Canadian Canso/Catalina on Barnstormers

[bdk]

http://www.barnstormers.com/ad_detail.php?ID=1224780

Anyone know more details? Price seems low, guessing loaded with corrosion?

[Cvairwerks]

I'd suspect that every hose on it, any exposed wiring and everything with a bearing in the control system, or be made of rubber would need to be replaced just for starters and that's just to taxi it. Hopefully, someone with the wherefore-all and the finances will acquire it.

[David Legg]

If the pictures on the Barnstormers site are of the actual aircraft for sale (presumably so) then it is the aircraft that is with the Fondation Aerovison/Quebec Air & Space Museum Inc, St Hubert. Quebec (C-FPQK). They have had it for a long time but it seems the museum, if that is what it is, has not done anything with it. Its website is not very enlightening either.

[Warbird Kid]

Could be a great project for someone with the right talent. (Paging Taigh Ramey!) 50K is pretty cheap for a seemingly complete PBY, albeit still a lot of work to get it airworthy. Man do I wish I had the cash!

[Rajay]

So, assuming that it is C-FPQK then in spite of its "generic" registration as a supposed "Consolidated PBY-5A" identified as RCAF serial no. 9830, it is really a Canadian Vickers-built Canso A serial no. CV-264.

Somebody just has to rescue it! I can't "volunteer" to help but if it is a paying job, I'd be in. Made the same offer to Mike Barron in MO who recently bought seven (7!) Grumman G-111 Albatrosses stored out in Marana, AZ. Seems that he was the last hope to prevent them from being scrapped. Everyone here ought to know by now that I've got a great big soft spot for flying boats - and I am so very tired of working on flight school "spam can" Cessnas and Pipers day in and day out....

[mdwflyer]

http://www.barnstormers.com/ad_detail.php?ID=1224780

Anyone know more details? Price seems low, guessing loaded with corrosion?

I'd say it's a fair market price for "as is" condition and very likely not a corrosion queen. Fresh motors, prop, paint, and avionics would easily hit $200k. It may not need all that infusion of $$$ immediately.

The motors may very well come back to life happily, with fresh accessories, and a thorough hot pre-oil.

Mark

[Michel Lemieux]

It is in ''fair'' condition.

Location is St-Hubert airport.

Title was always in question but now I guess the airport or the ground owner has rights to it. My guess.

The canvas is all shot pretty badly. It has quite a few dings!!!

It has severe corrosion in some places namely all the metal parts exposed like the landing gears.

The carburators were removed 15 years ago....and left uncovered.

It is all there....but need a LOT of work.

I would rather get the Gananoque ghost in Ontario: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=54516&hilit=gananoque+ghost

[Elwyn]

It looks like a better starting place for a non flying restoration that the one the Aussies have been working wonders with for several years now.

[CoastieJohn]

It is in ''fair'' condition.

Location is St-Hubert airport.

Title was always in question but now I guess the airport or the ground owner has rights to it. My guess.

The canvas is all shot pretty badly. It has quite a few dings!!!

It has severe corrosion in some places namely all the metal parts exposed like the landing gears.

The carburators were removed 15 years ago....and left uncovered.

It is all there....but need a LOT of work.

I would rather get the Gananoque ghost in Ontario: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=54516&hilit=gananoque+ghost

I believe this to be the same airframe for sale. The link was at the thread you provided above. FWIW....Also located at that link are pics and story of PBY-5A Catalina N483CV (c/n CV-483).

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/uscan09.htm




The website on Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers has the following information on this airframe:

Consolidated designed the Catalina PBY-5A, but Canadian Vickers of Montreal had a series license-built, whch were dubbed the Canso. C/n 264 is a Canso A/2R and saw its 1st flight on 31Jul1943.
Taken on strength 31Jul43 at Eastern Air Command, RCAF serial 9830.
With No. 116 (BR) Squadron in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia, c.1943 to 1944. Coded "P".
To Clark Ruse Aircraft Limited for repairs on 17Jul44, back to EAC on 30Sep44. Radar, nose gun installed 02Dec44. Redesignated as a Mk. 2R (search and rescue configuration) post war.
Had 735:15 hours on o6Jan1948, when it was delivered to de Havilland Canada for modifications. To Canada Car and Foundry for repairs on 29Sep49. Had 789:00 airframe time then.
To No. 6 RD for repairs on 06May1950. And again to de Havilland, this time for JATO installation, on 25Aug50.
To Aircraft Industries Ltd on 23Jun51 for repair to nose gear door and adjacent area. Back at AIL on 05Jan53 for repair of "excessive leak" in starboard fuel tank. Was based at RCAF Station Greenwood, NS by then, with No. 103 Rescue Unit.
To No. 6 RD on 08May53 for repairs, completed Jan54.
To AIL on 29Oct54 for electrical repairs and modifications. Still with 103 RU in March 1956.
To No. 6 RD on 11Mar57, for inspection and installation of SARAH radio homing equipment. To No. 11 Technical Support Unit (Montreal?) on 10Nov58 for inspection and weighing.
With No. 102 (KU) Composite Unit at RCAF Station Trenton by 03Apr59.
Stored at No. 6 Repair Depot, Dunnville, Ontario by 23Feb61. On 26Sep61 to Crown Assets Disposal Corporation for disposal.
Sold to Department of Lands and Forests, Province of Quebec. To civil register as CF-PQK.
Still airworthy with Quebec in 1976.
Sold to Foundation Aerovision of St. Hubert, PQ on 01Jun94, latest Certificate of Registration issued on 18May98 as C-FPQK.
Source: Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Nubers, RCAF 9801 to 9844

[David Legg]

Re the above, it is not c/n 264 but CV-264. C/n 264 was PBY-5 BuNo 2430 built at San Diego. It is a great shame that whoever has owned it over the last couple of decades or more (presumably Foundation [not 'Foundation'] Aerovision for most of that time) has not looked after it as it resides at the airfield where it was built (St Hubert, PQ) before Canadian Vickers production switched to Cartierville. It would have been a great place for it to be preserved and maybe that will still happen if someone locally rescues it.

[marine air]

It seems like an excellent price. Yes it would be cheaper to buy a flyable one than to restore this one to flying. The big question is how much would it take to get it ferriable?

[Rajay]

Figuring that out probably would require a very thorough "pre-buy" inspection by someone with intimate knowledge of the type. Know anyone like that? Even that would probably be too much for just one mechanic - it might take an experienced team of mechanics who know their way around a "PBY."

[mdwflyer]

Figuring that out probably would require a very thorough "pre-buy" inspection by someone with intimate knowledge of the type. Know anyone like that? Even that would probably be too much for just one mechanic - it might take an experienced team of mechanics who know their way around a "PBY."

3 trips, thorough pre-buy like you said and either buy it or leave it. If you buy it, trip #2 get everything off that needs re & re for ferry and ship components where they need to go. When everything is back on site, trip #3 go install components, run it and fly it, ideally with copious amounts of good luck. Very helpful if there is a good maintenance operation on the field.

Mark

[Rajay]

Already posted this question to David Legg on the UK-based Flyingboat Forum, but would welcome input from anyone else here too...

Is there any person or shop still currently active in aircraft maintenance that has a particularly stellar reputation for PBY maintenance?

I'm interested in hearing if there is anybody comparable to Taigh Ramey with Beech 18 series, the Scholls with B-25s, or Dennis Buehn with Grumman HU-16's for other examples.

Seems to me that most of the PBY restoration or even ferry projects that I have heard about over the past several years have been solo efforts by a new owner or a museum just trying to get their "new" (to them) PBY back home from wherever they found it.

[CoastieJohn]

FWIW.....American Aero has the parts/pieces/airframe of two PBY's there in some phase of work. Not sure if that answers your question.