MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
There is a Widgeon over at Lakeland FL that has had the Rangers replaced with what appear to be R-670 radials.
1/48 Grumman Goose Mk III, Czech Models kit finished as an RCAF Goose .
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That would be nice to see photos of, it would look like a baby Goose!
I found photos of the radial Widgeon, and it is a lovely airplane!
Quite a write up about it here ...
The Flying Boat Forum from www.seawings.co.uk • View topic - Caveat Emptor! There is no such thing...
I found photos of the radial Widgeon, and it is a lovely airplane!
Quite a write up about it here ...
The Flying Boat Forum from www.seawings.co.uk • View topic - Caveat Emptor! There is no such thing...
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Agreed, but the Co. doing it bit off more than they could chew and asked for more money. Mr Parrothead said a contract is a contract and the fight started. So nothing got done for several years and what was done was from what I've read, was subpar (?). It all ended up being a big pissing contest and mine's bigger than yours and ended up in Court. Mr Parrothead got his airplane back in pieces took it to another shop who took one deep look at it and said, it was too far gone to be restored economically. Hence it was donated to the Alabama Museum. At least it's not being converted to pots n pans.
Last known Reg. was N404Q, c/n 1388, it's what's known as a Mansdorf conversion done by Lee Mansdorf in California in the early 1950s. It was one of only 2 G-44s that I know of that had that conversion. All the rest were either SCAN 30s or G-44A models with the Deep Vee bow because it had more flotation than the earlier G-44. Of all the Widgeon conversions, the Mansdorfs are the least liked by most Widgeon pilots who've flown them. They're top heavy, have a tendency to skate on the water and I've heard from a couple guys that the under certain flight conditions, mostly on landing, those big nacelles blank out the elevators. I emailed back & forth with this owner a year or two back about changing those engines, he wasn't having any. He was sticking with them. I wish him the Best of Luck (he's going to need it). That's the ONLY Widgeon conversion I won't ride in. The other conversions, hmmm, Original Ranger, check, McDermott, check, McKinnon, check, Lockheed, check. Still looking for a ride in Franklin Gander conversion though.
N4435 c/n 31. For those too lazy, it was "Da Plane" on Fantasy Island. At an airshow in June, 1979, it looked like this back during filming. notice the strakes under the hull to help with the skating issue. N.B. Either it's loaded extra heavy or the tail wheel strut needs some attention, but it shouldn't look like that.
Wow, I went back and looked at that thread from 2016 ! You can see what kind of minutiae Grumman nuts can get into. (BTW, I'm Mr Widgeon/Bill in those comments)
N985R c/n B-86. Delivered to the U.S. Navy as BuNo 84791 on Sept. 29, 1944, turned over to the USCG at Biloxi, Mississippi Nov., 1944, used by the USCG mostly in Alaska until 1950. Bought by Ellis Airlines, hit a log & crashed in 1961 and put in storage, rebuilt by Foreign & Domestic in 1972 then on to Reeve Aleutian Airways. After a couple more owners it ended up with Pen-Air. Last used by Pen-Air on the Unalaska cannery run before they cancelled it. Now owned by the Collings Foundation and going back into USCG markings. Back in Alaska when it was still a working airplane.
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Those radials do not look like a good fit for that airplane. Not sure what other engines would work well if you did not want to use the Rangers. LeBlondes/Ken-Royce are rather scarce. Maybe those Walter inverted inlines from the Czech Republic?
A Widgeon with turbines dropped by our airport a few weeks back.
