Specifications

• Crew: one or two
• Capacity: 7 passengers
• Length: 39ft 7in
• Span: 50ft 10in
• Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN6, nine-cylinder radials
• Max speed: 201 MPH

The Grumman Goose was originally designed as a commuter plane for wealthy businessmen and sportsmen but was soon recognized for its utility and dependability, and was quickly put into service by several air carriers and the military. The first Goose flew in 1937 and it stayed in production until 1945. Total production was 345 aircraft. The aircraft had several designations. G-21A was the civil designation, inthe Navy it was the JRF-1 thru 6 and the Army called it the OA-9 and AO-13. During WWII Gooses served with all branches of the military and several foreign nations as a utility, small tansport, and patrol aircraft. There were several post war modifications to the Goose; some of these added turnine engines, extended the fuselage to increase the seating capacity or did both.

The Museums' [sic] Goose was accepted by the U.S. Navy at the Grumman factory in Bethpage, NY on 29 November 1944. From there it went to various duty stations around the U.S. intil 1956, when it was tansferred to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Alaska. In 1974 the aircraft was reassigned to the Office of Aircraft Services which was created to provide aviation services to the Department of the Interior. During its time in service N789 had several interesting experiences. After one event on 28 January 1991 extensive repairs were made to both wings; replace left outer wing spar, both wing tips, both ailerons, the outer two feet of left leading edge, the outer two and one half feet of the right wing lower surface. This damage occurred as the pilot, Dale Moore, successfully saved the aircraft from total destruction by flying it at full throttle while tied down during a 120+ mph wind storm at the Valdez, AK airport.

In 1994, after 38 years of public service in Alaska, N789 was transferred to the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.

Specifications

• Crew: one pilot
• Capacity: 5 passengers
• Length: 31ft
• Span: 40ft
• Height: 11ft 5in
• Engines: 2 Lycoming geared GO480's reated at 270HP
• Cruise speed: 140 knots

The Widgeon is the smallest member of the Grumman family of amphibious aircraft and was originally intended for the civil market. The first prototype flew in 1940 and over 200 Widgeons were built between 1941 to 1948. The first production aircraft went to the U.S. Navy and during WWII the Widgeon was used as a small patrol, training, and utility aircraft. They also served with the Army Air Force, U.S. Coastguard [sic], and the British Royal Navy who called it the Gosling. A Widgeon flying out of Houma, Louisiana was credited in August 1942, with sinking the first German submarine sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The museum's Widgeon was built in 1943. Its military record and history prior to 1967 is unknown, except that it was on the Canadian registry for a period of time. In 1967 it returned to the States and was modified by McKinnon Enterprises to become a "Super Widgeon". Improvements included two Lycoming GO-480 engines, Hartzell 3 bladed propellers, metalized wings and flaps, and an increase in gross weight to 5500 lbs.

N13122 was donated to the Museum by Mr. and Mrs. James Magoffin who were owners and founders of interior Airways [sic], Alaska International Air, and MarkAir. It was the Magoffins personal aircraft and they enjoyed flying it thoughout Alaska, Canada, and the lower 48.