Born Huntington, New York, 4 January, 1894. Designated
a Naval Aviator in 1918, early test pilot and design
engineer. Champion of Naval aviation -- founded
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation.
Perfected the first practical floats with retractable
wheels, the first dependable retractable landing gear,
and developed bird-like folding wings which permitted
increased numbers of planes on aircraft carriers.
His rugged high-performance aircraft have for more than
four decades been the backbone of naval aviation.
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