| Kitten | |
|---|---|
 | |
| G-72 Kitten | |
| Role | Cabin monoplane |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Designer | Dayton T. Brown |
| First flight | 18 March 1944 |
| Number built | 2 |
The Grumman Kitten was a 1940s American cabin monoplane designed and built by Grumman. Two versions were built; the G-63 Kitten I with a retractable tailwheel landing gear, and G-72 Kitten II with a retractable nosewheel landing gear.
In 1943, as part of the postwar plan for the company, Grumman started looking at entering the light aircraft market. The first design was the G-63 Kitten I which was an all-metal two/three-seat cabin monoplane with a retractable tailwheel landing gear and powered by a Lycoming O-290 piston engine. The aircraft first flew on 18 March 1944. Although testing continued, the aircraft did not enter production due to the continuing war effort. The original wing was replaced by a ducted mainplane to improve the lift/drag ratio.
On 4 February 1946, a version with a retractable nosewheel landing gear and dual controls, the G-72 Kitten II was flown. The Kitten II also has improvements to the wing and the original single vertical tail was changed to twin fins before the first flight, but reverted to the single fin after the first 28 hours of flight testing. [1]
The development project was terminated in 1946, and the Kitten II was used as a company transport until it was retired in the mid-1960s. The sole surviving Kitten, it was restored and is now on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, Long Island, New York.
Data from [2]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.
The Beechcraft Musketeer is a family of single-engined, low-wing, light aircraft that was produced by Beechcraft. The line includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport, the Model 23 Musketeer, Custom and Sundowner, the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III the retractable gear Model 24-R Sierra and the military CT-134 Musketeer.
The Bellanca 14-7 Cruisair and its successors were a family of single-engined light aircraft manufactured in the United States from the mid-1930s onwards.
The Bellanca Viking and Super Viking are a series of single-engine, four-seat, high performance, retractable gear aircraft manufactured in the USA during the 1960s and 1970s. The aircraft developed through modifications of classic designs by the aviation pioneer Giuseppe Bellanca. A total of 1,356 Vikings have been produced with most production between 1968 and 1975.
The Call-Air Model A is an American two- to three-seat utility aircraft designed by the Call brothers and built by the Call Aircraft Company, later developed into a successful line of agricultural aircraft.
The Cook JC-1 Challenger was a 1960s American cabin monoplane built by the Cook Aircraft Corporation.
The Evangel 4500 was a 1960s American twin-engined light passenger/cargo monoplane built by the Evangel Aircraft Corporation.
The SIAI-Marchetti S.210 was a 1970s Italian twin-engined cabin-monoplane designed and built by SIAI-Marchetti as a development of the single-engined SIAI-Marchetti S.205.
The Malmö MFI-10 Vipan was a four-seat light utility monoplane designed and built in Sweden by Malmö Flygindustri. Only three aircraft were built and the type did not enter quantity production.
The Wassmer WA-40 Super 4 Sancy is a French single-engined light aircraft of the 1960s and 70s. A single-engined low-winged monoplane with retractable nosewheel undercarriage, variants include the more powerful WA 4/21 Prestige and the WA-41 Baladou with a fixed undercarriage.
The Dalotel DM-165 was a French two-seat training monoplane designed by Michel Dalotel. A number of variants were proposed but only the prototype was built.
The Stout Skycar was a series of four one-off American light aircraft of the 1930s.
The Beecraft Queen Bee was an American V-tailed four-seat cabin monoplane, designed and built by Bee Aviation Associates (Beecraft).
The Cessna C-106 Loadmaster was a 1940s American twin-engined transport monoplane. Built of plywood it did not enter production due to a wartime shortage of material.
The Waco Model W Aristocraft was an American four-seat monoplane, the last aircraft designed and built by the Waco Aircraft Company. It had an unusual configuration with an engine mounted at the front driving a pusher propeller at the rear.
The Baumann Brigadier was a prototype American light transport aircraft of the late 1940s. It was a twin-engined monoplane, which, unusually, was of pusher configuration. Only two were built, plans for production never coming to fruition.
The Eshelman FW-5 was a 1940s American experimental cabin monoplane designed and built at Dundalk, Maryland by the Cheston L. Eshelman Company.
The Kestrel KL-1 is an American single-engined four-seat utility aircraft designed and built in the 1990s by the Kestrel Aircraft Company of Norman, Oklahoma.
The Richard 150 Commuter is an American two-seat cabin monoplane designed and built by The C.H. Richard Company of Lancaster, California to be sold in kit form or as plans for amateur construction.
The Ellison-Mahon Gweduck is a modern, twin engine amphibious aircraft, built from composites and closely resembling the Grumman Widgeon. It was designed and is built in the United States and was first flown in 2009.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grumman Kitten . |