Trumpeter TU06283

Grumman F2F and F3F (pre-war Navy/Marine biplane fighters. 192-pages [ F3F-1 F3F-2 F3F-3] And Civilian Variants By Richard S. Dann Published by Ginter Books The 192-page F2F and F3F book is generously illustrated with over 440 photos, including 34 color photos, many not previously published. In addition, 39 illustrations and line drawings are included. The early 1930s was a time of great change in the field of military fighter aviation. At the beginning of the decade, the state-of-the-art in fighter manufacture was the use of traditional construction techniques of welded tube fuselages and fabric covered surfaces. Fixed landing gear and open cockpits were standard equipment. By mid-decade, the state-of-the-art was changing. Lightweight aluminum alloys were being developed that offered high strength and light weight. External bracing gave way to cantilevered aero surfaces. Enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear and aerodynamic streamlining were becoming standard design features on civilian and military aircraft of the day. In the late 1920s, the U.S. Navy fighter market was dominated by Curtiss and Boeing with aircraft manufactured using conservative design and construction techniques that had been employed at the beginning of the decade. By the early 1930s, however, Boeing had updated their F4B/P-12 design, incorporating a stressed skin, semi-monocoque fuselage into later models of both. In the Autumn of 1929, three engineers from the Loening Aircraft Company on Long Island made the decision not to relocate to Pennsylvania during a merger. Instead, they resolved to form their own aircraft manufacturing company. Thus, Leroy Grumman , Leon "Jake" Swirbul and William Schwendler founded the Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Corporation, in December 1929. Following early successes with the FF-1/SF-1 naval aircraft, Grumman turned its attention to designing a single-seat naval fighter for use aboard the U.S. Navy's growing carrier fleet. With excellent performance attributes, the Navy purchased 55 F2F-1s. While performance of the F2F-1 were impressive, Grumman continued development, offering the Navy an improved design known as the F3F-1. With even better performance than the F2F, the Navy eventually ordered a total of 162 F3Fs in three major subvariants. Grumman 's stubby F2F and F3F airplanes dominated U.S. Navy fighter squadrons from 1935 to 1941, with the final operational F3Fs relinquished to the training command a mere two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and surrounding facilities. The first half of this 192-page monograph covers the developmental history of the F2F and F3F. Individual aircraft histories are provided for each aircraft, listing assigned commands, mishaps and final disposition. Detailed period engineering photos show every aspect of the aircraft. This is followed by an operational history of each Navy and Marine Corps squadron that operated the F2F and F3F.

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Grumman FF/SF Plus G-23 Delfin/Goblin and Prototypes By Richard S. Dann 132 pages (128 B&W, plus 4 color Pages), 363 photos and drawings The Grumman FF-1 and its derivatives, namely the SF-1 and G-23, represent a paradox in naval aircraft design. On one hand, it represented the end of the line for two-seat US Navy fighters in the biplane era. On the other hand, it incorporated relatively new technologies that when brought together, gave the FF-1 a significant performance margin over existing U.S. Navy fighters. Indeed, design choices such as retractable landing gear, enclosed cockpits and all-aluminum construction existed previously, but the FF-1 incorporated all these technologies into a single airframe. In the Navy's own words, "The design of the XFF-1 marked a considerable advance in the reduction of weight and drag for this class of airplane and resulted in correspondingly high performance." The origins of the FF-1 can be traced back to early 1930, just months after the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation filed articles of incorporation. During discussions with the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics regarding their "A" Float, the Navy became intrigued by Grumman's approach to retractable landing gear, the Navy asked Grumman about the feasibility of adapting their patented landing gear system to existing Navy fighters, such as the Boeing F4B and the Curtiss F8C. Grumman advised against this approach stating that adding retractable landing gear to these existing aircraft would force a complete redesign. Furthermore, being an aircraft manufacturing company, Grumman desired to design and build its own aircraft. Grumman's Design G-5, was submitted to the Navy, and in March 1931, a contract was awarded to Grumman for the XFF-1. Naval Fighter Series NF121 is an in-depth study of the design and development of the FF-1 and its derivatives. The first half of the book describes the XFF-1, FF-1, XSF-1, SF-1, XSF-2, GG-1 and XSBF-1 in detail with photographs and drawings, while the second half of this book covers operational use. While U.S. Navy service was limited to two fleet squadrons, the FF-1 and SF-1 enjoyed long careers in Navy and Marine Corps Reserve squadrons until mid-1942. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this series was the G-23, a license-built derivative manufactured by Canadian Car & Foundry in Fort William, Ontario, Canada. A total of 52 G-23s were built, with 34 finding their way into combat use by Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish "Delfin", as it was known saw extended service after the war, with the last one being retired in early 1954, nearly 22 years after the first flight of the XFF-1. 15 G-23s were accepted by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940 as the "Goblin", and their service is also included in this book. This book is a fascinating in-depth study of a little-known Navy fighter that set the stage for Grumman's dominance of carrier-based naval aircraft that lasted over 50 years. Lots of MPM/Special Hobbies kits of this have been released.

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