Warbird Information Exchange

Does anyone know the current status of PBY-5A N322FA? I saw this Catalina when it was still marked as C-FGLX at the Planes of Fame East show at Flying Cloud back in 1996. Word at the show was it was going out to California to be restored. It did go to California, I'm not sure what work was done on it there. I know it was registered as N322FA and employed as a firebomber, and was severely damaged when the nose gear doors failed while scooping water. Does the aircraft still exist, and are there plans to restore it?

Here are a few photos from the Planes Of Fame East Show, sorry for the quality, they're from the days before I really cared about photography, and time hasn't been kind to the negatives.

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Dan Johnson

It sure is great to see these pictures. As you probably know C-FGLX was an OA-10A 44-34049 and was built in Canada by Vickers. Flown and photographed in Avalon colors she was a Field Aviation tanker conversion, as opposed to a Flying Fireman configuration. She was renovated and repainted for her work with Airborne Fire Attack of Orange County, Ca.

August 1, 1997 she was wrecked on a water pickup from San Vincente Resivoir, and photos of the remains are on Airliners.net, under N322FA. The damage pattern is very similar to N2886D, although that one grounded too, so her wings were destroyed. The wings and aft fuselage of 322FA are still in great shape, the fabric covered trailing edges of the wings were not stored correctly and were wrecked recently by wind. Her remains were stored at March Field Museum in California until three months ago or so when Tallichet's stuff, of which this was part, had to be moved to Arizona I heard. The substantial remains need a nose section forward of the pylon to be restored as a static.