Chuck knew he wanted to keep the Duck as original as possible and
was very confident in the Wichita Air Service staff, especially since
they had prior experience restoring Kermit Weeks’ J2F- 6 model
Duck. He also wasn’t afraid to dirty his own hands and traveled to
Wichita every other month to turn wrenches or bend metal. One of
the first items they obtained was the complete set of microfiche
drawings for the airplane.
“Every part was detailed, and it was all correct to Grumman stan-
dards,” Chuck said. “This was the foundation that made the entire
project possible.”
Chuck used his metal-shaping skills by concentrating on the dif-
ficult compound metal structures and crafted the beautiful engine
ring cowl and wing fairings, as well as producing more than 2,500
rivets that were later used on the project. Chuck professes that his
favorite tools are a sandbag and hammer—and by the looks of his
workmanship he knows what he is talking about. But one of the big-
gest obstacles faced by the restoration team was locating the hull
float portion. Most of the original piece had either rotted away in the
bottom of the lake or was completely unusable. In the end, all it took
was a phone call.
Odd Duck Facts . . .
• In civilian service, a Duck was used as an air taxi, flying
businessmen between New York and Long Island. Other
Ducks served as forest fire fighters and cargo haulers.
• Hollywood Duck appearances include an aerobatic scene
and a rough water takeoff in the movie Murphy’s War,
along with a cameo appearance in the television series
Baa Baa Black Sheep.
• J2F Ducks also served with the Argentinean navy and the
Colombian and Mexican air forces.
• Although never intended as a fighter, later Duck models
carried .30-caliber machine guns. One gun fired
between the cylinders of the engine, while two more
were mounted in the rear cabin and were operated by
the rear gunner. The aircraft could also carry a small
bomb load or depth charges.
• The EAA AirVenture Museum is the proud caretaker of a
J2F- 6 Duck. It was built by the Columbia Aircraft
Corporation in 1944 and served with the USS Franklin
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK COOK
(CV13) during World War II. At one time it was owned by
the famous aviation film company Tallmantz Aviation,
cofounded by movie stunt pilots Frank Tallman and
Paul Mantz.
• Besides Chuck Greenhill’s Duck, the other regularly flying
Duck belongs to fellow EAAer Kermit Weeks of Florida.
He named his J2F- 6 Duck the Candy Clipper.
