User:BilCat/Sandbox/Grumman Sto-Wing

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Comparison of the Grumman F4F Wildcat between folded and unfolded wings

The Grumman Sto-Wing (sometimes stylized as STO-Wing) is a patented wing aftwards-folding system. Pioneered on the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, it has been used since World War II on a number of Grumman-designed carrier aircraft. A version of this system is still in use in the 21st century on the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye shipboard airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft and its C-2 Greyhound cargo aircraft derivative.

History[edit]

Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger
E-2 Hawkeye wing folding joint

The Grumman-patented Sto-Wing aftwards-folding wing folding system, pioneered on the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, has been used since World War II on a number of Grumman-designed carrier aircraft,[1][2] a version of which is still in use in the 21st century on the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye shipboard airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft and its C-2 Greyhound derivative.[3][4]


Leroy Grumman's ability as an engineer and designer was characterized by a Grumman Company engineer as that of "'a master of the educated hunch' who could foresee technical problems and their solutions."[5] He single-handedly invented the famous "Sto-Wing" wing-panel folding system that revolutionized carrier aircraft storage and handling, pioneered on the F4F-4 Wildcat subtype. He worked out the solution by sticking paper clips into a soap eraser to find the pivot point that made the Sto-Wing possible.[6]


238 2006 Grumman Wildcat “Sto-Wing” Wing-folding Mechanism[7] First functional wing-folding mechanism, enabling aircraft to take up less space on ships.


Located at Air Zoo aviation museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan. [8]

Aircraft[edit]

AF-2 Guardian on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Dwyer, Larry (19 February 2014). "The Aviation History Online Museum - Grumman F4F Wildcat". The Aviation History Online Museum. Retrieved April 2, 2016. The F4F-4 was the first version of the Wildcat to feature a Grumman innovation, the Sto-Wing. The Sto-Wing used a novel approach using a compound angle folding-wing that was unique to Grumman...It was a successful design that was later used on the F6F Hellcat and TBF Avenger.
  2. ^ "Wing-Folding Mechanism of the Grumman Wildcat - An American Society of Mechanical Engineers Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark". asme.org. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. May 15, 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Dunn, Terry (27 April 2016). "Airplane Origami: How Folding Wings Work". Tested.com. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  4. ^ Thomason, Tommy (30 March 2011). "Grumman Sto-Wing Redux". Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  5. ^ "The Grumman Story." Aerofiles, revised 19 June 1999. Retrieved: 22 March 2009.
  6. ^ Thruelsen 1976, p. 126.
  7. ^ Dwyer, Larry (19 February 2014). "The Aviation History Online Museum – Grumman F4F Wildcat". aviation-history.com. The Aviation History Online Museum. Retrieved April 2, 2016. The F4F-4 was the first version of the Wildcat to feature a Grumman innovation, the Sto-Wing. The Sto-Wing used a novel approach using a compound angle folding-wing that was unique to Grumman...It was a successful design that was later used on the F6F Hellcat and TBF Avenger.
  8. ^ ASME brochure

Other sources[edit]

External links[edit]

Category:Naval aviation technology Category:Aircraft wing components

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