Grumman Duck Beaching and Flight

[MIflyer]

Something you don't see every day. Wonder why there are so few of these around?

 

[J4F-2]

To start with Grumman only built 645, few made it to the post war market. There are so few still around because of their limited use, post war buyers quickly found out that it had limited usage. Room for only 4 max (and you better be VERY CLOSE friends downstairs). It was comparatively slow, noisy and that Wright R-1820 used a lot of fuel for what you got.
There were much better options in used amphibians at the time like the Goose or Widgeon. Still, there are about 5 or 6 I think that are capable of flying with only 2/3 that I can think of being flown regularly, more or less. I think there a couple more being restored. It's more of a cult airplane than anything practical. It is one heck of an Air Show thief though, it steals the show every time it shows up. It's the only Grumman Amphibian type I haven't snagged a ride in ........ yet. (If someone with one is passing through Twin Falls ID, please let me know )

 

[SaparotRob]

Go Grumman! Go Ducks! I'm from Long Island.

 

[swampyankee]

The Grumman Duck may be impractical, but it is adorable

 

[totenkopf]

Watch the old movie Murphy's War.

 

[SaparotRob]

Loved it.

 

[Skyediamonds]

Despite the description of cramped quarters, noisy engine, etc., you still get lots of bang for your bucks. The Goose uses two R-985s which, in my opinion uses more gas than the single R-1820 & for a warbird to seat more than one ( pilot) is a pretty good deal.

I was fortunate to see one up close & personal while it was still based at the (late) Paul Mantz' Hollywood Movieland Air Museum based out of Orange County (now renamed John Wayne) Airport. I must've taken 100 detailed b+w detailed photos of this plane for my future modeling project.

This is the same aircraft that was purchased by Kermit Weeks.

No interior shots though. I couldn't climb up & sneak in without attracting undo attention from an elderly lady manning the box office. After a few of my previous visits in which I was taking detailed photos of other aircraft, she started keeping a weary eye on me.

It was more than once, that she chased me off other planes trying to take interior photos. So you can imagine with the Duck sitting high up on its landing gear, it was next-to-impossible to gain entrance & not get caught….. Fun times!.

 

[J4F-2]

Despite the description of cramped quarters, noisy engine, etc., you still get lots of bang for your bucks. The Goose uses two R-985s which, in my opinion uses more gas than the single R-1820 & for a warbird to seat more than one ( pilot) is a pretty good deal.

I was fortunate to see one up close & personal while it was still based at the (late) Paul Mantz' Hollywood Movieland Air Museum based out of Orange County (now renamed John Wayne) Airport. I must've taken 100 detailed b+w detailed photos of this plane for my future modeling project.

This is the same aircraft that was purchased by Kermit Weeks.

No interior shots though. I couldn't climb up & sneak in without attracting undo attention from an elderly lady manning the box office. After a few of my previous visits in which I was taking detailed photos of other aircraft, she started keeping a weary eye on me.

It was more than once, that she chased me off other planes trying to take interior photos. So you can imagine with the Duck sitting high up on its landing gear, it was next-to-impossible to gain entrance & not get caught….. Fun times!.

I don't think you'd have seen much. It was a working movie airplane, so lightened up. Basic Mil. cockpit and very little in the back seat if anything more than a seat (if that). Downstairs .... I'd been surprised if there was anything. I have interior photos of most of the J2F variants if you're interested. Not much changed between them.

 

[Skyediamonds]

Yes, please. I would be very much interested in cockpit & interior photos of the Grumman Duck.

On a whim, I purchased the complex retracting landing gear from Banana Hobby. This retraction gear set is really more designed to accommodate to the curved fuselage of the Grumman F4F series Wildcat such that the wheels are canted inwards when fully retracted.

Obviously this is in contrast to the near- vertical position when retracted flush into the fuselage/float combination. Buy at least it's a start & my efforts to model a J2F series Duck in r/c size.

I already have the plans that I purchased several years ago. It's now just a matter of sizing the plans to fit the retraction gears.

Thanking you in advance for your generous offer.

Gary

 

[Maxrobot1]

The old Glenco Grumman Duck kit shows the distinctive features of the odd bird.

 

[Skyediamonds]

Maxrobot;

That's a beautiful model of the early Duck series.

 

[GreenKnight121]

Here are what I have... a cockpit photo of a JF-1 and the XJF-1 mockup (note two passengers in the float).

 

[GreenKnight121]

One of my favorite shots of a working Duck - note the guy partway out of the float hatch:

 

[J4F-2]

Here's the first of 38 images.

 

[J4F-2]

Here are the rest.

 

[SaparotRob]

So I'm watching The River Wild (dubbed in Thai) and I realized I have piloted several Grummans. I must have about 20 hours paddle time.

 

[Sisu]

Despite the description of cramped quarters, noisy engine, etc., you still get lots of bang for your bucks. The Goose uses two R-985s which, in my opinion uses more gas than the single R-1820 & for a warbird to seat more than one ( pilot) is a pretty good deal.

I was fortunate to see one up close & personal while it was still based at the (late) Paul Mantz' Hollywood Movieland Air Museum based out of Orange County (now renamed John Wayne) Airport. I must've taken 100 detailed b+w detailed photos of this plane for my future modeling project.

Back in the mid 1970s Frank Tallman was doing a nice aerobatic diplay with this Duck. Quite leisurely, but great fun to watch. This was at the 1976 Reno Air Race.

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!