The Grumman G-44 Widgeon is a small, five-person, twin-engine, SPECIFICATIONS amphibious aircraft named after the North American widgeon, a species of duck.

The Widgeon was designated J4F by the United States Navy and Coast Guard and OA-14 by the United States Army Air Forces. The Widgeon was originally designed for the civil market, but the USAAF impressed 16 into service early in the war. Widgeons were produced from 1940 to 1949; 276 were built by Grumman, including 176 for the military.

They were used during World War II as a small patrol and utility aircraft by the U.S. Army Air Forces, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and by the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. The first production military aircraft went to the U.S. Navy as an anti-submarine aircraft. The British Royal Navy gave the aircraft the service name Gosling. The Widgeon was also flown operationally in an antisubmarine role by the Civil Air Patrol.

This aircraft, military serial # 1429 and civilian registration N663G, is an air worthy G-44A Super Widgeon. It is one of 76 built beginning 1945 and one of 50 that were converted to Super Widgeon configuration. It is powered by two 340 hp Lycoming GO-480 GID6 engines with provides the Super Widgeon with a maximum speed of 160 mph, a range of 800 miles and a service ceiling of 18,000 ft. There are 28 FAA airworthy Widgeons in operation today.