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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Widgeon was Grumman's smaller counterpart to the Goose. High-mounted twin engines kept the propellers above the water, and retractable landing gear allowed it to use runways as well as sheltered waterways.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Learning that a flying boat is also a boat
Schiff flew Merrill Wien’s Widgeon and received a water checkout at Lake Whatcom. He was struck by its substantial construction and by a cockpit whose overhead and rear controls needed deliberate familiarisation. On land the aircraft seemed a well-mannered taildragger; on water it demanded a different set of skills, including managing direction through unequal engine thrust.
Real G-44 with modified propellers; water checkout with Merrill Wien. AOPA Pilot, March 2000.
AOPA · Read more ↗Manual and ground handling information
The product page links its v1.2 pilot manual and a changelog, and gives separate advice about ground steering for users without toe brakes. That file-based adjustment is explicitly limited to non-Marketplace versions because Marketplace files are protected. Consult the developer’s current instructions for the installed version.
Grumman G-44A Widgeon · Flysimware · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Flysimware · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Iain Christie · 17 min ·
Grumman Widgeon First Impressions and Review
A first-impressions review of Flysimware's Widgeon in MSFS 2020.
Simulator · Flysimware Widgeon · MSFS 2020
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Grumman G-44 Widgeon
The Widgeon was Grumman's smaller counterpart to the Goose. High-mounted twin engines kept the propellers above the water, and retractable landing gear allowed it to use runways as well as sheltered waterways.
Military versions served as the J4F and Gosling. The postwar G-44A revised the hull. Many surviving aircraft have replacement engines or propellers, including Super Widgeon conversions that differ from the original Ranger-powered configuration.
Grumman G-44 Widgeon
Grumman → · Explore the family →
Grumman G-44 Widgeon
Wikipedia contributors · Grumman G-44 Widgeon background ↗Flysimware · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A smaller Grumman amphibian
The G-44 first flew in 1940 and entered both American and British wartime service. Civil use continued after the war, alongside production of the revised G-44A. Later engine conversions helped keep the family useful long after original production ended.
Wikipedia contributors · Grumman G-44 Widgeon background ↗Real-aircraft family history
Pilot accounts
Learning that a flying boat is also a boat
Schiff flew Merrill Wien’s Widgeon and received a water checkout at Lake Whatcom. He was struck by its substantial construction and by a cockpit whose overhead and rear controls needed deliberate familiarisation. On land the aircraft seemed a well-mannered taildragger; on water it demanded a different set of skills, including managing direction through unequal engine thrust.
The account’s most vivid contrast is between pleasant airborne handling and the precision needed on the water. Schiff describes learning to control the Widgeon’s tendency to porpoise and watching Wien manage it with practised ease. The tested aircraft’s constant-speed, feathering propellers are an important qualification: its behaviour cannot be assumed to represent every original fixed-pitch Widgeon.
Real G-44 with modified propellers; water checkout with Merrill Wien. AOPA Pilot, March 2000.
Read the full account · AOPA ↗A Super Widgeon kept flying through generations
Van Wagnen’s Widgeon had already lived through commercial service, damage and rebuilding before he and his wife bought it. He had first flown it much earlier and had helped maintain it before becoming its owner. Their work turned it into a Super Widgeon with more powerful Lycoming engines, additional fuel capacity and plans for a modernised panel.
In Hirschman’s account of a friendly comparison with a Piaggio Gull, Van Wagnen values the Grumman’s light, responsive handling and the possibility of long trips. He is equally clear about its demanding water behaviour. Training and familiarity are central to his affection for it. This is a highly modified survivor, with a personal history and configuration that distinguish it from a stock Ranger-powered aircraft.
Owner/instructor’s converted Super Widgeon; AOPA Pilot, December 2021. Reported interview, not a stock G-44A flight test.
Read the full account · AOPA ↗Surprisingly light controls and an airpark welcome
Rankin’s hour in Chester Lawson’s Widgeon was part of his project to experience a different aircraft each week. He found it unexpectedly responsive, with light control inputs producing a clear reaction rather than the soft response he associated with some other aircraft. He also recognised that this sensitivity could invite overcorrection from someone unfamiliar with it.
The visit introduced him to life at Spruce Creek as well as to the aircraft. He had expected to drive from Lawson’s home to an airport, only to discover a neighbourhood where hangars and taxiways formed part of everyday life. His account combines a brief handling impression with the social world around seaplane flying; it does not identify a stock engine or propeller configuration.
One-hour real Widgeon flight with instructor Chester Lawson, reported by SRQ on 23 February 2017.
Read the full account · SRQ Magazine ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024Grumman G-44A Widgeon
Flysimware · Released
Grumman G-44A Widgeon
Flysimware · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 40 ft Original G-44; not a Super Widgeon conversion |
| Length | 31 ft 1 in Original G-44; not a Super Widgeon conversion |
| Original engines | 2 × Ranger L-440-5 Original G-44; not a Super Widgeon conversion |
| Rated power | 200 hp per engine Original G-44; not a Super Widgeon conversion |
Manuals & resources
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Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Manual and ground handling informationGrumman G-44A Widgeon · Flysimware · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The product page links its v1.2 pilot manual and a changelog, and gives separate advice about ground steering for users without toe brakes. That file-based adjustment is explicitly limited to non-Marketplace versions because Marketplace files are protected. Consult the developer’s current instructions for the installed version.
Product page: User Manuals and Latest Info
Flysimware · Read the source ↗Hydraulic levers and hardware assignmentsGrumman G-44A Widgeon · Flysimware · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The manual describes an optional realistic hydraulic mode on the copilot-seat clipboard. In this mode, the gear and flap levers must be held while the mechanism moves; releasing a lever closes its valve. Flysimware warns that a persistent hardware gear assignment conflicts with this option and recommends a separate control profile. The documented manual pump and lever-lock tabs provide a simulated alternative when the left-engine hydraulic supply is unavailable.
Flysimware manual v1.2, MSFS 2020: clipboard settings and hydraulic operation; developer documentation, not a runtime hardware test.
Flysimware · Read the source ↗An amphibian with a conventional instrument panelGrumman G-44A Widgeon · Flysimware · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Flysimware represents the postwar G-44A. Its listed equipment includes a GNS 530, GTX327 transponder, GMA 340 audio panel, ADF and DME. The developer also describes an interactive copilot checklist, rain and icing effects, and parked-aircraft equipment such as chocks, tie-downs and engine plugs.
Official MSFS product description
Flysimware · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Learning that a flying boat is also a boatReal G-44 with modified propellers; water checkout with Merrill Wien. AOPA Pilot, March 2000.
Schiff flew Merrill Wien’s Widgeon and received a water checkout at Lake Whatcom. He was struck by its substantial construction and by a cockpit whose overhead and rear controls needed deliberate familiarisation. On land the aircraft seemed a well-mannered taildragger; on water it demanded a different set of skills, including managing direction through unequal engine thrust. The account’s most vivid contrast is between pleasant airborne handling and the precision needed on the water.
Barry Schiff
AOPA · Read the source ↗A Super Widgeon kept flying through generationsOwner/instructor’s converted Super Widgeon; AOPA Pilot, December 2021. Reported interview, not a stock G-44A flight test.
Van Wagnen’s Widgeon had already lived through commercial service, damage and rebuilding before he and his wife bought it. He had first flown it much earlier and had helped maintain it before becoming its owner. Their work turned it into a Super Widgeon with more powerful Lycoming engines, additional fuel capacity and plans for a modernised panel.
Brian Van Wagnen, interviewed by Dave Hirschman
AOPA · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Grumman G-44A Widgeon MSFS 2020 manual v1.2 (ZIP)Flysimware · Official v1.2 manual, pages 6–8; checked 13 September 2026. Describes the MSFS 2020 product.Aircraft background
Grumman G-44 Widgeon backgroundWikipedia contributors · Family background; article retrieved 13 September 2026Product page
Grumman G-44A WidgeonFlysimware · Official product page; checked 13 September 2026Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 3 profile choices
Flysimware G44A Widgeon
Flysimware · Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Flysimware G44A Widgeon: The selected yoke resistance accompanies the smaller amphibious twin.
Flysimware G44A Widgeon Water Operations
Flysimware · Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Flysimware G44A Widgeon Water Operations: The selected yoke resistance accompanies the smaller amphibious twin.
Grumman G-44 Widgeon
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Grumman G-44 Widgeon: The selected yoke resistance accompanies the smaller amphibious twin.
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