The coolest aircraft in the US has two jet skis built into the wings
Published on Oct 04, 2025 at 10:57 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Oct 02, 2025 at 1:51 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The Grumman Albatross HU-16B isn’t your average museum piece – it’s the coolest aircraft in the US.
Once it rescued soldiers from enemy waters, now it carries jet skis under its wings.
The amphibious aircraft sits on display in Arizona, reborn as a flying party boat.
A Cold War workhorse turned conversation starter.
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The coolest aircraft in the US went from rescues to recreation
The Grumman Albatross started life as a serious workhorse.
Grumman designed it in the 1940s as a replacement for the JRF Goose, and the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard all signed on.
Its main job?
Search and rescue, plus general maritime patrol.
By the early 1960s, it was redesignated as the HU-16, with the B-model sporting a longer wingspan and larger flight control surfaces.
The type stayed in service through the 1970s, saving lives from icy seas to tropical rivers.
But the example sitting at the Pima Air & Space Museum took a very different path.
It was pulled into civilian hands and heavily reworked as a recreational aircraft.
Most notably, engineers added two pods under the wings, each carrying a Polaris SL650 jet ski.
Touch down on the water, drop the skis on their winches, and suddenly a rescue plane turns into a floating toy box.
Even without the party mods, it’s still an impressive piece of hardware.
It boasts a 96-foot wingspan, twin Wright R-1820 radial engines delivering 1,425hp each, and a max speed of 236mph.
Fully loaded, it tips the scales at 37,500lbs, cruises with a crew of up to six, and can stretch its range to 2,850 miles.
Built for danger, repurposed for fun.
A new age of flying jet skis
Seeing an old rescue plane turned floating toy makes you wonder what modern designers could get away with.
Enter the $300,000 ICON A5. It’s not retrofitted military hardware – it’s factory-built to behave like a jet ski in the sky.
Amphibious, playful, and compact enough to tow home behind an SUV, the A5 folds its wings in 90 seconds and slides into a garage like it belongs there.
The ICON A5 shows how far designers will go to make aviation playful.
But no factory-built toy is ever going to top the coolest aircraft in the US, hauling jet skis under its wings.
The Grumman Albatross remains the ultimate flying party boat – a rescue veteran that refuses to grow old quietly.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
