Gallery: The Widgeon

Flight Journal, Aug 1998 by Davisson, Budd

Visions of freedom come in many forms, one of which is an airplane that's equally at home whether on land, on water, or in the air. Although an aerodynamic compromise, the amphibious airplane is viewed by many as a virtual freedom machine that can, in many parts of the globe, function independently of runways.

To carry the vision one step further, the small, personal amphibian means huge personal freedom. And so, on the seventh day, Grumman produced the Widgeon-its answer for those seeking freedom and utilitarianism at their extremes.

In 1940, when the Widgeon first spread its water wings, there was no lack of customers, most of whom would be recognized as being at the leading edge of the financial form of freedom. Although designed as a small transport, many early customers were well-to-do executives and sportsmen who saw the Widgeon as away to quickly and easily expand their world.

Unfortunately, within a few years, many expensive wings were clipped prematurely when nearly the entire population of civilian Widgeons was pressed into military service.

After the War, many military-surplus J4F Widgeons found their way into the hands of north-country operators who needed the Widgeon's ability to carry loads into remote lakes. They weren't looking for freedom; their business was based on utility. The two concepts, however, happily coexist

Still, there was a postwar market for civilian G44 Widgeons, and approximately 76 more were built as upgraded G44As. All of the Widgeons leaving the factory would be powered (underpowered some would say) by six-cylinder Ranger engines with 200hp and fixed-pitch propellers. By the late 1950s and '60s, however, most Rangers had been returned to their original boatanchor status and replaced by a wide variety of more modern engines. The most successful of those modifications was the McKinnon series utilizing Lycoming engines of 260 to 290hp.

John and Linda Schwamm, who live in Anchorage but winter in Arizona, are the lucky owners of a McKinnon Widgeon. This is their third, and it spends 90 percent of its time on the water while up north. In Alaska, an amphibian for people like the Schwans is a psychological necessity, not a luxury. -Budd Davisson