Grumman Mallard: The Enduring Classic

The Grumman Mallard amphibious aircraft was developed just after World War II as a small passenger aircraft for airline use but quickly found its niche in the expanding world of business aviation. What better than an aircraft that could fly busy executives to business meetings but also drop down on a remote lake for some salmon fishing? Before jets came along it was a favorite of celebrities such as Christian Dior, Gar Wood and Lord Beaverbrook. In more recent years the Mallard has come to be regarded as one of the most beautiful seaplanes ever produced and it is popular with wealthy collectors, who restore them and use them to tour the world. This book, handsomely illustrated with photos of Mallards past and present, as well as unique fold-out cutaway drawings of the original and the turbine version, is the first book on this classic aircraft and a labor of love on the part of the author.

The Grumman Mallard amphibious aircraft was developed just after World War II as a small passenger aircraft for airline use but quickly found its niche in the expanding world of business aviation. What better than an aircraft that could fly busy executives to business meetings but also drop down on a remote lake for some salmon fishing? Before jets came along it was a favorite of celebrities such as Christian Dior, Gar Wood and Lord Beaverbrook. In more recent years the Mallard has come to be regarded as one of the most beautiful seaplanes ever produced and it is popular with wealthy collectors, who restore them and use them to tour the world.

Fred Hotson began his aviation career in 1935 with de Havilland Canada. His affection for the Grumman Mallard amphibious aircraft came from the many years he spent as pilot of the Grumman Mallard of Colonel Robert McCormick of the Chicago Tribune. He has written several histories of de Havilland Aircraft and other works of aviation history.