http://www.catalina.org.uk/ All the latest Catalina PBY5A News from around the World Copyright © 2007 noreply@mpinder.com Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:08:00 GMT 20 Subdreamer RSS Syndicator For an old aeroplane, it is surprising how much activity and news it is still possible to report on in each issue of The Catalina News!  This web version of World Catalina News is adapted from the hard copy that appears in Issue 72 (October 2009) of the magazine sent to Society members. The last active PBY water bomber in the world, unless another example is resurrected, was PBY-6A N85U, a Wright R-2600 Cyclone-equipped Super Cat operated by Flying Fireman Inc in Washington State in the USA.  Although apparently retired from active fire fighting some months ago, it is still very much airworthy and has been active this summer in the Pacific Northwest.  On Friday September 18th, it flew into the old US Navy seaplane base at Whidbey Island, landing on the water and then taxiing up the old flying boat ramp before an appreciative crowd.  After a week’s stay it moved on to Paine Field, Washington for the Vintage Aircraft Weekend there and during the displays it carried out two water drops.  See our next magazine for the full story and more photos! A fine photo showing PBY-6A N85U carrying out a simulated fire fighting run at Paine Field, Wa. In late-September this year Photo: Heijo Kuil http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/33 David Legg Latest News Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:14:47 GMT Yet again there is plenty to report in the way of PBY happenings around the world.  In fact, this really is a bumper edition so fasten seatbelts and off we go....to Rand in South Africa for starters where work on the former RCAF Canso A C-FPQO has moved on somewhat since the last time I reported on it.  After arrival in South Africa in 2000, little flying activity was seen and the aircraft sat outside for a long period, interspersed only with the news that a Swaziland registration, 3D-PBY, had been reserved for it.  The Canadian registration meanwhile lapsed.  The aircraft was sold to Steve Hamilton and John Siebold and local company Springbok Aviation Services have been restoring the Canso to airworthiness on their behalf.  Work has included the complete overhaul of the engines, one locally and one in the USA, the eradication of minor corrosion on the rear hull and around starboard front lift strut, the complete refurbishment of the cockpit area including the overhaul of instruments and a re-paint.  Externally, work has started on a new colour scheme to replace the previous white overall with blue trim.  By early-April, the new paint job was part finished and it was expected to be completed by the end of the month.  The superb photo published on our inside front cover was taken by Bruce Perkins on April 4th and shows the forward hull still in primer whilst the rear hull is light grey with ‘Aéronavale-style’ red, white and blue rudder flash and yellow trim on the outer wings.  It will be fascinating to see what the end result looks like!  Bruce says that the aircraft is referred to as 3D-PBY locally and he believes that it may well fly under that registration when the time comes.The Canso A currently under restoration to fly again at Rand in South Africa seen part-way through its re-paint in April this year.  Last formally registered as C-FPQO in Canada, it may fly next with the Swaziland identity 3D-PBY Photo: Bruce Perkins http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/32 David Legg Latest News Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:09:21 GMT A new work by Catalina Society historian David Legg. Designed for the peacetime United States Navy in the mid 1930s, the Catalina was beginning to face obsolescence by the end end of that decade. However the advent of WWII brought rejuvenation for the type and PBYs served with distinction throughout the war. However, there is a substantial part of the Catalina story that in the past has only received a brief mention in other works and that is its operation in peacetime. http://www.catalina.org.uk/press-video/p2_articleid/8 David Legg Press & Video Sat, 16 May 2009 15:12:20 GMT It has been my intention for some time now to put ... http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/23 David Legg Latest News Thu, 14 May 2009 13:37:40 GMT First a brief reminder that this column is taken with slight variations, from The Catalina News, the magazine received by paid-up members of The Catalina Society. The magazine itself is full of articles devoted to Catalinas past and present, military and commercial of which World Catalina News is just one.The last few months have been extraordinary for the amount of PBY activity around the world.  Not only are a number of restoration projects proceeding but two aircraft have flown again after periods on the deck and one of these has accomplished a long, long delivery flight in order to start a new life in Australia.  Another has reached its future long-term home after a protracted delivery, albeit by sea, not air and yet another has been recovered from it remote crash site and will hopefully receive a new lease of life as a museum exhibit bin due course.Let’s start with the incredible ferry flight of PBY-6A N160AT from Portugal to Australia.  This is fact the aircraft featured elsewhere within this issue as the aircraft that Snr Roberto Parragué flew (as CC-CNP) from Chile to Tahiti and back in 1965.  Later it became a water bomber and flew as such in Chile, Spain and Portugal before being retired and stored at Seia in Portugal.  Acquired a while back by the Australian group The Catalina Flying Memorial Ltd, it encountered engine problems that kept it grounded for several months but eventually, on November 15th, it left Seia bound for Salamanca, Spain on the first leg of its long journey and it eventually arrived at Bankstown in Australia at 2.00 pm on Sunday, December 7th.  Incredibly, prior to landing at Bankstown, the crew were confident enough in their aircraft to carry out a water touchdown, skimming the surface of Lake Macquarie at Rathmines before continuing on!  Initially registered in Australia as VH-DUL, the intended marks of VH-CAT were later freed up but this registration was subsequently cancelled on September 4th and the ferry flight was made under the US registration N160AT, the quoted owner on the US Civil Aircraft Register being Nystrom Intenational of Blaine, Idaho to whom it was formerly registered on September 23rd.  This brief summary does not do justice to the effort put in by all concerned and the project will be the subject of a more detailed article in the May 2009 edition of The Catalina News magazine.PBY-6A N160AT makes its triumphant ‘splash down’ on Lake Macquarie on December 7th toward the end of its ferry flight from PortugalPhoto: Mike Usher http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/31 David Legg Latest News Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:07:11 GMT The latest round-up of Catalina happenings around the globe.  As usual, this feature is based on the original version published in The Catalina News, the journal of The Catalina Society and written by magazine Editor, David Legg.PBY-6A N285RA has been a regular feature in our column over the years as we have followed it through periods of storage around Great Britain (Castle Donington, Exeter, Biggin Hill and North Weald - twice) and then its aborted delivery flight to the Israeli Air Force Museum at Hatzerim, a flight that was terminated at Beauvais, north of Paris after engine failure.  After being stored at Beauvais for some time, the airframe was dismantled and, as I reported in my last column, it was trucked out of France to Antwerp in Belgium in late-February 2008 on the first stage of its onward journey to Israel by surface transport.  It left Antwerp by ship on the 7th May and this latest episode in its history came to an end on 12th May when it arrived at the port of Ashdod, several days ahead of its original schedule (this must be the first time that anything has happened early for this Catalina!).  It was unloaded and, after clearance by customs, was trucked to the IDFAF museum at Hatzerim, arriving there on June 12th.  The Catalina consists of sections, namely hull, wing centre-sections and outer panels, engines, props, rudder, horizontal tail and elevators.  The sections of wing trailing edge are apparently broken in more than one place.  Some wing damage was caused during the tie-down process on the ship used for transportation.  Rumours of disagreements within the museum hierarchy about the manner in which the Catalina was delivered to Hatzerim have surfaced and it has to be wondered if this seemingly ill-fated PBY will ever be restored!  However, it is known that re-assembly has been carried out by a team of engineers from IAI (Israel Aircraft Industries) so who knows, perhaps there is hope! PBY-6A N285RA shortly after arrival at Hatzerim, Israel.  Note the triangular bombardier’s window common to all PBY-6A variants. Photo: Tsahi Ben-Ami http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/30 David Legg Latest News Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:57:32 GMT We\'ve just added a number of new items to our Gift... http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/29 Mike Pinder Latest News Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:33:40 GMT Yet again I seem to have been able to produce an article full of news about surviving Catalinas and changes to that population – not bad for an aircraft whose remaining examples are all now in excess of 63 years old! The hull of PBY-6A N285RA shown in Antwerp on route to Israelvia Ron Mak In Europe, the main news concerns the PBY-6A N285RA. I have reported on this aircraft on many occasions in the past and it will be familiar to many as the orange Catalina that was resident at both Biggin Hill and North Weald for many years. Acquired for the Israeli Defence Force Air Force (IDFAF) Museum with help from Boeing some time ago, a delivery flight from North Weald to Israel in May 2004 was thwarted by engine problems that necessitated a precautionary landing at Beauvais, north of Paris. Then, bad weather caused damage to the airframe and eventually the decision was taken to dismantle the PBY and deliver it by surface transport. Eventually, at the very end of February this year, the hull of N285RA left Beauvais and it was seen on a massive low-loader at Antwerp on February 29th, awaiting transfer to a cargo ship. The remaining components will no doubt follow in due course. The hull at least is known to have subsequently arrived in Israel on May 11th. It is to be hoped that the future for this Cat’ is now looking rosier. http://www.catalina.org.uk/catalina-latest-news/p2_articleid/28 David Legg Latest News Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:37:10 GMT The June 2008 edition of FlyPast is a Catalina sp... http://www.catalina.org.uk/press-video/p2_articleid/27 Mike Pinder Press & Video Mon, 05 May 2008 16:21:44 GMT Aeroplane Magazine - January 2008The January 2008 ... http://www.catalina.org.uk/press-video/p2_articleid/26 Mike Pinder Press & Video Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:22:14 GMT