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Grumman Widgeon
| G-44 Widgeon | |
|---|---|
| A Grumman Widgeon on Frazier Lake on the southwest end of Kodiak Island, Alaska | |
| Type | Amphibious transport |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Maiden flight | 1940 |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army Air Force United States Coast Guard Royal Navy |
| Number built | 345 |
| Developed from | Grumman Goose |
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.
Contents
Design and development
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, US Coast Guard 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 II, they served with the US Navy, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and Army Air Force, as well as with the British Royal Navy, who called it the "Gosling".
Operational history
On August 1 1942, a J4F-1 flown by US Coast Guard Patrol Squadron 212 based out of Houma, Louisiana and flown by Chief Aviation Pilot Henry White spotted and attacked a German U-boat off the coast of Louisiana. White reported the submarine sunk, and he was subsequently credited with sinking U-166 and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; however, the wreck of U-166 was found in June 2001 by an oil exploration team working for BP Amoco and Shell Oil Company, and the sinking of U-166 is now generally credited to PC-556.[1] White's aircraft is now thought to have made an unsuccessful attack against U-171, a Type IXC U-boat identical to U-166 that reported an air attack coincident with White's attack. U-171 was undamaged by White's attack, but was sunk four months later in the Bay of Biscay.[2]
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. A total of 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 United States.
McKinnon Enterprises converted some Widgeons to "Super Widgeons". The conversion features replacing the engines with Lycoming GO-480 flat six piston engines, and various other modifications, such as:
- Modern avionics
- 3-blade propellers
- Larger windows
- Improved soundproofing
- Emergency exits
- Increased Maximum Takeoff Weight
- Retractable wing-tip floats (optional)
Variants
- G-44
- Main production variant, 200 built including military variants listed below.
- G-44A
- Improved post-war production variant with redesigned hull, 76 built.
- J4F-1
- G-44 for the United States Coast Guard with three seats, 25 built.
- J4F-2
- United States Navy version of the J4F-1 with 5-seat interior, 131 built.
- OA-14
- Fifteen G-44s impressed into wartime service with the United States Army Air Force.
- OA-14A
- One new aircraft for the Corps of Engineers.
- Gosling I
- Sixteen J2F-2s transferred to the Royal Navy, later renamed Widgeon I
- SCAN 30
- G-44 Licence-built in France, 41 built.
Operators
Military operators
Survivors
There is an ex-Coast Guard Widgeon on display at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida.
Specifications (G-44A)
Data from {name of first source}
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Capacity: 5 passengers
- Length: 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
- Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)
- Wing area: 245 ft² (22.8 m²)
- Empty weight: 3,189 lb (1,470 kg)
- Loaded weight: 4,500 lb (2,041 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 5,500 lb (2,500 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Ranger Engine L-440C-5 inverted inline 6-cylinder engines, 200 hp (150 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 139 knots (160 mph, 257 km/h)
- Range: 800 nm (920 miles, 1,481 km)
- Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (305 m/min)
References
- ↑ "U-166," http://www.uboat.net/boats/u166.htm
- ↑ "U-171," http://www.uboat.net/boats/u171.htm
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
- Grumman
- G35 -
G44 - G58
- US Navy
JF -
J2F -
XJ3F -
J4F
Related lists
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
Template:USAAF observation aircraft Template:USN utility aircraft Template:Grumman aircraft
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
de:Grumman G-44 pl:Grumman G-44 Widgeon
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Grumman Widgeon". |
