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The Grumman J2F Duck is one of the most charismatic aircraft ever produced and is renowned for its search and rescue missions before and during World War II. Only a few Ducks survive today and one of these is J2F-6 NL5SF/BuNo.33594. Owned and restored by well-known warbird enthusiast, Tom Friedkin, the Duck is currently on display at the Planes of Fame Grand Canyon facility at Valle-Williams, AZ. This aircraft is not the one that starred in the movie “Murphy’s War,” nor in the T.V. series “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” Steve Hinton, President of the Planes of Fame, flew the aircraft into Valle in early February. Apparently, this landing was a little tricky due to the winds and the fact that the pilot has very limited visibility on approach due to the long nose and the front of the float impeding vision! These photos were taken by kind permission of the Museum Director, Bob Reed and I’d like to thank him for allowing me to present them to you! Please note that as a restored aircraft, some of the fixtures and fittings are non-standard; however, the structure is definitely original and will assist with the making of the recent Classic Airframes models. Be sure to visit the
Planes of Fame Museum at: Captions: Duck01 and 02 – Overview of J2F-6. Duck03 – Close up of front of aircraft. Duck04 – View of starboard front fuselage. Duck05 – Close up of starboard front fuselage. Note the small open hatch – this gives access to the canopy opening/closing mechanism. Author in cockpit. Duck06 and 07 – Starboard fuselage. Note the steps and handholds for access to the lower compartment and cockpits. Duck08 – Port fuselage. Duck09 – Float detail – this is under the port wing and just aft of the wheel well. Note the oil drips. Duck10 – Forward float detail. The thick black line is the normal waterline. Duck11 – Rigging detail. All the rigging is “aerodynamic” – that is, flattened. Duck12 – Tail detail. The aerial is modern. Duck13 – Bomb rack close up. Duck14 – Outer float close up. Note the bracing wires. Duck15 – Starboard main undercarriage detail. Duck16 – Starboard wheel well. The large gray object is a 40-gallon auxiliary fuel tank. The main fuel tanks are in the central float. Duck17 and 18 – Port undercarriage details. Duck19 – Port wheel close up. I had to lie on the floor under the main float for this shot! Duck20 – Tail wheel close up. This unit is on the rear of the central float. The hinged doors acted in unison as a waterbrake or independently as rudders. The tailwheel is retractable. Duck21 – Close up of Wright R-1820-54 engine and Hamilton Standard propeller. Duck22 – Another view of the rigging. Duck23 to 25 – Inside the lower passenger compartment, looking forward. A small forward- sliding hatch on each side of the lower fuselage accesses this area. Note that many of the fittings are non-original. Duck26 and 27 – The rear seat of the lower fuselage compartment. The dark gray object is part of the structure of the observer’s seat. Standing up inside this compartment is aided by the fact that the observer’s seat folds upwards. Duck28 to 31 – Looking forward from inside the observer’s position. Note the rudimentary flight controls – the top of the stick is removable and stored on the port fuselage side next to the observer! Unfortunately, my photos of this area didn’t turn out, but I will rectify this next time I am at the museum. Duck32 and 33 – Observer’s instrument panel – rudimentary to say the least! Note that the shelf above the panel would contain radios in a service aircraft. The back of the pilot’s seat is visible, as is the partition between the pilot and observer. Duck34 and 35 – Looking from the observer’s compartment down each side of the pilot’s seat. This shows some of the sidewall detail. Duck36 – Port cockpit sidewall. Duck37 and 38 – Main Instrument Panel. Note the modern radios, but otherwise standard instrumentation. Duck39 – Author clambers up the starboard
wing walk! The pilot’s position is rather high off the ground. There are
steps and handholds to assist. |
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