No, It's an Albatross
"At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the fog it came;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The traditional superstition that albatrosses aided mariners in need led to Grumman's renaming the new aircraft. The name Albatross stuck, for the aircraft was perfect for rescuing the survivors of disasters at sea, as well as for providing relief to the populace of storm-damaged islands. Introduced to U.S. forces in 1949, it also was used by many foreign air services, in some of which it served well into the 1990s.
Per this advertisement, in 1955 the U.S. Air Force's
Rescue Squadrons around the world flew more than
3,000 missions, averaging about eight hours each, to
save nearly 2,000 people from death, and to deliver
relief supplies and medical aid to more than 20,000
disaster victims.
National Geographic, May 1956
Like other Grumman planes, the Albatross was improved as the years went by, which resulted in continued test flights out of Bethpage. The most significant change was the development of a longer-range version, with a 20% greater wingspan. In order to maintain good flying characteristics, the tail-end control surfaces were correspondingly enlarged as well.
Late in their USAF service, some Albatrosses were refitted for special missions in Vietnam.
Non-Grumman Albatross
Caleb Slemmons photograph
Allaboutbirds.org
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