Gweduck
Role 4-passenger amphibious aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Ellison-Mahon Aircraft
Designer Ben Ellison, Bryan Mahon
First flight 2 May 2009
Number built 1

The Ellison-Mahon Gweduck or Geoduck is an American twin-engine amphibious aircraft, built from composites to resemble the Grumman Widgeon.

Gweduck instrument panel

Design and development

The Gweduck is a re-engined "re-creation" in modern composite materials of the early 1940s Grumman G-44 Widgeon. The name can also be written Geoduck and is not named for a bird, but a large clam. Although it is broadly similar to the Widgeon and follows its cantilever high-wing monoplane, twin engined, cruciform tail and tailwheel undercarriage layout, it has more powerful engines, retractable floats, more cabin windows and is larger all around.[1][2][3]

The Gweduck's structure is formed from glass and carbon fibre. Its high wings are trapezoidal in plan, fitted with externally balanced ailerons and Fowler flaps. Each wing has a float mounted below it on a single, wide chord strut which rotates through 90° after take-off to place the float at the wing tip. A pair of 300 hp (220 kW) Lycoming IO-540 six cylinder horizontally opposed engines are mounted forward of the wing leading edge with their thrust lines above the upper surface. The Gweduck has a single step hull, with the pilots' cabin just forward of the wing leading edge; behind them, the passenger cabin has four windows on each side. Tail surfaces are straight edged, the tailplane trapezoidal and the fin leading edge swept, with a horn balanced rudder and externally mass balanced elevators. On land the Gweduck uses a conventional undercarriage, with mainwheels that retract but remain exposed in the fuselage sides and a tailwheel that retracts behind doors in the extreme rear fuselage.[1]

The first flight was on 2 May 2009 from Lake Washington. By June 2010, 200 flying hours had been logged.[4]

Operational history

By April 2017, one example, the prototype, had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.[5]

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010/12[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two pilots
  • Capacity: 4 passengers
  • Length: 34 ft 5 in (10.49 m)
  • Wingspan: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m) floats down
  • Height: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) propellers "Y"
  • Wing area: 295.0 sq ft (27.41 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 7.8
  • Airfoil: GA35U-A315
  • Empty weight: 4,200 lb (1,905 kg) prototype
  • Max takeoff weight: 5,999 lb (2,721 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 167 Imp gal (200 US gal; 758 L)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Lycoming IO-540-M1B5 flat-six piston, 300 hp (220 kW) each
  • Propellers: 3-bladed MT-propeller MTV-9-B-C-F-R(M)/CFR213-59

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 160 mph (250 km/h, 130 kn) at 65% power at 915 m (3000 ft)
  • Wing loading: 20.3 lb/sq ft (99.3 kg/m2) maximum
  • Power/mass: 164 W/kg (0.10 hp/lb)

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jackson, Paul (2011). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011-12. Coulsdon, Surrey: IHS Jane's. pp. 735–6. ISBN 978-0-7106-2955-5.
  2. ↑ Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. p. 262. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.
  3. ↑ Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 110. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  4. ↑ "Project news". Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (5 April 2017). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved 5 April 2017.
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