Aircraft model
GRUMMAN G-44
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Grumman G-44 Widgeon is a five-seat twin-engined amphibian from 1941, smaller than the Goose and built for private and light commercial use. It has a hull, retractable wheels and two engines mounted high on the wing, and it operated airline services in the Caribbean and Alaska for decades.
It is bought by people who want a classic amphibian and are prepared for what that means. The original Ranger inline engines are a serious problem — out of production, scarce parts, few shops — and a great many Widgeons have been converted to Lycoming GO-480 or Continental radial power under supplemental type certificate, which transforms supportability and value. Establish which engines are fitted first. Hull integrity and corrosion are the dominant inspection items on any amphibian.
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Put GRUMMAN G-44 side by side with up to two other models.
- GRUMMAN G-44
What it is
| Seats | 5 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Ranger L-440C-5 (inline) |
| Horsepower | 200 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1941 |
| Production end | 1949 |
| Endorsements required | complex;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 120 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,600 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 58 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 5 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,285 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 637 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,525 lb |
| Empty weight | 3,240 lb |
| Usable fuel | 108 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 22.4 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $280,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $790,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $40,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $72,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 111 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 53 |
| Median year built | 1943.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 18.87 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 18.87 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 22.64 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 53 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 53 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 53 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 0.4 of 103 |
| Support | 4.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.4 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 28.74 · 56 models in class.
- Severity: class median 33.33.
- Access: class median 2,812.25.
- Support: class median 57.
- Liquidity: class median 21.91.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.