Duck over Chino

Air Classics, Jul 2002 by O'Leary, Michael

AN INTENSIVE RESTORATION HAS RETURNED A RARE AIRCRAFT TO WHERE IT BELONGS - IN THE AIR!

Following the end of the Second World War in America, small numbers of surplus military aircraft received what is known as Limited Type Certificates (LTC). Although not as unrestricted as a Standard Type Certificate, the LTC was one heck of a lot better than an experimental or restricted certificate and allowed the operator to utilize the aircraft for a variety of tasks.

On 6 May 1947, LTC-17-2 was issued to R.B. Utterback of Long Beach, California, and the LTC covered the Grumman J2F-3, -4, -5, and -6 Ducks powered by Wright R-1820-30, -34, -50, and -54 engines of 900 to 1050-hp. The LTC allowed an operational gross weight of 6530-lb except for aircraft equipped with more powerful Wrights producing 1200-1325-hp - then the gross could rise to 7185-lb.

Now we have no idea what Mr. Utterback was intending to do with the Duck LTC but he probably envisioned some form of workhorse duty since no one at the time was buying surplus warplanes for sentimental reasons. Not that many Ducks were placed on the civil register and we do not have an exact count of those that were and would appreciate hearing from readers with further knowledge.

As time went by, the Duck became extremely rara avis and it was not until Kermit Weeks restored Bureau Number 33549 in the early 1980s that interest in the unusual amphibian began to rise ("If I was down to just one aircraft, it would be the Duck," Kermit said recently).

It was particularly pleasing in mid-2000 to see a pile of blue-painted parts arrive on a trailer at Fighter Rebuilders, Chino Airport. Once sorted out, it became evident that the aircraft was a Duck - and a very complete example. This particular Duck was BuNo 33596 and apparently had been purchased direct from surplus by Wallace Pankratz who kept the huge biplane at his crop duster operation at Calpatria, California. "Back in the late 1960s, I was getting interested in aircraft," said Aero Trader's Carl Scholl. "I was looking at a derelict B-25 fire bomber at Ramona and went to Calpatria where I saw the Duck tied down in the dirt. Wallace made me a good offer on the plane but I decided to go with the B-25. Who knows? If I bought the J2F, maybe Aero Trader would now be the largest Duck rebuilder!"

"When the airplane arrived, we were deep in the Pearl Harbor movie," said John Maloney. "Wallace Pankratz had put the Duck on display at the San Diego Aerospace Museum in 1974 and had it on display until it was disassembled and trucked to Chino." The new owner was Warbird collector Tom Friedkin.

"The first thing we did was strip all the fabric off the four wing panels to check the condition of the structure," said John. "Fortunately, the wing was in pretty good condition and the more we got into the Duck, it became evident that it was a pretty low-time airframe.

"At some point in the aircraft's career, it appears that the airplane may have been dropped - or perhaps it was a hard landing - and the hull had been broken in front of the engine. Also, the landing gear had been welded in the down position. The instrument panels had been removed as was all the trim mechanism. The gear box was also gone and the steel tubing tying the gear section to the engine was not in the best shape. The tail wheel unit had been replaced with one from a Grumman Goose. The propeller was the wrong number and had to be replaced with a correct one to maintain the LTC. The cowling was in good shape, the canopy frame wasn't. The back seat was in place as were the fuel and oil tanks. The stress door panel was missing from the left side. Overall there was very little corrosion and, compared to many of the aircraft that have come through the shop, the Duck was in relatively good condition."

The fuselage was removed from the hull and the hull was then placed upside down in a specially-- built jig. All the skin was removed and

repairs started on the interior. "The hull had skins that were 11 feet, 10 inches long," stated John. "We were able to get skins 12 feet long and cut them down. We were lucky on that one."

The wings went to Aero Wood at Chino where they were beautifully covered using the Stits process. The engine went to JRS engines for rebuilding. "They confirmed our thoughts that this is a low-time airframe," John recalled "since once the R-1820 was torn down it was evident that the engine was also low-time."

Fighter Rebuilders started making contacts with other Duck rebuilders and enthusiasts that had parts. One builder had constructed three brandnew sets of stainless steel canopy frames - two went on other aircraft and Fighter Rebuilders was able to obtain the last set. As mentioned, a stress door was made to original specifications. Other trades and purchases were made and all the missing bits and pieces started coming together. Steve Hamilton, known to his friends as "Mr. Duck," had restored the J2F-6 for Jack Erickson and he was a major source of knowledge and parts.

Interestingly, the tip of the float was originally made out of cork for shock-- absorbing qualities and it had been replaced with a wooden unit so a new tip was built up from cork. A few concessions to safety were made. For example, the brakes appear to have been the same units originally used on a Douglas Dauntless and they were replaced with more modern units from a Grumman Mallard. The landing gear legs were rebuilt and restored to original condition while vintage instruments came from Preservation Instruments, also based at Chino.