Grumman G-44 Widgeon    N9933H      (c/n  1235)

                                 

                                     The G-44 Widgeon was first flown in 1941.  It was designed as a commercial amphibian but the
                                     United States Coast Guard were impressed by it and a number were delivered to that arm as the
                                     J4F-1.   One hundred and thirty five were then delivered to the US Navy as the J4F-2.  Post war
                                     production of the purely civilian G-44A re-commenced in 1946, although the example above seen
                                     at Southern Pines, North Carolina (1987) is an ex J4F-2.     Grumman built 50 G-44As and 40
                                     Widgeons were built in France under license by the Societe de Constructions Aero-Navales (SCAN)
                                     as the SCAN-30 in 1947.  They are still to be found, although most of them these days have been
                                     converted to McKinnon Super Widgeons with the original Ranger in-line engines replaced by two
                                     270hp Lycomings, giving a cruising speed of about 180 mph (290km/hr).     The photograph below
                                     from Geoff Goodall shows an Australian-registered 'true' Widgeon, i.e. a post-war G-44A. It was
                                     imported new for the Australiasian Petroleum Company in 1947 and was later sold in New Zealand
                                     as ZK-AVM.

                                      Grumman G-44A Widgeon     VH-AZO      (c/n  1466)