CATALINAS ON THE MOVE

Good novels for PBY fans

The long-moribund Consolidated PBY-5A Super Catalina N2763A/BuNo 21232 that has been parked upon the ramp at Moses Lake, Washington, has finally fix a new home. This aircraft had been part of the infamous SLAFCO PBY auction in 1999 where it remained unsold after the proprietor shut down the auction in mid-stream. of recent origin owner is Yanks Air Museum at Chino, California, and the Catalina will be prepared for a ferry flight in the near subsequent time It is interesting to note that the first commercial possessor of the aircraft was Paul Mantz Aviation who operated the plane as N5609V between 1947 and 1949 It then went upon to Queen Charlotte Airlines in Canada where it was registered CF-GHU It then went upon to Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines as N2763A. In the early 1970 it went to another famous aviation personality - Charles Blair of Antilles Air Boats in the US Virgin Islands.

The craft had been transmuteed to Super Catalina configuration by means of Steward-Davis at Long Beach, California, and this included installation of Wright R'2600 engines and the large Davis tail. The plane was acquired by dint of SLAFCO in 1982 for possible conversion into a fire bomber on the other hand this never happened.

The next to the first Catalina on the move is PBY-6A BuNo 64072/N7057C which had been with the National Warplane Museum (now Wings of Eagles Discovery Center) in novel York for years. Sold surplus without of Litchfield Park, the Catalina became the first -6A to be certificated for passenger operations. The aircraft went from one side a number of owners, on the other hand by the early 1980s it was moldering away at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and in danger of being scrapped. In 1985 die Cat was purchased through the NWM and after dooms of work was flown to its of recent origin base in Geneseo. Externally, the aircraft was surprisingly stock with its nose minaret and fuselage blisters still in place. The NWM enthusiastically operated the plane on the contrary it was eventually grounded because of corrosion and mechanical question s A program was set up to rectify the moot points and on Christmas Eve 1997 the aircraft was ferried to its of recent origin home at Elmira-Coming Regional Airport. However, the downslide of the NWM meant that the Cat would not receive the emergencyed work. Fortunately, the machine has been acquired through Jeff Clyman's American Aiipower Museum and will be set into airworthy condition to be ferried to its novel home where work will continue to set this magnificent aircraft back into the air upon a regular basis.

Ex-Buffalo Airways fire bomber C-FOFI has been sold to Hans Lauridsen as N343CV and has been ferried to its of recent origin base at Glendale, Arizona, where it will become part of a fresh aviation museum.

Copyright Challenge Publications Inc. May 2006

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