American Grumman Albatross in the collection of the Musée de l'Hydraviation

Salvaging the Grumman HU-16A Albatross | Musée de l'Hydraviation

A huge seaplane comes to the museum.

The seaplane based in Cuneo, Italy, was slated to be scrapped when the City of Biscarrosse decided to rescue it and turn it into a symbol of its aeronautical history.

This was a unique opportunity for the museum to obtain a rare piece, a Grumman HU-16A Albatross, an American amphibious aircraft that is emblematic of search and rescue operations at sea. Only a handful of these seaplanes are still flying, all outside of Europe.

Grumman Albatross HU-16A at the Musée de l'Hydraviation

History of the plane

Our plane was made in the USA and took its first flight on July 9, 1951. The US Air Force used it for reconnaissance missions and for search and rescue at sea, before it was grounded and sold to the Italian Air Force around 1960. It was retired from active service in 1982. The Grumman Albatross was relocated to Biscarrosse by oversize load trucks in July 2014.

Patrons of the "Grumman Albatross" restoration

Restoration of the Grumman Albatross

Our Grumman Albatross was restored as part of a “New Opportunity Skills Development Project” that was backed by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region’s job placement and vocational training policies.

The training action was run by Aerocampus Aquitaine and INSUP. It allowed 36 unemployed trainees, divided into three groups, to learn the jobs of an aircraft fitter and assembler and an industrial aircraft painter.