In the Works: Antilles Seaplanes

Decades after the last Grumman Goose rolled off the famed manufacturer’s assembly line, the G-21 Goose is nearly ready to come back to life. A company called Antilles Seaplanes, headquartered in Gibsonville, N.C., is resurrecting the Goose and will sell the amphibian as newly manufactured airframes powered by 680-shp (flat-rated) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprops instead of the Goose’s original Pratt & Whitney radial engines.

Antilles owns the type certificate for the G-21 and is replicating the G-21 based on conversion of old blueprints into modern computer-aided design drawings and using current technology manufacturing tools to make new air- frames. Many modifications, such as retractable floats, are available for the G-21.

The first G-21 Super Goose will be 20-percent original parts and 80-percent new and is slated to fly in April from Burlington-Alamance Airport in Gibsonville. Two other Super Gooses are under construction using all-new parts, all of which will be corrosion treated before assembly and re-treated after construction. Price of the new G-21 is $2.98 million (2008 $), equipped with Garmin 530 and 430 navigators and MX-20 MFD, an HSI and autopilot. Performance includes 1,200 nm IFR range, 200-knot cruise and 5,500-pound useful load with enough space to
carry nine passengers and one pilot. The developers say the program is fully funded through early deliveries.