Ride in Flying Boat

[Tallpine]

This is just shiny 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW6b4AXzVi8

For some reason, those old Catalinas have always been of interest to me.

"splash and go" 

[230RN]

One of my old bosses was a waist gunner in a PBY in the Pacific War.  Said he never fired a shot in anger, although when in high spirits on the way back to base they used to dump a few rounds "just to see if the guns were working."  Said they made a lot of water rescues, though, and pickup and delivery of various personnel to various islands.

Nice vid!  I couald almost smell the sea air.

Terry, 230RN

[geronimotwo]

my brother was co-pilot on cousteau's pby for a short time.  unfortunatly i never had a chance to fly with him, although i did get a tour of the plane.   he left the job as he felt philippe (pilot) took too many risks.  about three months later the plane crashed during a high speed taxi killing phillippe.

[HankB]

Too cool. 

Some people said they were ungainly, but I always thought those old PBYs were some of the best looking aircraft of the WWII era.

[Jamisjockey]

Had an HU16 come through a few months ago.  She was beautiful!

[Hutch]

Can't remember the name of the book, but someone wrote their memoirs while in Patrol Wing 1, based in the Philppines at the outset of WWII.  Non self-sealing fuel tanks, located in the high wing, above what is basically a boat hull.  A couple of 7.7 bullet holes, and you fill the fuselage with avgas.  The stones on those guys...

[Tallpine]

Can't remember the name of the book, but someone wrote their memoirs while in Patrol Wing 1, based in the Philppines at the outset of WWII.  Non self-sealing fuel tanks, located in the high wing, above what is basically a boat hull.  A couple of 7.7 bullet holes, and you fill the fuselage with avgas.  The stones on those guys...

Flying a Catalina could be blast! 


Anyway, I found another video also about the design and construction.  To my surprise, I learned that the engineer actually sits up in the "sail" above the fuselage between the two engines, and there is a little window on each side - I guess so that he can see if one is on fire.

[Big Hairy Bee]

There is a more detailed account of this in Edward Jablonski's Airwar books but here is a story of a PBY as a torpedo bomber:

http://www.goefoundation.com/index.php/eagles/biographies/c/cram-jack-r./

[Hawkmoon]

Pretty neat.

There was a DC-3 parked just off the tarmac there (along with a couple of other nice-looking older aircraft). The DC-3 has always been my favorite airplane.

[Chuck Dye]

Did a stint as an Air Explorer sponsored by N.A.S. North Island, spent an afternoon in a Martin P5 Marlin.  We all took a turn in the second seat, herding that beast through some very gentle turns (no full stick flying that day, or any day in a P5 ,) then picnicked on the wing, tied up to one of the buoys that was all that remained of Tin Can Alley.  Quite a day in quite an aircraft.

[Tallpine]

Boats and airplanes in one package: what's not to love? 

Only thing missing is a mast and cloth, so that in case you have to land on the open sea because of engine failure or running out of fuel, then you can sail home 

[Jamisjockey]

Oh, and having ridden in about a half dozen airplanes of 50+yo vintage, I'm very leery of flying in anything that is older than I am.

[Tallpine]

Oh, and having ridden in about a half dozen airplanes of 50+yo vintage, I'm very leery of flying in anything that is older than I am.

What - you worried about a 70 year fabric covered wing ?   

[Jamisjockey]

What - you worried about a 70 year fabric covered wing ?   

Flew in some two seat jobber once....I can't recall the make but it was an inline seating arrangement and maxed out around 60 knots. Some kind of WWII spotter bird. Actually wasn't nearly as scary as a ride in a twin beech I once had.