My grandfather flew PBYs in WWII search and rescue. One thing that wasn't mentioned in the video is that there was a kerosene stove in the rear that was used to cook food for the crew and for the survivors they picked up.
My dad was a crew chief and flight engineer on a PBY stationed in Iceland during WW-2 with patrol squadron VP-84. His name was Al "Homer" Jones. I always loved to hear him tell stories about flying on the missions. They were real men, tough and gave it their all. I always have a special spot in my heart for the PBY, and the men who flew on them.
One of hte great aircraft of WW II. Under-appreciated. Found the Bismarck after she evaded the British Cruisers. Found the Japanese Carriers at Midway. These search results changed history.
failed to notice the forces at Savo Island, failed to do recon in Guadalcanal.... I mean it's not too much. I agree they were under-appreciated as they also did most of the Anti Submarine attacks during the end of the war in the Denmark Straight, making sure no U-Boat escapes to attack allied convoys.
@@tapioisaac367 The failures were due to there not being enough of them early in the war. The failures were not because of any fault of the PBY. Early in the war there were some failures of crews not reporting their sighting correctly, of encryption machines not working well. Once early problems were fixed and radar was improved, these aircraft became lethally effective. Their impact was tremendous in both the Pacific and Atlantic. It was a Catalina that spotted the Japanese Fleet at Midway, leading to it crushing defeat. Catalinas are credited with sinking 38 German U-boats in the North Atlantic and they forced many others to break off their attacks. This aircraft performed its mission beautifully and lethally. Its impact was way out of proportion to its cost and simplicity.
I read once that the Catalina that found the Bismarck was in the air for twenty-seven hours. Also, during the War, there was a regular Catalina flight between Perth and Ceylon, that took twenty-four hours. I worked in Lae, New Guinea, in 1971/72. My work place was opposite the inland threshold of the runway at Lae Airport and I saw everything that came and went. One day, a Catalina arrived and parked by the airport terminal building - I had seen this aircraft several months before, parked at Darwin Airport. A crowd gathered around it at lunch time ( a lot more security-relaxed in those days) and I saw that the interior of the aircraft had been completely modernised for passenger comfort, with even a shower and toilet. The left-side blister had an access hatch in it, but the right-side blister was a single piece of perspex. A retractable access stairway had been built into the keel behind the rear passenger compartment - the one with the blisters. It took off that afternoon, heading for Rabaul, and I never heard anything more about it. I have ofter wondered what happened to that Catalina.
Thanks for the tour. People don’t realize how scarce a lot of the parts are for the nose turret structure, and for the blisters. I happen to have a nose wheel for a lamp stand next to my bed. Part leftover when I used to work on and fly in N9521C 25 years ago.
Thanks for the tour. There was a Catalina parked at Rand Airport (Johannesburg South Africa) for years. I was once able to have a look around the interior. It later got restored there & sold in the USA. A friend of mine made a documentary of this & his assistant flew in it on its journey to the US. In South Africa Catalina's were based at Saint Lucia during WW2, a large estuary about 300 Km north of Durban. Today it's a world heritage site.
Presurization makes a big difference in the longevity of an airplanes airframe. It's less complex to restore a DC3, than a DC7 for example, and in the case of the PBY, keeps the structure simpler. Great video as well as a great airplane.
Thanks for the excellent tour of a rarely seen classic aircraft. The restoration job is meticulous....don''t think Ive ever seen gloss zinc chromate before. Wright Flyer, USAF (1968-1972).
My grandfather was a radio operator on a PBY Catalina. He always mentioned how they had an uncomfortable amount of range, and were often sent to the far end of their range.
She was a lovely aircraft,always one of my real favourites of the war years. Not many of today's softies would want to fly her now for hours at a time in those cramped conditions. Guys back then were tough,disciplined,and truly courageous. We owe them one hell of a debt!
Fantastic piece of flying history. Such a pity that we here in The Netherlands had to sell the PH-PBY caused by lack of financial funds and a governement that didn't want to support the Catalina foundation. I hope that you will keep it flying for years and years to come
My grandfather flew PBY-1 Guba (USSR N243) in Arctic, WWII as flight engineer. He was killed during Nazi U-601 submarine attack (Novaya Zemlya island) in 1942.
Тот аэродром назывался " Губа Грязная"..это город Североморск..Ваш дедушка был герой..как и все, кто сражался с фашистами. Сейчас, к сожалению ваше правительство за фашистов..🤔
Catalina always amazed me, I really can see myself in that mission profile, also because this airplane was not primarily to destroy something or someone - it was to fly long, keep an eye on the ocean, search for survivors, and then it had its fangs too, if it came to that. I feel so fond of this noisy can :)
What a fantastic machine. Slow as a literal boat, but she'll fly on forever, through any Hell, and drag you back home. No more complicated than it needed to be.
Certainly my favorite plane. What I wouldn't give to have one for a delivery job or something. Land on the ocean, take a nap. Perfect little flying boat.
Another Canadian Vickers Canso being misrepresented as a US PBY. Canso 11005 was stationed on the west coast of British Columbia during the war, first with 9(BR) Squadron in Bella Bella, then 7(BR) at Alliford Bay.
I recognise Farnborough airfield in the background. I presume it was taken at the 2012 air show. I managed to get on board for a walk around during the 2012 show and very nice it was too. While I was inside there was a torrential downpour outside and I discovered that she leaks.
+EricIrl Of course she does. What you think the bailing buckets were for? (Seriously). Wherever stuff (oil, hydraulic fluid, etc) isn't leaking out, something else is likely to leak it. Fuck it, it works. Don't see why they got to mess with stuff that ain't broke, just to make it "better".
+justforever96 Strange reply. I wasn't suggesting they do anything, just making a light hearted comment. The important thing that any water leaks are in the roof and not in the bottom.
It's obvious why bombadiers had flight controls, but why did flight engineers on a PBY have them? Was it to provide redundancy in case of cockpit casualties?
That is truly a basic airplane. Built for a specific purpose which was to drone on hour after hour at a leisurely pace while covering thousands of square miles of ocean and doing it cheaply. Cranks and levers and handles and yokes were used to operate this metal albatross. As this one is outfitted it was defenseless against fighter plane attacks. The flights were calm, purposeful and boring, until they weren't, then all hell broke loose.
+Nate Why, it's great! If I was the Catalina, I wouldn't want to stay the same way forever. At least it still flies, and it isn't rotting in an airplane scrapyard somewhere.
Nate I agree, however think where the plane would have ended up if it wasn't converted for tourists. And, this way, many others get to enjoy what an amazing plane the Catalina is, even if the one they are in isn't totally original.
After the Hornet (CV-8) was sunk out from under him and the rest of the crew in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (Yeah, had to be sunk by the US Navy so it couldn't be salvaged by the enemy...) my dad spent a year or two as bombardier on a PB2Y Coronado 4-engine bomber. They attacked Japanese bases, sometimes at night. Those planes would be great to feature in a video. I know there is one - based mostly on a TV show produced in the mid-80s. That one features some interviews w Stan Mahoney, the PB2Y Pilot my dad crewed with. They corresponded for decades after the war, and Stan sent him a copy of his book, "I'm in Aviation NOW!" If you can get ahold of that, he tells a lot of great stories. One's about growing up in Telluride in the 20s and 30s, when it was just a fading gold mining town. In High school he and his brother built a fer-Pete's-sake car from scrapped parts, they drove all up & down the mountain, powered *by a salvaged airplane engine & propeller!*
So many warbirds ruined by stripping them out and "moderninzing" them for passenger service, it's sad. But then again, they probably would never have been saved if someone hadn't thought theyd be useful, so I suppose I should be thankful.
One of the things marking a great design is how these airframes got converted from one role to the next, then the next, then the next. As a good old bird she is, could still be (some places still is) used as a commercial aircraft. I totally love how mechanical it is. You can barely repair old electronics (tubes, old generation transistors etc) but you can always repair this aircraft, transparent and simple. Yeah you put in latest generation navigation and communication for its safety and convenience value but the rest of it looks like original. I love it.
Everything about this aircraft is wrong, it simply does depict a WWll PBY. It is shameful to the PBY and the men who flew them to be shown with a gutted interior, the wrong blisters, no bow turret
Can you please spend the time and look up the history of this airplane. Google is your friend. It spent a rather minor part of its career in the armed forces. It fulfilled so many roles that it is hard even to list, due to its great design and sturdy build. WW2 is just a small part of this story. It is rather offensive to consider this as shameful. I fully respect veteran warbirds but this one is much more than that. It sounds like if anyone ever fought in ww2 or in any war, it should be a shame that they have a life afterwards. Both of my grandfathers fought in BOTH world wars and knew all it worths to know about them, yet it would be utterly stupid to think that now they should always wear uniforms and salute to other people. In fact, they had a word translating something like "mental casualty" to people who "could not leave the war" in their heads. Yes, there was a ww2. Then it was over. Most successful and best designs like DC3 or the PBY made it through and came out on the other side, remaining relevant for decades afterwards in a highly innovative industry. Had they added a full digital cockpit, hydro boosters for steering, digital engine diagnistics, composite components for weight improvement, upgraded propellers, active and passive noise insulation - there are a lot of things that could have been done and would have made her really far from the Canso A nr.CV-283 produced way back - but they didn't. I see nothing to be shameful about here. This bird and its owners still deserve full respect, exactly as all the flight crew that served her throughout her career.
