| | While N115FB is currently registered with the FAA as a Grumman HU-16E, it is not one. An HU-16E is the long-wing conversion used by the US Coast Guard. The aircraft now registered as N115FB was never operated by the US Coast Guard. It was built as a long-wing model UF-2 for the JMSDF (Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force) under a US Navy procurement contract as Bu. no. 148327, the third to last Albatross ever built new by Grumman. After the 1962 DOD re-organization of military aircraft designations, in the US Navy at least, the model UF-2 became an HU-16D.
In the late 1970's Grumman bought this Albatross back from the JMSDF, converted and upgraded it to FAA Part 25 Transport Category standards under TCDS no. A22SO, and officially re-certified it as a model G-111 - one of only 13 such Albatross conversions done by Grumman at that time. For some unknown reason, all of those conversion were still identified using previous military serial numbers instead of Grumman's OEM civilian serial or construction numbers. N115FB is actually Grumman OEM s/n G-462. |
by Steve Staunton @ FFZ
by John Meneely @ KMZJ