Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands is my most visited destination as it is only a 10 minute flight from my home base and it is an awesome place. I had known about the old Grumman Widgeon that was once owned by the well know author Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingstone Seagull) and had sat idle in the back of a hangar on Orcas Island for the last 10 years gathering dust. It had recently changed owners and I had seen the new owner tinkering with it on and off over the last few years. The goal was to get it flying again, but I figured it would remain right where it sat more as a dream than a reality.

A few weeks ago I was on one of my Orcas trips and lo and behold there was the old Grumman sitting outside the hangar with a couple a folks doing what appeared to be an actual pre-flight inspection. I needed to do some more investigating. Yep, after 10 years, they were going to see if it would fly once again!

Both engines were started and I thought that this might really happen. However, after taxiing the plane over to the fuel pumps and putting a adequate amount of fuel in the tanks my hopes of seeing it fly sank. Avgas was literally pouring out of the wing exiting somewhere behind the port engine. The flight was called off for now. I gave up and walked into town for some grub disappointed that I would likely miss seeing the fist flight of the old bird.

About two hours later I returned to fly back to KBLI and there was the Grumman back out on the ramp. I was informed that the leak was fixed good enough to proceed with the flight. The owner and his mechanic taxied the old Grumman to the end of 34, did an extended run-up, lined her up and gave it the gas. It took off like it was waiting all the time for this day to be back doing what it does best.

They did a short flight around the patch and came back for an uneventful landing. The plan is for the new owner to take the Widgeon up to his cabin in Alaska to use for recreation. I can't think of a better place for it. It's really good to see a plane like this be brought back to flying condition by someone who plans on using it.

Widgeon is a great little airplane. Good on him for getting it going again. Not a simple airplane by light airplane standards, but Grumman Bridge and Iron Works knew how to build airplanes.

Thanks for the update, it's always nice to see an old war horse come back to life.

MTV

We'd work the Goose pretty hard but even good pilots could have a bad day on it. The Widgeon always looked even more short-coupled , too squirrelly on water or land, just plain scary to me. Crosswind, cross current, docking (though I see this one has the retract floats), rough water, OEI fun....We have one on our airport that flies occasionally, I hold my breath.

Karmutzen wrote:We'd work the Goose pretty hard but even good pilots could have a bad day on it. The Widgeon always looked even more short-coupled , too squirrelly on water or land, just plain scary to me. Crosswind, cross current, docking (though I see this one has the retract floats), rough water, OEI fun....We have one on our airport that flies occasionally, I hold my breath.

Which reminds me of sitting in the Weathered Inn at Cold Bay with Swede Erickson and Orin Siebert. Swede, a high time Goose pilot, was being checked out in Orin's Super Widgeon. I'd been watching much of the transition out in the bay in front of my house....not pretty.

I asked Swede how he liked the Widgeon. He responded "It's a God Damn kiddie car! The Goose, she's a boat, but that thing is a kiddie car." Orin insisted that Swede would learn to love the Widgeon. Never happened.

Goose is a great airplane, very forgiving. The Super Widgeon has a bit of a rep, apparently well deserved, though I've flown in them a good bit, I've never flown one.

But the Goose.....she's a boat.

MTV

Couple years ago, I heard that someone from Floathaven on Lake Whatcom had bought a Widgeon from the vintage museum at Concrete, the one that "Walter Widgeon" up there used to own. They tinkered on it some, then flew off into the sunset. I haven't heard anything about it since, so dunno if they landed it on the lake, at KBLI, or just where. Hopefully they'll get her restored to her former glory.

FWIW I believe Merrill Wien on Orcas owns or used to own a Widgeon. Barry Schiff did a story about it in AOPA Pilot magazine some years ago. His was painted in military (Navy or USCG) colors, & had the stock Rangers and fixed-pitch props.

Another Widgeon (a Scan 30, actually) was purchased from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in 2014 and is now flying out of Boundary Bay, BC.

Chris

I remember Richard coming in to Bellingham with his Derringer a few times when I ran the shop there. He came in and talked to me and was a super nice guy.
I wondered what had happened to Walt's widgeon. Last time I saw it was at Concrete, after he'd had a little incident with it...that was a lot of years ago. I can't imagine that Lane is still around at floathaven...
John

hotrod180 wrote:I believe Merrill Wien on Orcas owns or used to own a Widgeon. Barry Schiff did a story about it in AOPA Pilot magazine some years ago. His was painted in military (Navy or USCG) colors, & had the stock Rangers and fixed-pitch props.

Merrill owned that plane for some time, then his son, Kurt, who posts on here as G-44 (the Grumman designation for the Widgeon, by the way) owned it for some time as well. It is Ranger equipped, so not a "Super Widgeon", but a beautiful airplane. Painted in Coast Guard livery.

MTV