It was 1950, and US Navy pilot Glenn T. Farnsworth was in trouble in North Korean airspace in his F4-U Corsair. His squadron, the Stingers, was on its first mission of the Korean War. While trying to avoid anti-aircraft fire, he collided with another Corsair and saw his comrade crash into the ground below.
He knew his aircraft would never make it back to his carrier. Even if he could climb high enough to ditch and parachute down, a rescue behind enemy lines was almost impossible. He made up his mind and set course for the Yellow Sea. He ditched over the water and waited in the frigid sea. Surely, someone had seen him and would report his location.
He trusted and waited for the sound of twin 9-piston, 1,425 horsepower propellers. Arriving would be a strange aircraft finished just too late for World War 2, but unique enough in its very special abilities to be used by CIA Black Ops and considered to be pulled back into service in 2025…
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large, twin–radial engined amphibious seaplane that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Royal Canadian Air Force primarily as a search and rescue (SAR) aircraft. Originally designated as the SA-16 for the USAF and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 for the USN and USCG, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962. A new build G-111T Albatross with modern avionics and engines was proposed in 2021 with production in Australia to commence in 2025.[2]
Design and Development
An improvement of the design of the Grumman Mallard, the Albatross was developed to land in open-ocean situations to accomplish rescues. Its deep-V hull cross-section and keel length enable it to land in the open sea. The Albatross was designed for optimal 4-foot (1.2 m) seas, and could land in more severe conditions, but required JATO (jet-assisted takeoff, or simply booster rockets) for takeoff in 8–10-foot (2.4–3.0 m) seas or greater.
Photo: A U.S. Navy Grumman HU-16
Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube