PBY - Tyler, TX

[Ztex]

Anyone know the plans for the PBY at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum in Tyler, TX??

Is it N4934H? Is it owned by the Navy or privately??

Just Curious.

[David Legg]

It is N4934H, a former RCAF Canso A serial 9838, c/n CV-272 and later Forca Aerea Brasileira serial 6525 before returning to the USA some years ago.

[T J Johansen]

Is this the PBY that was displayed in Texas somewhere in a white paint job back in time?

T J

[David Legg]

TJ - you are correct. After being ferried to the US from Brazil in the mid-80s, it spent time at Albuquerque (not to be confused with the Catalina N4582U in the museum there) and then may have gone on to Pensacola (confirmation welcomed) before going on display at Corpus Christi. It was intended for subsequent display on the USS Lexington but this did not happen and after a period of dismantled storage it was ferried during 1996 as a helicopter underslung load to the Texas Air Museum at Rio Hondo where it acquired the white colour scheme referred to earlier. Later still it moved on to Tyler where it remains. It would be helpful to know it it is currenty assembled or stored dismantled - can anyone comment?

[RickH]

It is currently diassembled but is on the immediate list for reassembly to static. There were other projects ahead of it. They were trying to clear their plate before tackling such a big project.

[Lynn Allen]

They have a nice museum as we always went by it taking the Hawker to East Texas Turbine for repairs...

[viking73]

Here's some shots I took of her in December 2008. I need to get back out there again soon.

-Derek

[gary1954]

Are Cats restricted from Water landings due to the possibility that the nose gear door will cave in and cause the forward section of shovel in water resulting in a crash? Just asking, I don't know a lot about the Cat, nut wasn't that the cause of a crash some time ago with a Cat?

[David Legg]

Gary - Catalinas are not restricted from water landings. Two weeks ago we took Plane Sailing's former RCAF Canso A out to the seaplane meeting at Biscarrosse in south west France and over a five day period carried out in the region of sixty water take offs and landings - I was lucky enough to be on board for 49 of them. Where they can potentially go wrong resulting in the sort of damage you mention is pilot error (wrong aircraft attitude, wrong speed, inadequate pre-landing checks etc) or, much more rarely, structural failure in the nose wheel door area.

[gary1954]

Thanks for the answer man, appreciate the reply. I always thought the Cat was beautiful on the water. Glad you had a gooooood time.