Catalina

[Smiler.]

Saw this half a dozen times over the weekend east of Reading. It was white with a single US decal under the right wing. Anyone see this at a show?

Also, a single spitfire, flew west on Sunday early evening, then returned east later. Seemed a short trip & too late for a show.

[Keith ctr]

Farnborough Airshow

[Eric Mc]

This one - G-BPYA



She was used for many years post war as a geophysical survey aircraft so has a couple of non-WW2 features e.g. - the nose turret is missing and the rear blister windows are tinted and frameless.

She is technically a Canso rather than a true Catalina as she was built in Canada rather than the US.

[RizzoTheRat]

I was sat about 10 yards from here she was parked while watching the airshow yesterday, sounded lovely when she started up, though not quite as nice as the lancaster and collection of spitfires and hurricanes that were parked next to her.

[Eric Mc]

Pity they weren't operating the retractable floats.

[RizzoTheRat]

Yeah, I was expecting a flypast with them down but no joy. Apparently they've done something like 60 water landings this season so I guess I need to go to one of the coastal airshows to see that.

[richw_82]

Eric Mc said:

She was used for many years post war as a geophysical survey aircraft so has a couple of non-WW2 features e.g. - the nose turret is missing and the rear blister windows are tinted and frameless.

It never got used for survey though despite the operator offering it as one of it's duties. It was fitted out for aerial firefighting. It's sister ship is still for sale in Canada.

Apparently if they want to do water landings, they aren't allowed to fit a front turret any more.

Regards,

Rich

[Eric Mc]

richw_82 said:

Eric Mc said:

She was used for many years post war as a geophysical survey aircraft so has a couple of non-WW2 features e.g. - the nose turret is missing and the rear blister windows are tinted and frameless.

It never got used for survey though despite the operator offering it as one of it's duties. It was fitted out for aerial firefighting. It's sister ship is still for sale in Canada.

Apparently if they want to do water landings, they aren't allowed to fit a front turret any more.

Regards,

Rich

I assumed it had been - many were.

The previous Catalina which had been operated by Plane Sailing had been used for survey work in an earlier life. I actually saw it in the 70s when it was contracted by the Irish government for a geological survey of Ireland. It looked quite different - look at the tail fin -

[Smiler.]

Thanks chaps.

It struck me that is was very quiet, but then so was the Spit. Possibly down to minimising wear & tear/fuel?

I also wonder why, if flying at Farnborough, it was passing west/east around Reading (or is that some kind if flight route).

Is this aircraft based in the UK? If so, does it usually reside in one place?

[richw_82]

Nice picture. I got in that one about a week before it had its mishap in the Solent. By that time it had the blisters fitted, and was very clean inside. I had a look around their new one shortly after its transatlantic flight, while its was still painted bright yellow!

The high tail was due to VP-BPS being a Super Catalina, with more powerful engines. I think it had R-2600's fitted at one point instead of the Catalina's more usual R-1830's.

Regards,

Rich

[Eric Mc]

Smiler. said:

Thanks chaps.

It struck me that is was very quiet, but then so was the Spit. Possibly down to minimising wear & tear/fuel?

I also wonder why, if flying at Farnborough, it was passing west/east around Reading (or is that some kind if flight route).

Is this aircraft based in the UK? If so, does it usually reside in one place?

It might have ben heading north to Duxford.

[BigS]

I remember getting to have a look around one once back when St Athan still had an airshow, would have been late 80s, early 90s, from what I remember it was missing the front turret too and painted plain white with Dan Air on it. I came back with a poster of it flying in formation with the BBMF Lanc - had it on my wall for years until it got so battered it had to go
I've always wondered which one it was and whether it's still flying.

I also remember seeing a holiday advertised for a safari trip around Africa in one in about the mid 90s, sounded like a fantastic trip, can't remember how much it cost now and I've never seen anything like it advertised since.

[Eric Mc]

BigS said:

I remember getting to have a look around one once back when St Athan still had an airshow, would have been late 80s, early 90s, from what I remember it was missing the front turret too and painted plain white with Dan Air on it. I came back with a poster of it flying in formation with the BBMF Lanc - had it on my wall for years until it got so battered it had to go
I've always wondered which one it was and whether it's still flying.

I also remember seeing a holiday advertised for a safari trip around Africa in one in about the mid 90s, sounded like a fantastic trip, can't remember how much it cost now and I've never seen anything like it advertised since.

That would have been the example which sank in the Solent in 1998. It is being resored (very slowly) and is the one shown in the picture I linked to above. It has teh strange shaped tail.

[BigS]

Thanks Eric, I remember it still having it's blisters at the time, presumably they were either removed after or reinstalled before I saw it, depending on when that photo was taken.

[Eric Mc]

They were added later.

These airraft have had hard working lives over almost 70 years so much modification was carried out on them in that time. It takes time to restore them back to their original wartime configuration.

Even the B-17 Sally B and the BoBMF Lancaster needed substantial work on them to make them look more like what they did in WW2.

[BigS]

It's inevitable really, the only way a lot of these old birds escape the scrap man is by still being able to earn their keep.

[Eric Mc]

BigS said:

It's inevitable really, the only way a lot of these old birds escape the scrap man is by still being able to earn their keep.

Not so much now as they are genuinel;y historic and will have a "commercial" value in that alone. However, all through the 50s, 60s and even the 70s these planes did indeed survive because they had practical uses in other areas, such as firefighting, surveying etc.

[FourWheelDrift]

richw_82 said:

Nice picture. I got in that one about a week before it had its mishap in the Solent. By that time it had the blisters fitted, and was very clean inside. I had a look around their new one shortly after its transatlantic flight, while its was still painted bright yellow!

The high tail was due to VP-BPS being a Super Catalina, with more powerful engines. I think it had R-2600's fitted at one point instead of the Catalina's more usual R-1830's.

Regards,

Rich

As it was in 2007 (crash was 1998). Anyone know if it's restoration has progressed further?

[AlexC1981]

RizzoTheRat said:

Yeah, I was expecting a flypast with them down but no joy. Apparently they've done something like 60 water landings this season so I guess I need to go to one of the coastal airshows to see that.

There was one at Southend air show but it did't land in the sea unfortunately. I didn't appreciate how graceful they are until then. I thought it looked much more elegant in real life than in any photo I have seen.

[Simpo Two]

Eric Mc said:

However, all through the 50s, 60s and even the 70s these planes did indeed survive because they had practical uses in other areas, such as firefighting, surveying etc.

Like the Martin Mars flying boat:



http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News...

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 26th July 13:46