| Ag Cat | |
|---|---|
 Ag Cat G-164B | |
| General information | |
| Type | Agricultural aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1957 [1] |
| First flight | 27 May 1957 [1] |
The Grumman G-164 Ag Cat is a single-engined biplane agricultural aircraft, developed by Grumman in the 1950s. Schweizer built 2628 under contract for Grumman between 1959 and 1979, including more than 400 G-164s, 1330 G-164As and 832 G-164Bs. Also built under licence in Ethiopia.
In 1955, Grumman preliminary design engineers Joe Lippert and Arthur Koch proposed the design for a "purpose-built" crop-dusting airplane as a means of fulfilling a pressing need in the agricultural community, as well as the perceived need for Grumman to diversify its product lines. The initial market survey indicated that 100 to 200 of this type could be sold each year. Lippert's initial proposal was made under the project name "Farmair 1000".
The first G-164, which was built by Grumman (N74054), was equipped with a Continental W670 Series 6A-16 powerplant. The aircraft had its maiden flight on May 27, 1957, with Grumman test pilot Hank Kurt at the controls. [2] [3] This initial flight test consisted of three short familiarization hops with the take-off weight set at 3122 lb and the center of gravity at 31.2%. Flight tests 2 and 3, with test pilot Victor Eble, were accomplished on May 28, 1958, to evaluate its general flight characteristics. In total, 46 test flights were completed by the end of August 1958 with a general finding that this was a well-behaved aircraft with only minor refinements needed before production.
When the decision was made to authorize production, Leroy Grumman suggested marketing the aircraft under the name "The Grasshopper"; however, Dick Reade suggested "Ag Cat" following Grumman's naming tradition using the suffix "cat" in aircraft names (e.g., F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat). Mr. Grumman agreed and the Grumman G-164 became the "Ag Cat". [3]
Large military orders prevented the production of the Ag Cat at Grumman's Bethpage facility. Grumman's board of directors chose to subcontract the entire program to the Schweizer Aircraft Corporation of Elmira, New York. Initial production was through a contract between Schweizer [4] and Grumman. The first Schweizer-built Ag Cat, bearing registration number N10200, flew on October 17, 1958, under the control of Schweizer test pilot Clyde Cook. [3] Full production began in January 1959, with Schweizer delivering 12 FAA-certified airplanes to Grumman by March 1959. The FAA granted type certification on January 20, 1959. [5]
The ownership of the Ag Cat design has changed hands several times. Grumman transferred ownership to its commercial aircraft subsidiary, Grumman American, in 1973. A market feasibility study for a new agricultural aircraft (Ag Cat X) was completed by Grumman American in 1976. This study indicated that potential market demand existed for more than 100 aircraft each year. The study also showed that most of the concerns expressed by agricultural aircraft operators were addressed by the Ag Cat C model. The Grumman American subsidiary, which also owned the Grumman Gulfstream design series, was sold to American Jet Industries in 1978.
From initial production through 1981, Schweizer built 2,455 aircraft under contract. [6] In 1981 Schweizer bought the rights to the design and continued production under the name Schweizer Ag Cat. [4] Schweizer sold the design to Ag Cat Corp. of Malden, Missouri in 1995.
Five model G-164B aircraft were produced and registered before Ag Cat Corp. entered bankruptcy. One additional aircraft, a G-164BT500, is listed in the FAA registry as having been produced by Ag-Cat Corp., but no tail number was issued. [7] This may have been an upgrade to an existing airframe.
In February 2001, the design was sold to Allied Ag Cat Productions Inc. of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. [5] Allied Ag Cat is not producing new aircraft, although a related company operates a large fleet of Ag-Cats.
Ethiopian Airlines has built 11 G-164B Ag-Cat Super B Turbines under licence as the Eshet in 1986, powered by Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34AG turbines.
The basic airframe incorporates many safety innovations, including a pressurized cockpit to keep pesticides out, air conditioning, and a fuselage structure that is designed to progressively collapse in the event of a collision. [4] Lippert and Koch were recognized for their innovation in agricultural aircraft, being awarded the Puffer Award by Delta Air Lines in 1974. [8]
Floats were approved for the aircraft in the early 1990s in Australia.[ citation needed ]
Mississippi Ag Museum, Jackson, MS - G-164 Ag Cat, serial X-1
Data fromJane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994–95 [12]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It is a low-wing metal monoplane with conventional landing gear, powered by two radial piston engines of 1,000–1,200 hp (750–890 kW). Although the DC-3s originally built for civil service had the Wright R-1820 Cyclone, later civilian DC-3s used the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine. The DC-3 has a cruising speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo, and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km), and can operate from short runways.
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964, and has been continuously updated since. The PT6 consists of two basic sections: a gas generator with accessory gearbox, and a free-power turbine with reduction gearbox. In aircraft, the engine is often mounted "backwards," with the intake at the rear and the exhaust at the front, so that the turbine is directly connected to the propeller. Many variants of the PT6 have been produced, not only as turboprops but also as turboshaft engines for helicopters, land vehicles, hovercraft, and boats; as auxiliary power units; and for industrial uses. By November 2015, 51,000 had been produced, which had logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. It is known for its reliability, with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 651,126 hours in 2016. The PT6A turboprop engine covers the power range between 580 and 1,940 shp, while the PT6B/C are turboshaft variants for helicopters.
The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious flying boat designed by Grumman to serve as an eight-seat "commuter" aircraft for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman's first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service. During World War II, the Goose became an effective transport for the US military, as well as serving with many other air forces. During hostilities, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles.
The Murphy Moose is a Canadian high-wing utility light aircraft produced in kit form by Murphy Aircraft of Chilliwack, British Columbia for amateur construction. The Moose can be purchased as a "quick-build" kit which comes partly pre-assembled.
The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, and the first of the famed Wasp series. It was a single-row, nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial design, and displaced 1,344 cubic inches (22 L); bore and stroke were both 5.75 in (146 mm). A total of 34,966 engines were produced.
The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of 985 in3 (16 L); initial versions produced 300 hp (220 kW), while the most widely used versions produce 450 hp (340 kW).
The Ayres Thrush, formerly the Snow S-2, Aero Commander Ag Commander, and Rockwell Thrush Commander, is an American agricultural aircraft produced by Ayres Corporation and more recently by Thrush Aircraft. It is one of the most successful and long-lived agricultural application aircraft types in the world, with almost 2,000 sold since the first example flew 68 years ago. Typical of agricultural aircraft, it is a single-seat monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration. Originally powered by a radial piston engine, most examples produced since the 1980s have been turboprop-powered.
The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a medium, twin-engined amphibious aircraft. Many have been modified by replacing the original Pratt & Whitney Wasp H radial engines with modern turboprop engines. Manufactured from 1946 to 1951, production ended when Grumman's larger SA-16 Albatross was introduced.
The PZL 130 Orlik is a Polish turboprop, single engine, two seat trainer aircraft.
The Honeywell TPE331 is a turboprop engine. It was designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by successor Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from 575 to 1,650 shaft horsepower.
The Air Tractor AT-300 is a family of agricultural aircraft that first flew in the United States in September 1973. Type certification was awarded to Air Tractor in November the same year, and serial production commenced in 1976. Of low-wing monoplane taildragger configuration, they carry a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit.
The Air Tractor AT-400 is a family of agricultural aircraft that first flew in the United States in September 1979. Type certification was awarded to Air Tractor in April 1980. Of low-wing monoplane taildragger configuration, they carry a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit.
The Air Tractor AT-500 is a family of agricultural aircraft that first flew in the United States on 25 April 1986, manufactured by Air Tractor Inc. Of monoplane low-wing, taildragger configuration, they carry a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit. Compared with their predecessor, the AT-500 family featured a wingspan increase of 50 in, and an additional fuselage stretch of 22 in (56 cm), allowing for a larger chemical hopper. Almost all variants offer a widened "buddy" seat or a tandem seat for a passenger, observer, or loader; trainer aircraft with full dual controls have also been offered.
The PZL-106 Kruk is a Polish agricultural aircraft designed and built by WSK PZL Warszawa-Okęcie.
Marsh Aviation is an aircraft engineering, design, maintenance and re-manufacturing company, situated on East Falcon Drive, at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. The company often works as a sub-contractor to well-known brand-name aerospace companies, discreetly designing and manufacturing components and sub-systems for high-profile programs. The company has also worked on a variety of aircraft programs for governments all over the world.
The Thomas-Morse O-19 was an American observation biplane built by the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Company for the United States Army Air Corps.
The IAR-827 was an agricultural aircraft built in Romania in the 1970s and 1980s. The penultimate member of the family of designs that began with the IAR-821, it was, like the others, a conventional low-wing monoplane with fixed, tailwheel undercarriage, and shared the all-metal construction of the IAR-826. The prototype flew in 1976, powered by a Lycoming IO-720 engine, but the production examples that followed all had the PZL-3S.
The LTV L450F, also known as the L45ØF, was a prototype quiet reconnaissance aircraft, developed by Ling-Temco-Vought in the late 1960s for use in the Vietnam War by the United States. Based on the airframe of a Schweizer 2-32 sailplane, the aircraft flew in 1970, and was developed into the XQM-93 reconnaissance drone before the project was cancelled.
The Weatherly 620 is a 1970s American agricultural monoplane designed and built as an improved variant of the Weatherly 201 by the Weatherly Aircraft Company of McClellan, California.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
