Why did Grumman name their fighters after types of cats??

[Steve Crewdog]

Anyone know the story?



TIA,

Steve

Last edited by Steve Crewdog on Wed Feb 03, 2010 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Xrayist]

Maybe because Chihuahua, Pekinese, Schnauzer, and Bassett Hound didn't exactly strike terror in the enemy.

[Warbird Kid]

Maybe because Chihuahua, Pekinese, Schnauzer, and Bassett Hound didn't exactly strike terror in the enemy.

Speak for yourself!

[corsair166b]

....and let's face it....the Grumman F6F 'Moose' just does'nt have the same ring to it....

Mark

[Jerry O'Neill]

Don't forget the "Skyrocket"... errr...Skycat...errr..., I guess they screwed up the line of succession on that one!!!
Jerry

[bluehawk15]

Possibly the same reason Piper uses Indian (errrrr, make that Native American) names?

[hercules130]

Don't forget the "Skyrocket"... errr...Skycat...errr..., I guess they screwed up the line of succession on that one!!!
Jerry

Army Project too, hence no cat moniker?

[bipe215]

not just fighters.......Ag Cat

[JimH]

Kinda funny...don't cats dislike water?

jim

[Steve Nelson]

I think it was a corporate identity thing. Lots of manufacturers like to have naming "themes." Hawker named a lot of thier fighters after storms; Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest, etc. Curtiss had it's Hawk line (Goshawk, Tomahawk, Kittyhawk, Warhawk, et al.) It wasn't limited to airframe makers..P&W had their wasp and hornet series engines, and RR liked birds of prey; Kestrel, Merlin (yes, it's named after a bird, not the wizard) and Griffon (which is a sort of birdish thing.)

SN

[barnbstormer]

They designed one for the civil aviation market, too. The Grumman Kitten. I'm pretty certain they have it on diplay at The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Long Island. Art Romeo and The Grumman restoration team restored it back in the early 1980's, I think. Dad and I donated the engine for it.

[ZRX61]

Kinda funny...don't cats dislike water?

jim

Tigers like water

RR liked birds of prey; Kestrel, Merlin (yes, it's named after a bird, not the wizard) and Griffon (which is a sort of birdish thing.)
SN

"a sort of birdish thing"???? It's a Vulture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffon_Vulture

& you forgot the RR Vulture & Eagle etc..

[bluehawk15]

Maybe it's because of (most) cats dislike of water, they used cat names for good luck, to keep them out of the drink?

[ZRX61]

Maybe it's because of (most) cats dislike of water, they used cat names for good luck, to keep them out of the drink?

& the others fly AND float:
Duck, Mallard.......erm.. Albatross?

[Jerry O'Neill]

Don't forget the "Skyrocket"... errr...Skycat...errr..., I guess they screwed up the line of succession on that one!!!
Jerry

Army Project too, hence no cat moniker?

Ahh, but the Navy did have a version of the XP-50 called the XF5F-1 Skyrocket, the Army wouldn't have used the Navy's designation system so I guess they never gave it a Cat name, hence we have a "Cat" that's not named a "Cat".
Jerry