private aviation market, less costly military surplus aircraft, and the inability to compete in the amphibious aircraft market.^[2] Although not developed by Grumman, one of the design team, David Thurston, later developed the design into a family of amphibians including the Colonial Skimmer and Lake Buccaneer.^[1]

Specifications

Data from Grumman Aircraft since 1929^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 2 passengers
Length: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Height: 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
Wing area: 155 sq ft (14.4 m²)
Empty weight: 1,450 lb (658 kg)
Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental C125-3 air-cooled six-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine, 125 hp (93 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn)
Cruise speed: 103 mph (166 km/h, 90 kn)

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Orbis 1985, p. 2037
^ Visschedijk, 2013
^ Francillon 1989, pp. 260–262

Bibliography

Francillon, René J. (1989). Grumman Aircraft since 1929. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-835-6.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Visschedijk, Johan. "No. 12042. Grumman G-65 Tadpole (NX41828)". 1000 Aircraft Photos.