25 Apr 2024, 13:39 [ UTC - 5; DST ]
|
Username Protected |
Message |
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 20 Aug 2021, 23:07 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 09/18/15 Posts: 152 Post Likes: +36 Company: DaPlane Flying Co. LTD. Location: North Carolina
Aircraft: Widgeon G44A (IO470)
|
|
Mr Rozendaal. If it’s not too much trouble, may I have some stories on Widgeon flying in Alaska? How is it ornery? I think my Widgeon is the easiest handling airplane that Inhave ever flown. I’ve never been to Alaska, and don’t operate on water. Is it the proposing that I have read about?
Jimmy
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 21 Aug 2021, 09:00 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 05/05/09 Posts: 4966 Post Likes: +4797
Aircraft: G44, C501, C55, R66
|
|
Username Protected wrote: I flew the mighty Widgeon up in Alaska. It's ornery reputation is well deserved, but not unmanageable... All I need is more money... I porpoised my Widgeon once when I first got it and that was 100% because I had no clue what I was doing. The Widgeon porpoise is 100% pilot error and is totally avoidable and fixable. On the land, if you can fly a champ, you can fly a Widgeon. It’s such a great flying airplane. But yes, a pilot without good water instruction, there’s a virtual certainty of a violent and scary porpoise they caused! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GzRbD54L3mA
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 21 Aug 2021, 10:31 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 03/17/08 Posts: 6073 Post Likes: +12507 Location: KMCW
Aircraft: B55 PII,F-1,L-2,OTW,
|
|
Username Protected wrote: Mr Rozendaal. If it’s not too much trouble, may I have some stories on Widgeon flying in Alaska? How is it ornery? I think my Widgeon is the easiest handling airplane that Inhave ever flown. I’ve never been to Alaska, and don’t operate on water. Is it the proposing that I have read about?
Jimmy First off, I have a grand total of 1 short hour in the Widgeon, all on the water. But in that time I was introduced to porpoising on both sides of the sweet spot. The whole secret is to fly the pitch very precisely. If you push the nose over too soon coming out of the hole, you can find yourself nose high going too slow, and if you let the nose down too far, it will porpoise. The pitch window of proper operation on the water is about 1/2 inch on the bow cleat. A very cool airplane.
_________________ Tailwinds, Doug Rozendaal MCW Be Nice, Kind, I don't care, be something, just don't be a jerk ;-)
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 21 Aug 2021, 14:08 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 05/05/09 Posts: 4966 Post Likes: +4797
Aircraft: G44, C501, C55, R66
|
|
Username Protected wrote: Mr Rozendaal. If it’s not too much trouble, may I have some stories on Widgeon flying in Alaska? How is it ornery? I think my Widgeon is the easiest handling airplane that Inhave ever flown. I’ve never been to Alaska, and don’t operate on water. Is it the proposing that I have read about?
Jimmy First off, I have a grand total of 1 short hour in the Widgeon, all on the water. But in that time I was introduced to porpoising on both sides of the sweet spot. The whole secret is to fly the pitch very precisely. If you push the nose over too soon coming out of the hole, you can find yourself nose high going too slow, and if you let the nose down too far, it will porpoise. The pitch window of proper operation on the water is about 1/2 inch on the bow cleat. A very cool airplane.
Perfect assessment!
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 22 Aug 2021, 09:15 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 05/22/16 Posts: 58 Post Likes: +44
Aircraft: CC EX-3
|
|
I have a few porpoise stories from my ownership. I was always able to chop the power and ride it out before anything bad happened. A boat wake or two will be a handful. Mine was a straight hull model, I have read and was told the "A" model is more forgiving. For a while Grumman did some research on the problem, and built a test airplane called the "Petulant Porpoise". The longer hull Goose, Mallard, and Albatross apparently were not so sensitive.
I could easily believe that some of my problems were due to an inadequate checkout from an arrogant seller.
The story is that a porpoise gone too far is what sank Jimmy Buffet's Widgeon.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 25 Sep 2021, 21:24 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 11/19/19 Posts: 166 Post Likes: +157 Company: Airline Maintenance Service In Location: KMQY
Aircraft: BE58, G44, C185
|
|
Finally got to play on the water some after numerous vintage aircraft setbacks. Currently at about a 7:1 work to fly ratio.
Please login or Register for a free account via the link in the red bar above to download files.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 26 Sep 2021, 08:43 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 05/05/09 Posts: 4966 Post Likes: +4797
Aircraft: G44, C501, C55, R66
|
|
Username Protected wrote: Finally got to play on the water some after numerous vintage aircraft setbacks. Currently at about a 7:1 work to fly ratio. Love it! I think yours might have been modified to Cessna 402 cowlings? Also, it’s very unique to have the top doors. I believe this means it was originally delivered to the US Coast Guard.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 26 Sep 2021, 10:52 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: 01/28/13 Posts: 6053 Post Likes: +4019 Location: Indiana
Aircraft: C195, D17S, M20TN
|
|
Username Protected wrote: I flew the mighty Widgeon up in Alaska. It's ornery reputation is well deserved, but not unmanageable... All I need is more money... Bigger hangar too Doug
_________________ Chuck KEVV
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 26 Sep 2021, 13:30 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 11/19/19 Posts: 166 Post Likes: +157 Company: Airline Maintenance Service In Location: KMQY
Aircraft: BE58, G44, C185
|
|
That's correct, V219 delivered to to the USCG June of 1942 to San Diego. From the research done this is one of 3 of the original 25 CG aircraft still flyable and the only one left with the original hatches. Aircraft has some really interesting history that I hope to document as part of the restoration.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 26 Sep 2021, 13:53 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 11/19/19 Posts: 166 Post Likes: +157 Company: Airline Maintenance Service In Location: KMQY
Aircraft: BE58, G44, C185
|
|
Yes, that's the plan. Although I may take some liberties and use the pre-war scheme. Technically this was delivered with the rather bland gray/silver all over scheme. The pre-war scheme has the yellow wings and red/white/blue rudder.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 26 Sep 2021, 14:00 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 11/19/19 Posts: 166 Post Likes: +157 Company: Airline Maintenance Service In Location: KMQY
Aircraft: BE58, G44, C185
|
|
These are the two military schemes used for the CG widgeons.
Please login or Register for a free account via the link in the red bar above to download files.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 26 Sep 2021, 20:14 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 11/19/19 Posts: 166 Post Likes: +157 Company: Airline Maintenance Service In Location: KMQY
Aircraft: BE58, G44, C185
|
|
I've looked it doesn't. It was basically totally rebuilt with new skins, stringers, etc in 1985 and I suspect they no longer saw the need.
|
|
Top |
|
Username Protected
|
Post subject: Re: Widgeon Journey Posted: 08 Feb 2022, 10:50 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: 11/19/19 Posts: 166 Post Likes: +157 Company: Airline Maintenance Service In Location: KMQY
Aircraft: BE58, G44, C185
|
|
Making a little progress this winter. Removed all of the interior panels and working on the insulation and GLUE. Starting the annual and so far I'm really impressed at the lack of any corrosion.
The brakes are modified from a 1939 Dodge master cylinder. However instead of a cast iron housing Wagner made these out of machined steel and pressed sheet for the reservoir. The insides use the same components and while I was able to find some NOS Wagner rebuild kits the seals don't like MIL-H-5606 mineral fluid. So it was either convert to some sort of off the shelf Parker set up or fire up the lathe and make an owner produced part that will incorporate commercially available Nitrile/Buna-N seals. I'm trying to keep things as original as possible and the work to make the parts is actually probably less than modifying the whole system and trying to get a field approval.
The piston pictured is my prototype in aluminum to check seal operation and clearances. I will clean up the design some, requires inside and outside taper and once all is figured out I'll make two out of bronze.
It's slow going but fun to know I'm setting it up for a long service life.
Please login or Register for a free account via the link in the red bar above to download files.
|
|
Top |
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
|
Terms of Service | Forum FAQ | Contact Us
BeechTalk, LLC is the quintessential Beechcraft Owners & Pilots Group providing a
forum for the discussion of technical, practical, and entertaining issues relating to all Beech aircraft. These include
the Bonanza (both V-tail and straight-tail models), Baron, Debonair, Duke, Twin Bonanza, King Air, Sierra, Skipper, Sport, Sundowner,
Musketeer, Travel Air, Starship, Queen Air, BeechJet, and Premier lines of airplanes, turboprops, and turbojets.
BeechTalk, LLC is not affiliated or endorsed by the Beechcraft Corporation, its subsidiaries, or affiliates.
Beechcraft™, King Air™, and Travel Air™ are the registered trademarks of the Beechcraft Corporation.
Copyright© BeechTalk, LLC 2007-2024
|
|
|
|