Grumman Widgeon
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The Grumman G-44 Widgeon is a small, six-person, twin-engine amphibious aircraft. It was designated J4F by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and OA-14 by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Army Air Forces
There is an ex-Coast Guard Widgeon on display at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida.
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[edit] History
The Widgeon was originally designed for the civil market. It is a smaller version of the Grumman's earlier G-21 Goose, and was produced from 1941 to 1955. The aircraft was used during World War II as a small patrol and utility machine by the US Navy and by the Royal Navy
The first prototype flew in 1940, and the first production aircraft went to the US Navy as an anti-submarine aircraft. In total, 266 were built, including 176 for the military. During World War 2 they served with the US Navy, Coast Guard and Army Air Force, as well as with the British Royal Navy, who called it the Gosling.
After the war, the type was redesigned to make it more suitable for civilian operations. A new hull improved its water handling, and six seats were added. 50 of the new G-44A were built. Another 40 were produced in France as the SCAN-30; however, most of these ended up in the USA.
McKinnon Enterprises converted some Widgeons to Super Widgeon status. The conversion features replacing the engines with Lycoming GO-480 Flat Six piston engines, and various other modifications, such as:
- Modern avionics
- 3-blade propellors
- Larger windows
- Improved soundproofing
- Emergency exits
- Increased MTOW
- Retractable wing-tip floats (optional)
[edit] Military Operators
- Brazil, Portugal, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States (Army Air Corps, Army Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy), Uruguay.
[edit] Specifications (G44A)
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: 5 passengers
- Length: 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m)
- Span: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
- Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)
- Wing area: 245 ft² (22.8 m²)
- Empty: 3,240 lb (1,470 kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 5,500 lb (2,500 kg)
- Powerplant: 2x Ranger Engine L-440C-5, 200 hp (150 kW) each
[edit] Performance
- Maximum speed: 160 mph (257 km/h)
- Range: miles ( km)
- Service ceiling: ft ( m)
- Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (305 m/min)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
- Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
[edit] See also
Related development:
Comparable aircraft:
Designation sequence (Grumman): G35 - G44 - G58
Designation sequence (US Navy): JF - J2F - XJ3F - J4F
Designation sequence (US Air Force): OA-11 - OA-12 - OA-13 - OA-14 - OA-15
