GRUMMAN GOOSE/WIDGEON

Seaplanes take a ferocious pounding, and it is a tribute to the way Grumman builds airplanes that these two continue to serve so well. More than 300 of the G-21A Goose series with 450 hp Pratt & Whitney engines were built just before and during World War II, of which about 80 remain active in the United States and Canada. Production of the smaller Widgeon, with 200 hp Ranger inline engines, totaled more than 200, with a further 40 license-built in France and later resold to the United States. The Goose has proved a popular "back country" airplane in Canada, where remote lakes and waterways serve as landing sites. A number had executive interiors installed by United States corporations whose vice presidents liked to fish in the northern woods. The Widgeon originally seated four, but the G-44A was built with five seats, and some have been converted to seat six with the middle row of seats facing aft and their backs against the wheel wells. The McKinnon Turbo Goose is a modified version of the Goose featuring twin 680 shp Pratt & Whitney powerplants, increased fuel capacity, retractable wing floats, plus other improvements. McKinnon also produces a "Super Widgeon" powered by 270 hp Lycomings.