Australia has a ANOTHER flying Catalina boat coming..

[sabredriver]

Australia has secured another flying boat Catalina model and it is coming in August.. Phil Dulhunty has acquired a sea going type to use off water and it will be based in central coast of sydney at the ex RAAF base Rathmines where in WW2 the Black Cats where based.

THis is great news and will make many more people thrilled to pay money to see a Black cat ... fly...

N2 for the Cats..

[Ryan Keough]

Is this the Black Cat that was for sale that was seen frequently at Florida airshows and sometimes based in TN? I'll miss her if that's the case.

Good on OZ though...

[RMAllnutt]

Is this the Black Cat that was for sale that was seen frequently at Florida airshows and sometimes based in TN? I'll miss her if that's the case.

Good on OZ though...

I seem to remember reading that Charlie Clements PBY was going to France, but I may be completely mistaken there.

Richard

[Mark_Pilkington]

sabredriver is correct that a second PBY is coming to Australia, however his remark regarding a "blackcat" is more wishful thinking of its eventual colourscheme rather than referring to its current colour scheme.

It is not an existing US based PBY - Black or otherwise.

The group has already purchased the aircraft (a PBY-6A) and are currently fundraising for its return to Australia, I have seen a media release covering all of the details but unfortunately I understand it has not yet been formally released.

Given 'rumours' are now circulating in anycase I am sure the media release wil be forthcoming soon.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

[daveymac82c]

Hey,

I've been wanting to get a Canso/Catalina flying here in Vancouver but need the money to make it happen. Isn't that the story. She's an ex-RCAF bird wasting away at a local airport and owned by foreign interests, otherwise they would have been happy to donate it to my museum. Sigh, darn!

I wish the guys in Oz all the best with operating an airplane I've been dreaming to acquire over here. It's great to hear!!!

By the way, what's a Canso/Catalina sound like when it flies by? I imagine nothing like the roar of a Merlin, but a very welcome sound none-the-less during the war years.

Cheers,

David

P.S. I hope I'm not hijacking this post...

[Warbird Kid]

It’s all in your preference.

Ya gotta love those inline engines like the Merlin and Allision, but...


Those round engines always get me!

[David Legg]

The PBY-6A Catalina due to go to Australia is currently registered in Chile as CC-CNP and is located at Seia in Portugal, its home for some time. It is not therefore the Charlie Clements Black Cat N287 mentioned earlier in this thread which I had understood might be going to South Africa. It is however, a sister machine to VH-PBZ already in Australia which was ex-Chilean CC-CCS and also came from Portugal via an enforced stay at Arcachon in south-west France after hydraulic problems. And in reply to the 'what does a Catalina fly-by sound like' question, pretty much like a C-47 as the engines are common (unless it's a Cyclone-powered Super Cat of course in which case substitute B-25 for C-47). If you're inside, it's just LOUD.

[Lightning]

Howdy

PBY-6A
CC-CNP
Bu No. 46665
C/N. 2029

Lighting

[David Legg]

Full pedigree = BuAer46665/N9555C/CC-CNG/CC-CNP/EC-593 not taken up/EC-FXN/CC-CNP. I understand it is hoped tio register it VH-CAT.

[Fouga23]

Good to see her going to a good home, although it's a shame we'll loose another one in Europe. I guess we're spoiled overhere with the dutch one and the Catalina society one. Thanks for the tour in Koksijde btw

[David Legg]

That was a pleasure - didn't recognise you with your helmet on!!!! The Coxyde trip was a good one for us and the crowd seemed to appreciate the Catalina too.

[Canso42]

David,
I would think that a Cyclone powered Super Cat is quite a bit louder than an original with P&W's. R-1830's exhausted over the wing and Cyclones bark out the sides underneath right at the tower. I've never flown in a Cat but I did fly in a B-25 recently.

Doug.