Warbird Information Exchange

I agree that the picture is depicting the Cat being controlled as it's lowered into the water. With beaching gear can't a Cat just pull itself up the ramp?

Interesting tractor with that solid tire setup? Anyone have any info on the type?

Shay
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Semper Fortis

I still think this PBY is being prepared to be towed up the ramp.

The beaching gear is still attached and the swimmers are walking away and out of the water, heading up the ramp. The tow driver looks as though he's waiting for the hook up to be completed.

If this PBY was just put in the water, then it would be just about ready to taxi away. That would not happen with the beaching gear attached. Also remember that the wheels on the beaching gear do not have brakes, so it's a good bet that the aircraft is going to be towed up the ramp backwards. It would also help when it comes time to return to the water since it wouldn't have to be turned around on the ramp.

Also note that the line attached to the starboard float. With the position of the ailerons it would appear that the wind is coming from the port side. Once the aircraft starts to be towed up the ramp the line attached to the float is probably used to keep the aircraft lined up properly with the ramp.

My two cents, but I won't be terribly hurt if I'm wrong!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

My copy of the "PBY In Action" has a painting of a PBY-4 on the cover, with a funky field-applied camo. Of course, Squadron may have revised the book..they periodically come out with new versions of their "In Action" titles.

Here's a photo from the book of the aircraft in the cover painting.

SN

Regarding the photo featured in the first post on page 1, this is a quite well-known photo of a RAF Catalina IB/PBY-5B, one of a several that were retained in the USA and used by the US Navy at Pensacola and Corpus C to train RAF crews. The RAF serial is in the FP2xx range and can be seen on the rear hull. US nationality marks were used in place of the RAF roundels but otherwise the camo scheme is RAF Coastal Command of the period. It is not therefore either a OA-10 or a PB2B as suggested in later posts (I realise they were not firm opinions but only possibilities).

Another example of a FPxxx Catalina IB/PBY-5B is FP216 which survives to this day as the fabulous sectioned 'Cutaway Catalina' exhibit in the Pensacole museum

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David Legg
Editor, The Catalina News
The Catalina Society
Author: Consolidated PBY Catalina - The Peacetime Record

Interesting, the photo shows up at home, but not at work. Other ones do though!

My question is, why, if they are pulling the PBY up the ramp, are the engines running? I know nothing about tending these sea planes, so I'm just curious.

Thanks!

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Mike

the first picture is linked to flickr, the others to photo bucked. I might happen your work filters sites classified as social communities or the likes (for instance, can you access to flickr at work? http://www.flickr.com )

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rreis

If you want pictures, see rreis@flickr

To Jerry O'Neill........You may be correct on pulling in the Cat...I couldn't see if the beeching gear was still attached in the photo, and I still can't tell if the third leg of the beeching gear is attached to the end of the hull....But one thing I can correct you on, is that the beeching gear DO have brakes.....they are hand operated, on each of the main gear...I can attest to this, since I had picked up one main gear leg at Gary Austin's last July, and the other main gear leg in Baltimore...The one I snagged in Md. was a N.O.S. unit that I don't think ever had seen daylight...not a scratch on the paint....and while moving this beast around my house trying to get it back inside for storage, I indeed used said brake!
Gary

I agree that it is about to be towed up the ramp. See the sailor on the starboard float? He's hanging on a line secured to that float. If they were going out, how would they ever unhook that mooring if it's already that taut?

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Sure, Charles Lindbergh flew the plane... but Tom Rutledge built the engine!

Visit Django Studios online or Facebook!

Well, my work computer let me access the Flicker link, so who knows?

I'd still be interested in learning more about the procedure of dragging a PBY up the ramp, especially about why the engines were still running when they did it, as in the photo here.

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Mike

Or could we all be wrong and it was just Sailor Games Day, and they were having a tug of war between the Cat and Tug?

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Mike

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It's you and me against the world.

We attack at dawn.

Cool thing about the hand brakes. I didn't know that. Our VS-44's beaching gear has no such hand brakes, so I was basing my assumption on that. Stupid me!
My guess on the engines running is that once the aircraft is secured and all beaching gear is attached, they would then shut the engines off. It would make sense in case it got away from the handlers. There doesn't appear to be much blow back from them so they are probably at idle.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."