Catalina at a once secret RAAF base - now preserved

Jollygreenslugg · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:31 pm

Work on the interior has recently begun. The instrument panel has recently been seen in Ash's Melbourne workshop. It's fascinating to see that some of the control selector lettering on the panel is engraved in Dutch. So, it's the start to the interior work.

Cheers,
Matt

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:16 pm

Great, thanks Matt. Good to get to some facts.

Regards

BAJ · **Joined:** Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:14 pm **Posts:** 126

JDK wrote:

And the word for today would be 'ambivalent'.

Quote:

The aircraft will remain for the moment unrestored inside.

Was what was actually said, and can be read (as I did) that now it's inside it'll remain unrestored, as well as what was intended (but not clear).

Having had a look at the interior, I'd also suggest that unless it has corrosion or damage (neither being particularly evident; but I'm not claiming special knowledge there) a better description would be that it was to be 'refurbished' or 'fitted out'.

Does it matter? Like 'secret' - precision can be used to communicate a specific meaning, for the reader as well as the writer, so I'd say yes.

Regards,

"Ambivalent"....."was what".....[or]...."was actually" ...."and can be read"...."but not clear"

OMG you MUST be a SOLICITOR !!!!! (That's an Australian LAWYER to our American friends)

Yes I agree James it all was a bit nebulous

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:54 am

BAJ wrote:

OMG you MUST be a SOLICITOR !!!!! (That's an Australian LAWYER to our American friends)

No, just a writer (and cut-price editor) trying for clarity and communication rather than 'like, awesome, an' that'.

The important point is a) the Lake Boga team get some recognition, Which Is A Good Thing, and b) we now also have some clarity that the inside of the aircraft that's now inside will have its insides titivated, while c) the definition of 'secret' in W.W.II RAAF paperwork is now cleared up. It's all good.

Regards,

David Legg · **Joined:** Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:07 pm **Posts:** 338

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Brett Freeman's superb book Lake Boga At War - the inside story of the secret RAAF inland flying boat unit - WWII. I would guess about as definitive as is likely ever to be written on the subject. Note the 'secret' in the title but reading the book it is clear that, like many things, the initial plans and preparations were 'secret' but the construction and operations were not and could hardly be expected to be.

Regarding the excellent rejuvenation of 'A24-30' at Lake Boga and its constituent parts, it also includes parts of Instructional Airframe 'D2', ex-A24-38/BuAer08203. When I first saw photos of these remains, I mistakenly thought the GI serial was '02'.

Regarding Mark Pilkington's list above, I had deliberately not listed Catalina amphibs converted to flying boats but if the list is widened then he is quite correct to list A24-88 and VH-SBV. It may also be appropriate to list the forward section of the so-called PBY-5A(M) at HARS' Albion Park HQ. This was built as a PBY-5A but the RAAF discarded the u/c. It has in the past been quoted as BuAer48368 based on a stamped plate in the hull bearing the number '1730' that has been interpreted as BuAer48368's c/n but I am yet to be convinced.

Mark - thanks for the comments related to A24-19.

Liberator · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:11 am **Posts:** 837

The instrument panel as mentioned by Matt Austin being worked on by Ash, may not be for internal fittings but for the upcoming separate cockpit section display the museum is working on for visitors...according to what i was told.

Their plan is that they want to build a separate nose section from bombardier section to rear of cockpit to allow people to sit in a Catalina cockpit and imagine the experiences the pilots had. To do this they want to build a complete instrument panel and thus this should be what is at Ashs...

The museum has as i recall made it known that the inside of the full aircraft / Catalina wont be touched for quite a while as they are focused on the external and inside when they have time in the future.

I am in direct touch with them if anyone wants any of the news reconfirmed...

k5083 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:33 am

JDK wrote:

titivated

Now there's one that even I had to look up. It sounded like a procedure that a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon would perform.

August

grant_mcdonald · **Joined:** Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:44 am **Posts:** 6

According to Brett Freeman's "Lake Boga At War"(David's spot on, it is superb), only one Sunderland flew from the lake during the war years.
"April 9 1945 heralded the arrival of Raaf Sunderland A26-1, on an Australia wide war loans tour."
Several others visited post war.
The Dornier Do 24's that Australia took on charge were overhauled and restored at Lake Boga and were frequent visitors till they were struck off charge. As mentioned elsewhere on Wix The museum has recently acquired the surviving Australian Do 24 nose section(former houseboat conversion) and it is being restored off site atm. Australian Kingfishers were also stored there post-war to await disposal. The occasional Walrus and C class flying boat also visited the lake.

When the Lake dried out in the 2000's the museum recovered several sets of undercarriage that were dumped in the lake during the war after the Raaf had deconverted some of their PBY 5a's to PBY 5. They now have basically a complete and restored U/c set up on display in the museum. With the museums kind permission we also recovered a set and were amazed to find after 60-70 years underwater that the oleo's were still leaking oil and the master bolts in the scissor links were in pristine condition, looking like they had never been cycled and still covered in grease.

On the cats interior fit out the gents at the museum have told me in the past(I only live 20 mile away so lm a regular visitor) that before the new hanger went up they had on several occasions started on at least a partial fit out, but every time they put something inside the aircraft some bugger would promptly come along and pinch it, on one occasion l believe someone used a 4 wheel drive to ram down the security fence to gain access.

Aussiepby might have a little more to say on the instrument panel recently sighted at Ash's workshop.

CDF · **Posted:** Sat Jul 21, 2012 6:54 am

grant_mcdonald wrote:

The occasional Walrus and C class flying boat also visited the lake.

PBM Mariner too

Quote:

State Library of Victoria.H98.100/4120Image No: an000189

Liberator · **Joined:** Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:11 am **Posts:** 837

Have had information from the museum President reconfirming what he told me last week -

"The aircraft was restored in 2011 with the help of HARS Catalina group, but the inside is left in its original livery. Future plans include the restoration of a Catalina cockpit that the public can access".

So there is the facts.....

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Catalina at a once secret RAAF base - now preserved

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