Friday, September 02, 2005
Friday Night Airplane Blogging
The Consolidated PBY, nicknamed the Catalina by the British, was approaching obsolesence when WWII broke out. The flying boat first flew in 1933 and the amphibious model (shown here) was developed in 1939. With the war, the demand for a long range amphibious patrol boat kept it off the scrap heap as 4000 were built in the US and Canada. Used for reconnaissance, sub hunting, night attacks at sea, transport and, to many a grateful pilot, rescue at sea, it saw duty around the world. One of its earliest feats was locating the Bismarck as it was seeking to make its escape from the British fleet. Its rugged design and great utility and adaptability saw it remain in service until the 1970's. Today about 40 remain flying.
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