Collings adds a Canso

[Chris Brame]

It may have flown to Washington with a tanker call sign, but according to its owner (who has spent years working on it) and my own inspection, it was never CONVERTED into a tanker.

Thanks for the clarification, John (maybe pass that along to Scott to correct the Registry).

[Boeing666]

I saw that fuselage at New Smyrna Beach yesterday. I was wondering who owned that yellow Canso, figured it had something to do with Collings. It is parked near the black one

[David Legg]

It may have flown to Washington with a tanker call sign, but according to its owner (who has spent years working on it) and my own inspection, it was never CONVERTED into a tanker.

Thanks for the clarification, John (maybe pass that along to Scott to correct the Registry).

Notwithstanding what the current owner says about BuNo 64017/N9825Z (and I guess he ought to know), the FAA Airworthiness file has a document within it dated 26Jun63 stating that whilst owned by the Florida Board of Forestry, Florida Forest Service, work was carried out by Max E Horn, Tallahassee, FL. This work included, and I quote: "Converted space between bulkheads 4 and 5 into chemical tanks to be used for fire bombing." The document goes on to quote dimensions and there is also a related drawing showing the tank installation and drop door arrangement. This PBY was registered to the Florida Board of Forestry between 18Aug61 and 25Apr73 when it was acquired by SLAFCO. So it may be a reasonable assumption that it was indeed used as a fire fighter during that time (and, although I have no proof) may have carried the tanker code '158' previously mentioned. I am not aware that it flew as a fire fighter after acquisition by SLAFCO however.

[helinut]

Mr Legg do you know when the first ones were converted to waterbombers,I have seen early pics of tanks being installed above the wing strays on the outside and read recently that Field Aviation did 18 for Quebec and Newfoundland and others...

[David Legg]

The first one was an Austin Airways machine in Canada (CF-JTL) and that was the one that had wing mounted tanks. It was a one-off and thereafter all PBY/Catalina/Canso 'bombers' had internal tanks. There were a number of companies that carried out conversions, not just Fields.