Warbird Information Exchange

I was recently sent this shot and wonder the story behind it.
I vagely remember something about one having a accident on a trans Atlantic flight a while back.
What ever happened to her?????????

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Don't touch my junk!!

Jack;
I don't know the specific, but I believe it's back flying again.
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."

I think it is this one:
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/pbyregis ... 11074.html

And this was the last time they let mybrother and I on board before taxing on the waterway.

This is the result of a nose-gear door failure on Plane Sailing's original PBY Catalina. I am checking to see what her type/serial number is, but it is not the one listed above. The accident occured in the south of England about 10 years ago during an airshow, and at least one passenger drowned in the accident sadly (the mayor of Southampton IIRC). The aircraft has since been placed under restoration by a different group. Plane Sailing acquired another Catalina from Canada since the wreck of its first aircraft, and still displays in the UK and Europe.

Cheers. Richard

Edit: This is the aircraft http://www.warbirdregistry.org/pbyregistry/pby-46633.html

It's PBY-5A Bu.46633

This photo is not the 'Plane Sailing' Cat. The Plane Sailing aircraft was a 'Super Cat' with R-2600s and intakes above the engines - it also wore a military colour scheme at the time of the accident.

Just as a correction, Richard, the accident to the Plane Sailing Cat did not occur during an airshow, but during publicity flights for an airshow that was planned for the following year. The Mayor of Southampton and a manager at Southampton Airport were drowned in the accident, found to have been due to internal corrosion in a nosewheel door torque tube causing the door to be ripped off during a water landing.

The AAIB report :

http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/cms_resource ... 501040.pdf

Some BBC News reports of the crash and accident report findings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/140698.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/258026.stm

The group rebuilding the airframe appear to have run out of funds, and I believe it has since moved on again.

Incorrect. I became type rated in this very airplane. It was N69RF. This airplane once belong to the late Bob Franks, and the depicted accident occurred in May of '86 at Plymouth, England. Afterwards, Franks re-restored the airplane, returned it stateside, and soon after he became ill. His estate sold it to an individual in ID. Names are not important here. Eventually, this person sold it to a well known operator in TX, where it resides today dubbed the "Flying Turtle". Today it is N222FT. It is a Canso, built in Cartierville, Quebec.

Without discussing seaplane hydrodynamics, the airplane touched down on the surface at a high water speed, which placed it on the nose gear doors while concurrently placing its center of bouyancy well forward of the CG allowing for an easy loss of directional control, particularly upon touchdown when it struck a channel marker bouy. I have footage of the mishap.
And, no it wasnt me.

One last comment to the observant. Only a small percentage of the posters here would recognize. The pictured "accident Cat" still retains the P&W 1830's, dash 92's or 94's - I can't recall on that airplane. Plane Sailings PBY is a Super Cat with a Stewart-Davis vertical stab mod. and Wright R-2600's. A much more powerful (total additional 1000hp potentially on the airframe) and nicer handling airplane than the "straight Cat".

One last comment to the observant. Only a small percentage of the posters here would recognize. The pictured "accident Cat" still retains the P&W 1830's, dash 92's or 94's - I can't recall on that airplane. Plane Sailings PBY is a Super Cat with a Stewart-Davis vertical stab mod. and Wright R-2600's. A much more powerful (total additional 1000hp potentially on the airframe) and nicer handling airplane than the "straight Cat".

I stand corrected. I was so sure that it was Plane Sailing's aircraft (VP-BPS) due to the very similar paint scheme and similar circumstances of the wreck that I failed to notice the rear blisters are not those of VP-BPS, but a fully blown and tinted bubble, rather than the traditional gunners blisters. I also hadn't realized that there was another modern catalina accident in the UK. Thanks for the note.

Cheers. Richard

I also just noticed how close the prop tips are from the cockpit!

I got a walk through of this aircraft in Astoria, Oregon when it was still registered C-FOWE in the mid-80s.

In fact, the photo that is on the registry was taken by me and was published in Air Classics (my first published photo!)

The tinted, one peice blisters, and fully polished propeller blades left quite an impression on me (exciting stuff to a WWII aircraft crazy teenager at the time!)

Michael

Yes, those blisters are optically correct and electrically actuated. They open as one complete unit, hinged at the upper portion of each blister.

Those propellers are Ham. Std. 6353-12 blades and are 6" from the airframe at one point. Moreover, the Super Cat sports the 6359-18's and move so much air, I used to think my headsets left ear cup was flapping on and off my head. Very loud indeed.

plain sailings new cat has the same style of blister's is it the same cat or are thier several that have them?
paul