Grumman J2F-6 Duck   N1214N        

                                             

                                                    Developed from the 1930s Grumman JF-1, the Duck was a general utility seaplane powered by
                                                    an 850 hp Wright R-1820-50.    Despite all that power it was still a bit of a dog, performance-
                                                    wise although some Ducks performed heroically, especially in the Pacific theater during WW II.
                                                    A handful made their way onto the civilian market.  I shot this image of the former BuAer 33549
                                                    at Long Beach in 1962.  It is currently still flying, I believe, and is now owned by Kermit Weeks
                                                    in Florida, suitably adorned, of course, as a "warbird".                                       
                                                    The shot below, from Grumman Aircraft, and taken at Bethpage in the 1940s, depicts an earlier
                                                    J2F-4 destined for the Argentine Navy, although devoid of identtiy other than the national insignia.
                                                    I include it since it illustrates the main features of this unusual (a polite way of saying "ugly") bird.