Gene Soucy’s “Showcat” was the product of a six-month rebuild and modification of a Grumman Ag-Cat crop duster. ⠀ ⠀ In 1958, two of Grumman’s preliminary design group members, Joe Lippert and Arthur Koch, saw a need for a rugged but extremely simple crop duster to replace the less than ideal wartime surplus Stearmans common in those days. They pitched their idea to Leroy Grumman, but the company was tied up with a lot of military business and Grumman told them they could do the Ag-Cat but only on a shoestring budget that didn’t take away resources from ongoing programs. ⠀ ⠀ They set up shop in an empty hangar and the entire engineering team consisted of 8 people. Craftsmen from the production lines volunteered to help in their free time and many Grumman technicians who were close to retirement but had skills dating to the 1920s and 1930s offered their services. At any one time, no more than 30 people worked on the Ag-Cat project!⠀ ⠀ Design and build of the prototype proceeded simultaneously! The close knit environment was a real throwback to Grumman’s early days. Joe Lippert built a mock up in his own garage and then brought ideas to the workshop the following day. In the evening, he modified the mockup based on the day’s decisions and work done. ⠀ ⠀ The first flight took place on 27 May 1957, just seven months after design/fabrication of the prototype, N10291, began! Lippert and Koch requested that all the workers who worked on the project bring their wives to the first flight- as many of them had worked additional hours on top of their existing jobs on the project, they thought that the wives should see "the other woman" in their husbands' lives!⠀ ⠀ November Aviation Photo Challenge | @kjdphoto1971 | #1119planes | “Biplane” | Day 27⠀ ⠀ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #AllianceAirport #FWAAS2017 #airport #planespotting #Grumman #AgCat #GeneSoucy #instagramaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge https://www.instagram.com/p/B5XxM95hF_I/?igshid=1g7cj8uqvarnf
