N118FB - currently registered as a 1960 Grumman model G-111 (ditto) it was really one of the Grumman design no. It was one of the first 4 G-111 conversions done at Stuart, FL under PC no. 148325 in 1961 but all along it was really Grumman factory serial no. 9052) that was contracted through the US Navy as Bu. N116FB - registered as a 1961 Grumman model G-111 (once again there is no such thing) it was really another ex-JMSDF model UF-2 (no.
7244 but it now should be registered as a 1979 - 1983* Grumman G-111 (*since it was one of the last 9 G-111 conversions at St. G-332 that was later converted as a long-wing USAF SA-16B (HU-16B conversion project no. N113FB - registered as a 1953 Grumman model HU-16E (there is no such thing - the first UF-2G / HU-16E conversion done for the USCG was started in December 1956 and not finished until April 1957) it was really a 1951 model SA-16A (HU-16A) USAF serial no. G-463 This one is the 'dark horse' or 'black sheep' of the G-111 family because apparently it never received the new titanium spar caps which granted the other aircraft indefinite service lives because it retains the 7075-T6 Aluminum spar caps, it is officially limited to 8,900 flight hours. 9055) it is really Grumman factory serial no. N112FB - registered as a 1979 Grumman model G-111 serial number 148328 (the 2nd to last UF-2 / HU-16 ever built and served with the JMSDF as no. Hats off to Mike! I'm sure that we all wish him and his crew the best of luck! Now it is reported that he has just 18 months to make them airworthy enough to ferry back to Missouri (or presumably disassemble and truck them back) to keep them away from the scrap man! (The aviation equivalent of a boogeyman!) However, now it seems that Marsh has abandoned those plans and was all set to scrap these 7 G-111 aircraft - until Mike Barron of Barron Aviation Private Flight Services and the Rapid Descent Jump School in Hannibal, MO stepped in and bought up the entire lot. All of the G-111 Albatrosses that have been stored in Marana, AZ for the past 30 years without ever really being used or flown in commercial service since their conversion were obtained by Marsh Aviation a few years back to use in their "Wildfire" water bomber conversion project which among other mods were going to replace the R-1820 radial engines with TPE331 series turboprops. As of just this month, 7 of the 13 Grumman G-111 conversions have been saved from scrapping and bought by a guy with a dream in Hannibal, MO.
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