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29-529: After first rejecting an idea to develop the Grumman Widgeon as an executive transport, the company studied producing an executive transport based on a turbine-powered variant of the naval utility transport Grumman TF-1 Trader . The company had already determined that any new aircraft would have to be turboprop -powered and the Rolls-Royce Dart engine was chosen. Further studies showed that

58-512: A Gulfstream I as an airborne broadcasting studio for Radio y Televisión Martí in international airspace near Cuba from 2006 to 2013. Most of the 200 Gulfstream I propjets were operated by corporate customers, with a smaller number operated by regional or commuter airlines as well as by government agencies and the military. NASA , the U.S. space agency, flew the Gulfstream I as a passenger transport aircraft and operated seven G-Is. Throughout

87-527: A Navy ensign, in carrier-landing training in 1944, had to ditch the plane when its engine failed. In November of 2021, the museum began restoring a B-17 to airworthy condition after it had been on display since 2016 at the National Warplane Museum . The first engine-run test occurred in April of 2024. During an exhibit launch for Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I on December 5, 2022,

116-606: A World War II veteran who collected and rebuilt warbirds and classic cars. Pond's aircraft were displayed at the Planes of Fame East Museum in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and he agreed to loan some of them to the museum. The aircraft originally split their time between both museums, but when Planes of Fame East closed, the aircraft were permanently moved to Palm Springs. With planes and cars from Pond’s collection, Palm Springs Air Museum opened on 11 November 1996. The museum opened

145-666: A codesharing agreement with American Airlines . Royale Airlines also operated the G-I in scheduled passenger service in the U.S. operating as Continental Connection on behalf of Continental Airlines ; however, its aircraft were standard length G-159 models and thus were not the stretched version. Several other airlines in the U.S. as well. Air carriers in Africa, Canada, Europe and the Mideast also operated standard Gulfstream Is in scheduled passenger service, including Peregrine Air Services in

174-455: A new hangar, named for Major General Ken Miles, in May 2017. The museum broke ground on a new entrance and large classroom in 2024. The museum hires certified mechanics to restore planes that will fly, while volunteers with restoration expertise work on exhibition-only planes. Among such projects was a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan 50 years after

203-835: A pilot’s license. The museum’s Young Science Professionals Scholarship Fund is for high school seniors and undergraduate students accepted to or enrolled in a four-year college. Walt Disney maintained a second home in Palm Springs and was instrumental in getting a bond measure to fund Palm Springs Municipal [now International] Airport. His personal Grumman Gulfstream I, on long-term loan from The Walt Disney Company, appeared in Disney Studios' films The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) and Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972). The plane transported Hollywood stars, as well as former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter on trips to Palm Springs. Clay Lacy ’s Learjet 24A

232-552: Is a small, five-person, twin-engined, amphibious aircraft . It was designated J4F by the United States Navy and Coast Guard and OA-14 by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Army Air Forces . The Widgeon was originally designed for the civil market. It is smaller, but otherwise similar to Grumman 's earlier G-21 Goose , and was produced from 1941 to 1955. The aircraft

261-474: Is exhibited with photographs showing its inclusion in a wide range of television and movie productions, among which are Dragnet , Magnum P.I. , Miami Vice , Airport 1975 , and Any Which Way You Can . The museum’s Grumman Wildcat was purchased after World War II by Warner Bros. Studio and used in the 1949 film Task Force . Disney recorded the engine of the museum’s Vought F4U Corsair for its 2013 animated movie Planes to provide sound for

290-613: The A-6 Intruder . The USCG VC-4A was transferred to the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center (ARSC) at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City in 1983, and was later used as a logistics and long-range command and control aircraft until 2001; it was scrapped in 2002. Another Gulfstream I was transferred to the USCG from NASA in 2001 as a replacement; this second VC-4A was returned to NASA in 2004. A 37-passenger stretched version,

319-670: The Gannet Super Widgeon Data from War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Five: Flying Boats General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Palm Springs Air Museum Palm Springs Air Museum is an aviation museum in Palm Springs, California . The 501(c)(3) nonprofit leases from

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348-564: The VC-4A . Around this time, the United States Navy (USN) proposed to purchase the Gulfstream I as a navigation trainer and a multirole trainer/transport, designating the new variants as the T-41A and TC-4B respectively; however, the purchase was deferred. The USN finally purchased nine navigation trainers in 1966 as the TC-4C Academe ; these were used to train bombardier/navigators for

377-645: The 1970s and mid-80s the Ford Motor Company operated a G-1 for their executives in Brazil. The Walt Disney Company operated Gulfstream S.N. 121 with the factory assigned tail number N732G from December of 1963 to October 4, 1967, when it was changed to N234MM. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Grumman Widgeon The Grumman G-44 Widgeon

406-646: The British Royal Navy, which gave it the service name Gosling . On August 1, 1942, a J4F-1 flown by US Coast Guard Patrol Squadron 212 based out of Houma, Louisiana , and flown by Chief Aviation Pilot Henry White, spotted and attacked a German U-boat off the coast of Louisiana. White reported the submarine sunk, and he was subsequently credited with sinking U-166 and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross . However, in June 2001

435-544: The G-159C, was developed by Gulfstream for regional airline use. Five were delivered from November 1980. Air North (based in Plattsburgh NY and which subsequently changed its name to Brockway Air ) was one of the few airlines in the U.S. to use this version before its acquisition by Brockway Glass . Another Gulfstream I-C airline operator was Chaparral Airlines which flew passenger services as American Eagle via

464-564: The Trader-based design would not sell and they needed an all-new design with a low-wing and room to stand up in the cabin. In June 1957 the design of G-159 was finalised and Grumman started selling slots on the production line at $ 10,000 each. The initial customers worked with Grumman on the detailed design and avionics fit. The G-159 was given the name Gulfstream and on 14 August 1958 the first aircraft, registered N701G , took off from Bethpage, New York on its maiden flight. By 2 May 1959

493-742: The U.K., which operated airline flights for British Airways . As of August 2006, a total of 44 Grumman Gulfstream I aircraft remained in service. The major operator is Phoenix Air in the United States with 13 aircraft. Some 19 other airlines also operate the type. A G-I purchased by Walt Disney in 1964 and last flown on Oct. 8, 1992 was on display at Disney's Hollywood Studios and is set to be moved to Palm Springs Air Museum . The aircraft logged 8800 flights and 20,000 flight hours with notable passengers Richard Nixon , Ronald Reagan , Jimmy Carter , Julie Andrews , Hugh O'Brian , and Annette Funicello . The Broadcasting Board of Governors operated

522-498: The Walt Disney Company announced that the museum was embarking on a two-year project to restore the interior of the plane that Disney used when he surveyed Florida for a theme-park location. The following are among aircraft exhibited at the museum. The museum holds an annual flower drop from its B-25 on Memorial Day. In addition to giving tours to local youth and creating curriculum guides for teachers anywhere on

551-641: The aircraft around, aligned with the submarine and dove to 100 feet (30 m). Farr released one of the two depth charges, blowing the submarine's front out of the water. As it left an oil slick , Farr made a second pass and released the other charge. Debris appeared on the ocean's surface, confirming the U-boat's demise and the CAP's first kill. After the war, Grumman redesigned the aircraft to make it more suitable for civilian operations. A new hull improved its water handling, and six seats were installed. In total, 76 of

580-505: The aircraft was awarded a type certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Gulfstream I is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a semi- monocoque aluminium alloy fuselage structure. The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops with Rotol four-bladed constant speed propellers. The Gulfstream I has a retractable tricycle landing gear, with twin wheels on the two main units and

609-406: The area, Farr spotted the U-boat cruising beneath the surface of the waves. Unable to accurately determine the depth of the vessel, Haggins and Ferr radioed the situation back to base and followed the enemy in hopes that it would rise to periscope depth . For three hours, the crew shadowed the submarine. Just as Haggins was about to return to base, the U-boat rose to periscope depth, and Haggins swung

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638-496: The city 17 acres abutting Palm Springs International Airport. The museum encompasses five themed hangars, outdoor displays, and a visitor center that includes a resource center with flight simulators. It operates warbird rides, air demonstrations, and talks by experts on specific topics. Many of the museum’s planes have been used in movies and fly in air shows. The museum was incorporated in 1994 by Harold Madison, Charles Mayer, and Bill Byrne. Madison contacted his friend Robert Pond,

667-488: The engines with 270 hp (200 kW) Avco Lycoming GO-480-B1D flat-six piston engines , and various other modifications, including modern avionics , three-bladed propellers , larger windows, improved soundproofing , emergency exits, and increased maximum takeoff weight . Retractable wingtip floats were optional. Pacific Aerospace Engineering Corporation conversions of S.C.A.N. 30s, powered by 300 hp (220 kW) Lycoming R-680-13 radial engines. Later known as

696-637: The new G-44As were built by Grumman, the last being delivered on January 13, 1949. Another 41 were produced under license by the Société de construction aéronavale  [ fr ] (SCAN) in La Rochelle , France , as the SCAN 30 . Most of these ended up in the United States. McKinnon Enterprises at Sandy, Oregon , converted over 70 Widgeons to "Super Widgeons". The conversion features replacing

725-491: The nose gear. The cabin is designed to take up to twenty-four passengers in a high-density arrangement or only eight in an executive layout, although ten to twelve was more usual. The aircraft has a hydraulically operated airstair in the forward cabin for entry and exit. A single Gulfstream I was delivered to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in 1963, outfitted as an executive transport and designated

754-439: The topics of World War II and women in aviation, the museum runs the following programs: First Flight Experience is geared toward aspiring pilots from 12 to 17 years of age. Each student receives an introduction to flight aboard a Cessna 182 Skylane . Because they participate in the pre-flight check and learn about take-off, landing, and in-air maneuvers, their time in the air counts toward the number of hours needed to qualify for

783-563: The wreck of U-166 was found sitting near the wreck of SS Robert E. Lee by an oil exploration team; and the sinking of U-166 on July 30 (i.e. two days before the Widgeon flight) is now credited to patrol craft PC-566 escorting the Robert E. Lee . White's Widgeon is now thought to have made an unsuccessful attack against U-171 , a Type IXC U-boat identical to U-166 that reported an air attack coincident with White's attack. U-171

812-658: Was undamaged by White's attack, but was sunk four months later in the Bay of Biscay . The sinking of a German U-boat by the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was claimed by one of their larger aircraft on 11 July 1942. The Grumman G-44 Widgeon, armed with two depth charges and crewed by Captain Johnny Haggins and Major Wynant Farr, was scrambled when another CAP patrol radioed that they had encountered an enemy submarine, but were returning to base due to low fuel. After scanning

841-504: Was used during World War II as a small patrol and utility machine by the US Navy, US Coast Guard, and Royal Navy 's Fleet Air Arm . The first prototype flew in 1940 , and the first production aircraft went to the US Navy as an antisubmarine aircraft . In total, 276 were built by Grumman, including 176 for the military. During World War II, they served with the US Navy, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol , and Army Air Force, as well as with

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