PBY for Australia

[West-Front]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12...ction=australia

 

A flying relic of WWII and a reminder of the sacrifice Australian airmen made to defend the nation from the Japanese has flown into Darwin.About 170 Catalinas went behind enemy lines during the war to lay mines, undertake bombing runs and do reconnaissance against the Japanese.

 

Most of them were based in northern Australia and more than 300 airmen were killed flying them.

 

The Catalina that's flown into Darwin today wasn't used to defend Australia, but was found in Portugal and lovingly restored by a group of enthusiasts and the Sydney based Catalina Flying Memorial.It uses 400 litres of fuel every hour in-flight and has cost more than $350,000 to restore and bring from Europe to Australia.

 

The Catalina flies to Cairns next and will travel down the east coast until it reaches a museum in Rathmines in New South Wales.It's now the second operational Catalina in Australia, but the only one that can operate from the land and the water.

 

The wrecks of six Catalinas used to defend Australia are in Darwin Harbour.

[General Apathy]

Hi West-Front, one of my favourite airplane the PBY, love the style and lines of its design. Congratulations to the people who have initiated this project and carried it out.

 

Cheers ( Lewis )

[West-Front]

Hi Lewis

 

There will now be two flying examples, this one:

 

http://www.hars.org.au/fleet/catalina/index.html

 

The aircraft is a PBY-6A model, built in 1945 by Consolidated at its New Orleans plant, c/n 2043 and delivered to the US Navy. It was later sold as surplus to the Aircraft Instrument Corporation and placed on the US Civil Register as N9562C. It was later transferred to Chile and flew with several companies until placed in storage in 1960 for twenty years. It was retrieved from storage and began operations as a water bomber with registration CC-CCS. Whilst in service fire fighting the aircraft sank in Lago Guitierrez, Argentina on the 27th of January, 1986. It was salvaged, rebuilt and back in service in 1988. In 1991 it was ferried across the Atlantic for operation by the Spanish land management department ICONA. Subsequently it went on charter to Aerocondor in Portugal.

 

And this most recent example

 

http://www.catalinaflying.org.au/

 

The Catalina Flying Memorial Ltd is bringing back to Australia one of the last airworthy examples of this aircraft and it is to be based at Rathmines, Lake Macquarie NSW.At Rathmines, which is now listed as a heritage site, a museum to commemorate this World War II flying boat base is to be built, and where this Catalina is proposed to be housed.

 

There is also this very fine example in USN markings, sadly not a flyer

 

PBY-5A on display at the RAAFA Museum at Bull Creek Perth West Australia.

[earlymb]

A friend of mine who hunts the entire world for DC3/C47 wrecks for parts found a decaying PBY for sale in Colombia 2 years ago:

 

http://www.avionart.nl/newsletters/colombia/index.html

 

Greetz

 

David

[Bluehawk]

One of the greatest a/c designs ever...