- 20 hours ago
For educational purposes
The epitome of the flying boat, some thought the Catalina was too old to go to war in the 40's, yet over a hundred are still flying today.
The epitome of the flying boat, some thought the Catalina was too old to go to war in the 40's, yet over a hundred are still flying today.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
02:30And without question, it was the most liked.
02:33It was the consolidated PBY, the Catalina.
03:07In a permanent film of the war period, Black Cats suggests the PBY's limitations.
03:13Anything familiar?
03:14That torso with a middle-aged sag?
03:17Her speed less than some cars can do.
03:20Maneuverable?
03:21Some days all right.
03:22On others, she brings around like a 10-ton truck.
03:26She dives under protest.
03:28Wings can't handle half the pressure dive bombers take.
03:31Got her?
03:32Right.
03:33The old cat.
03:34Navy Catalina patrol boat.
03:36PBY in a black nightgown for night camouflage.
03:40A black cat.
03:43Here comes the cat.
03:44And it's a zoom.
03:45A signal that she did it again.
03:47One more enemy ship on the bottom.
03:50Despite the apparent shortcomings of the PBY in a war that was ultimately to produce the jet airplane, the ballistic missile, and the atomic bomb,
04:09this sturdy flying boat offered reliability, range, lifting power, and above all, endurance.
04:17Its range was such that it could fly all-day, non-stop missions.
04:21On these missions, it could absorb heavy punishment and still bring crew and often extra passengers home, its objective achieved.
04:29This was the basis of what became the legend of the Catalina.
04:32Flying boat designers had sought similar qualities to those of the Catalina since the First World War, 20 years earlier.
04:43It was in that conflict, the first to see full exploitation of military aviation, that the flying boat identified its natural prey.
04:52Its number one target was the submarine, a silent and extremely effective weapon.
04:57Dollar for dollar, the damage caused by German U-boats made them a highly economical way of waging war.
05:04It was quickly realized that if the flying boat could be given sufficient range in lifting power,
05:09it could become the most effective anti-U-boat bombing platform.
05:20It can hardly be said that any Allied aircraft made a great impact on German U-boats.
05:26But the very existence of aerial weapons, even if just for reconnaissance, was a serious threat to submariners.
05:33And towards the end of the war, there were recorded instances of direct hits by Allied flying boats on Axis submarines.
05:41A trend was being set.
05:43By the late 20s and early 30s, the biplane flying boat was established as a very practical way of formatting a large airplane.
06:10Unlike most other military types, which were purchased to be on hand in peacetime rather than actually used,
06:18many Coast Guard flying boats actually gave regular service, not only in weather observation,
06:24but often in mercy missions to sick or injured seamen.
06:27These humanitarian missions clearly showed the value of flying boats and were in the peacetime of the 30s
06:51to demonstrate a service that only this type of craft could perform.
06:55A service that would be required all too often in the war-torn years ahead.
07:00The Coast Guard flying boat station in San Diego
07:29was to see many mercy dashes between the wars.
07:33But this area of Southwest California, with its warm, stable air and nearby flat desert land,
07:38was also to attract the attention of early flying pioneers
07:42as a suitable base for aviation development.
07:44Among these pioneers was Reuben Fleet, an accomplished and enthusiastic aviator.
07:55Fleet had many ideas about the directions aviation should take.
07:59One of these was to establish the world's first airmail service.
08:03The sky over San Diego was to see many firsts in aviation achievement,
08:26including the first air-to-air refueling,
08:28a difficult task when you consider the primitive flight controls of the time.
08:38Southern California's ideal conditions would also attract the pilots
08:42of the first non-stop transcontinental flight,
08:45a brave step in those early days of aviation.
08:48They chose San Diego as their destination
08:51in an event that not only broke ground for early transport,
08:54but created two new American heroes,
08:57McCready and Kelly.
08:59This achievement helped to establish the San Diego area
09:03as a major center for innovation in the American aircraft industry.
09:07San Diego's other aviation firsts included the Loop the Loop,
09:32the first aerial bombing,
09:34and the first official parachute jump.
09:37Given the attributes of the San Diego area
09:40and a great deal of encouragement by its city fathers,
09:43it's not surprising that Reuben Fleet,
09:45who in the early 30s had control of consolidated aircraft,
09:49chose to move the company's factory
09:51from the cold of Buffalo to the warmth of California.
09:58One of the early tasks for the young factory
10:01was to prepare plans for the Navy's new flying boat.
10:04It was another first for San Diego.
10:07In a world of biplane flying boats,
10:10it was a monoplane.
10:12It was called the PBY.
10:15During the Depression, contracts were scarce
10:18and competition was tough.
10:20The move was a big risk for consolidated.
10:22It was a time when plane making
10:25was still the domain of the craftsmen.
10:28Critical eyes and skilled hands,
10:30marks of a man who had learned his trade,
10:33were very much a part of aircraft manufacturing.
10:36This is the main wing assembly area,
10:56where two technologies,
10:58sophisticated steel framework
10:59and old world hand stitching,
11:02brought canvas and metal together
11:04to form the massive PBY wing.
11:07This wing was the key to the success
11:09of the PBY design.
11:11Not only would it provide great lift,
11:14but it carried the entire fuel load,
11:16giving the PBY its legendary range capability.
11:20In the center of the wing,
11:21you can see the two portholes
11:23that provided access to the main fuel tanks.
11:26A partly finished main spar
11:40is transported to the next stage of construction.
11:48In the fabric department,
11:50a special quality unbleached cotton
11:52is secured to the wing
11:53with knotted stitches that cannot come untied.
11:57The use of fabric and metal
11:58provided a combination of lightness and strength.
12:02The process that achieved that combination
12:04consumed hundreds of hours
12:06of exacting craftsmanship.
12:07The final process in covering the wing
12:20was the coating of special aviation dope,
12:23a resilient lacquer
12:24that stretched the canvas taut
12:26and bonded the components together.
12:29Extra reinforcing was glued over each rib.
12:32The PBY's all-metal hull
12:39needed tens of thousands of rivets.
12:41Consolidated's rivet machine
12:43would produce over a million
12:44punched out of mild steel every week.
12:48Given the extra stresses placed on flying boats
12:51with the battering of their large hulls
12:53on every landing,
12:54seams had to be stronger than usual.
12:56So the millions of rivets
12:58coming out of the machines
12:59were given special treatment.
13:01To keep the material at its most workable
13:04and provide the tightest fit,
13:06each batch was placed in refrigerators
13:08and frozen until it was ready for use.
13:11Metal ribs and stringers
13:30form the shape of a hull
13:32that must carry the full weight
13:34of each PBY as it lands.
13:36The cold rivets must fasten sheet metal
13:39to this framework
13:40into a skin that remains watertight
13:43against the hard buffeting
13:44of each return to the water's surface.
13:53Wooden wedges ensure the closest fit
13:56between framework and skin.
13:58And only when the seal is perfect
14:00is the entire hull rotated
14:02to its upright position
14:03and moved on to the next process.
14:10The whole complex jigsaw
14:12of thousands of preformed pieces
14:14is assembled in a process
14:16that demands the finest tolerances
14:18before the fuselage takes its final form.
14:22The shape that will make the PBY
14:23instantly recognizable
14:25is beginning to emerge.
14:30These craftsmen are in a sense
14:33as much boat builders as plane makers.
14:36Just like a boat,
14:37the PBY must float
14:38and no water can be allowed
14:40to find its way through the skin.
14:42This is the unique center spar
14:52which supports the wing.
14:54In an unusual piece of design,
14:56it also houses the flight engineer
14:58who sits high above the two pilots,
15:01close to the two engines
15:02he constantly monitors.
15:08At this stage,
15:09the clean, shark-like profile
15:12of the hull is almost complete.
15:14The final test of waterproofing
15:15will follow.
15:16It would take enormous tanks
15:18to immerse the hull.
15:20Instead,
15:21its integrity is proven
15:22simply by filling the inside
15:23with water
15:24and checking for leaks.
15:27Then,
15:28it's off to the paint shop
15:29to be scraped down clean
15:31in preparation
15:31for the many coats
15:32of a waterproof paint
15:34that provides final protection.
15:36The paint,
15:37which has to survive
15:38the wear of marine landings
15:40and takeoffs
15:40and the corrosive effect
15:42of salt water
15:42is applied
15:43in carefully controlled conditions.
15:46Positive air pressure
15:47is maintained
15:48by large fans,
15:49making sure
15:50no dust
15:51or other particles
15:51find their way in.
16:00After painting,
16:01the completed fuselages
16:02are stored,
16:04ready for fitting
16:04the main wing spar.
16:06These are the early model
16:09PBY-3s
16:10with their distinctive
16:11flat-side canopies.
16:14They're part of a pre-war order
16:15for 65 aircraft
16:17placed by the United States Navy.
16:20At this stage,
16:22the main wing spar
16:23is brought in
16:24to be fitted
16:24to the small surface
16:25of the center column.
16:27You can see
16:27the thickness of the wing,
16:29the center section
16:30of which is almost
16:31completely occupied
16:32by fuel tanks,
16:33holding 1,750 gallons.
16:39The PBY was powered
16:40by two 1,200-horsepower
16:42Pratt & Whitney
16:43twin WASP engines.
16:45They were secured
16:45to the wing
16:46with just four bolts each.
16:48The dry California climate
17:03made it possible
17:04to install
17:04the massive wings
17:05out in the open.
17:07This simple fact
17:08saved thousands of feet
17:10of hangar space.
17:11A feature of the PBY
17:24was its retractable
17:26wingtip floats.
17:27In flight,
17:28these could be raised
17:29so they became
17:30an extension of the wing,
17:32reducing unnecessary drag
17:34and improving
17:35the plane's handling.
17:36The floats were lowered
17:37again for landing.
17:41Before each plane
18:05was handed over
18:05to the Navy,
18:06it was thoroughly inspected.
18:09In most aircraft
18:10at the time,
18:10the pilot and engineer
18:12was stationed
18:12close together.
18:14But in the PBY,
18:15they were separated
18:16and could only talk
18:17to each other
18:18by interphone.
18:19You can see
18:20the engineer's window
18:21located in the wing spar
18:22at the bottom
18:23of the picture.
18:24The maiden flight
18:38of a new PBY,
18:39The maiden flight
18:52of a new PBY.
18:53The letters PB stood
18:56for patrol boat
18:57and the Y
18:58was the manufacturer's
18:59identification.
19:01The PBY's greatest asset
19:03was its range
19:04and the ability
19:05to fly on just one engine
19:07was a key factor
19:08in conserving fuel
19:10to increase range
19:11further still.
19:13The PBY's other great quality
19:14was its ruggedness,
19:16stamina that was built in
19:18during manufacturing.
19:28Like most aircraft
19:29that stay in production
19:30over a long period,
19:32the PBY was to evolve.
19:33It started as a well-designed,
19:36purpose-built
19:37flying boat bomber.
19:39Most of the first batch
19:40of almost 200
19:41went to the United States Navy.
19:44When the first production
19:45models appeared in 1936,
19:47it could have been supposed
19:48that only a few hundred
19:49would ever be produced.
19:51But world events
19:52took a sudden turn
19:53and in 1939,
19:55as soon as the war
19:56in Europe began,
19:57the British ordered
19:59large numbers
19:59of the Mark V.
20:00The United States Navy
20:02ordered an extra 200
20:04to patrol
20:04what were then
20:05its neutral waters.
20:15Not only did delivery
20:16of the first
20:17Royal Air Force PBY
20:18signal the start
20:20of a long
20:20and fruitful relationship
20:21with the model,
20:23the RAF
20:24also gave the PBY
20:25its name,
20:26the Catalina.
20:27It stuck
20:28to be adopted
20:29almost universally.
20:34Another model
20:35that interested the British
20:36was the 5A.
20:38Although similar
20:39to the flying boat version,
20:40the 5A was an amphibian,
20:42able to operate
20:43from both sea
20:44and land.
20:46Although this model
20:47was heavier,
20:48slower,
20:49and had less range
20:50than the standard
20:50flying boat,
20:51it was versatile,
20:53and nearly half
20:54the aircraft delivered
20:55were amphibians.
20:58The Royal Air Force
21:02acquisition was timely.
21:04With Britain at war,
21:05it was desperate
21:06for all types
21:07of aircraft.
21:08But the Catalina
21:09was to be a key factor
21:10in maintaining
21:11the supply lines
21:12from North America
21:13to besieged Britain.
21:15operating from bases
21:29in the North Atlantic,
21:31PBYs provided escort
21:32to the vulnerable
21:33supply convoys,
21:35which would otherwise
21:36have been sitting ducks
21:37for the predatory
21:38German U-boats.
21:40The Catalina's
21:404,000-mile range
21:42provided effective,
21:43but not total coverage,
21:44to vital merchant shipping.
21:47Many times,
21:49the Atlantic corridor
21:50was almost closed
21:51by the threat
21:52of the U-boats,
21:53and the Catalina
21:53was the first
21:54Allied weapon
21:55to turn the tide.
21:57In the North Atlantic,
21:59RAF Catalinas
22:00carried the British-designed
22:01ASV aircraft-to-surface
22:03vessel anti-submarine radar.
22:06It was used effectively
22:07as a supplement
22:08to visual observation.
22:10Once a sighting
22:10was made,
22:11the PBYs used bombs
22:13and depth charges
22:14to launch the attack.
22:153-0-d3-4-6-6 verse
22:181-Metro
22:201-Metro
22:202-Metro
22:215-4-6-6-6-6-6-6-7-6-6-6-7-6-6-7-6-6-6-6-6-7-7-7-6-6-7-6-7-6-6-7-6.
22:54December 7, 1941, off Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese task force is about
23:01to deal the U.S. 7th Fleet a cruel blow, a blow that will bring America into the war
23:06and lead to the conflict's ultimate conclusion.
23:16At Pearl Harbor, P.B. Wise took their share of the battering.
23:24The Aleutian Islands are situated in the North Pacific Ocean, forming a chain stretching
23:381,200 miles west-southwest of Alaska toward Siberia, forming the southern boundary of
23:44the Bering Sea. There are four groups of islands, part of the territory of Alaska.
23:49This region has a peculiar weather pattern. Cold air from the pole meets the warm, moist air
24:11masses of the Japanese current to form cyclonic disturbances. Because of the Earth's rotation,
24:17these disturbances move constantly from west to east.
24:25The Japanese were aware of this pattern and realized its ability to allow them to operate
24:31behind the moving curtain of a storm.
24:33In the early days of June 1942, they employed this advantage in an all-out attempt to secure
24:43absolute domination of the Pacific Ocean.
24:48Behind a storm, they dispatched two invasion forces to two widely separated objectives,
24:55Midway Island and Dutch Harbor.
24:56The operation was designed to break the American line of sea defense, upon which the security
25:02of the Pacific coast depends.
25:04There is little doubt that the decisive United States win over the Japanese carrier force
25:12at Midway broke the back of Japanese naval air power. Although American intelligence was aware
25:18the Japanese fleet was in the vicinity, the pilot of a humble PBY made the sighting that confirmed
25:25Japanese Japanese presence and precipitated the back.
25:40On the northern front, a Dutch harbor in the Aleutians, the American forces were also prepared with an effective counterattack.
25:48Conditions in the Aleutians were almost impossible to bear. In some ways, the weather was the worst
25:57enemy of both sides and took a terrible toll. But PBY patrols persevered, looking for enemy vessels.
26:04In spite of the extreme conditions, the PBYs stayed in the air, searching for their arch enemy, the Japanese U-boats.
26:33It's a notable fact that Japanese U-boats in the Pacific had nothing like the early success of the German U-boats
26:40in the Atlantic. Nor did they match the success of American subs that hunted the Pacific.
26:46One reason for this is the presence on the Allied side of the PBY. The Japanese simply had no
26:54anti-submarine weapon that was the PBY's equivalent.
27:03The American presence effectively held the line, and Dutch harbor was as close as the Japanese
27:32ever came to mainland America. The Carolina had again played its part.
27:38But the PBY was not without its competitors. The more advanced Martin Mariner twin-engine
27:58long-range reconnaissance bomber was also a very effective flying boat.
28:03It continued in production in various forms long after the war.
28:08This particular model re-equipped many of the older Catalina squadrons,
28:12as the famous consolidated flying boats started to age.
28:19Back at the consolidated San Diego plant, PBY construction forged the
28:25U-boats in the U-boats in the U-boats in the U-boats in the U-boats in the U-boats.
28:28Back at the consolidated San Diego plant, PBY construction forged ahead and was to go on almost throughout the war.
28:38Even though later models were becoming available, the proven characteristics of a plane first ordered in 1933 was still hard to beat.
28:53By now it wasn't only consolidated who built the Catalina.
29:10They were also manufactured by Boeing, Vickers, and the Naval Air Factory.
29:17Over 3,000 of the type went to the United States Navy alone.
29:21Additional substantial orders came from the British, other Commonwealth nations, and the Dutch.
29:27Although there had been many versions, it was still basically the Model 5 that occupied the production line in quantity,
29:47either in its full flying boat form, or in the more versatile amphibian model.
29:52The Model 5 and onwards can easily be distinguished by the large,
30:21blister canopies mounted on each side of the rear fuselage.
30:25The blister provided a gun position and excellent visibility for an observer.
30:52Although the Catalina dominated much of Consolidated's war effort, it was not its only flying boat at the time.
30:59In 1936, the company had invested heavily, tooling up for the much larger four-engine heavy patrol bomber,
31:06the PB-2Y, the Consolidated Coronado.
31:09The PB-2Y had set new standards for its time, but there was a strengthening school of thought that a really large design,
31:18using four engines, would be the ultimate flying boat.
31:22The British had successfully employed the four-engine Sunderland,
31:25and there were some clever axis designs also utilizing large hulls.
31:29This new flying boat from San Diego was an attempt to employ the same philosophy.
31:36The Consolidated PB-2Y Coronado was a giant of a plane,
31:40with four large engines and a double-decker fuselage,
31:43but it still used retractable floats, similar to those of the PB-Y.
31:48It was only ever produced in a pure flying boat version,
31:52and was the company's design model 29.
32:09The Coronado entered service in 1941, but was never manufactured in large numbers.
32:15Many of the patrol bomber versions were converted into naval ambulances,
32:19with accommodation for up to 25 stretcher cases.
32:23There were various other passenger and cargo transports,
32:26which vindicated the concept of Consolidated's giant flying boat.
32:31However it is judged as a weapon, it was a spectacular sight on the water and in the air.
32:49The Coronado
33:03But the concept of really large flying boats,
33:20like those produced by Consolidator, Sikorsky, and others,
33:24was coming to an end.
33:26In the course of the war, thousands of airstrips had been built around the world.
33:30Spectacular landings and takeoffs on the water, about to become a rarity.
34:00Consolidator's attempt at a really large flying boat was not to result in a long production run.
34:19But its four-engine bomber, the B-24 Liberator, was turned out in numbers exceeding 12,000.
34:25The family resemblance between the land plane and its close flying boat relative is striking.
34:35But far away on remote Pacific islands,
34:38the basic PBY Catalina was left to get on with the dirty business of war.
34:44Carrying assortments of bombs, depth charges, and torpedoes,
34:47and usually defended by no more than a few .50 caliber machine guns,
34:53the Navy's PBYs worked from primitive bases,
34:56where improvisation was a way of life.
34:58Preparing a PBY for a naval assault was a laborious but necessary chore.
35:21As the aircraft flew into harm's way,
35:23most knew that its limited defensive armament would be of little value.
35:28But in the night assault role,
35:30the cat's best defense was its flat black finish.
35:34In this situation, the legend of the black cats was born.
35:38Throughout much of the American involvement in the Second World War,
35:52the Navy operated from secret bases scattered across the Pacific Islands.
35:57Small numbers of PBYs worked alone,
36:00performing aerial reconnaissance, mine laying,
36:03air-sea rescue, dive bombing, and torpedo attack missions.
36:06The success of these missions hinged on the basic operational qualities of the PBY
36:13and on the teams of men who learned to fly and maintain them in unfamiliar conditions.
36:19This learning process was one of experience and improvisation,
36:24rather than any textbook operation.
36:27The Catalina's high-mounted engines were close together
36:30and made it somewhat difficult to steer while taxiing.
36:33On the take-off run, the throttles were opened gradually
36:36to minimize visibility loss and damage to the propellers through spray.
36:41In some conditions, and under heavy load,
36:44the PBY needed up to three miles of run-up
36:46before unsticking and finally taking to the air.
36:49Usually flying into dusk
37:06and frequently into turbulent tropical weather,
37:09the crews on an average black cat mission
37:11learn to accept a very rough ride as a normal operating condition.
37:15Their confidence in the Catalina's ability to survive these tropical elements
37:20didn't make the trip any more comfortable.
37:24Without the usual electronic navigation aids,
37:27plotting the PBY's course was less a science than an art form.
37:32One of the paradoxes crews learned to live with
37:35was that while a dark moonless night provided safety from Japanese night fighters,
37:40it reduced the navigator's ability to confirm his position with star sightings,
37:45his only real navigational resource.
37:50On those dark nights, a break in the clouds was welcome.
37:55It allowed a quick star sighting from the exposed nose turret,
37:59confirming whether or not the PBY was on course,
38:02and gave a brief check for Japanese night fighters.
38:05On this particular mission,
38:10black cat crews are searching for a Japanese convoy,
38:14thought to be at anchor in an enemy harbor.
38:16In the dark conditions,
38:18the crews strain to see any clue to the location of their target.
38:22As they approach,
38:24the PBY reduces altitude in the hope of making a positive sighting.
38:28Surprise and the darkness of night
38:30are the black cat's only defenses.
38:33Soon, its engines will be heard
38:35and bring the usual response from Japanese anti-aircraft guns.
38:39In spite of the intensity of the Japanese fire,
39:03there is no sign of the convoy.
39:05The search must continue out at sea.
39:08And all the time,
39:10there is the threat of the Japanese night fighters,
39:12now well aware of the PBY's presence.
39:16Most black cats had their bomb sights removed
39:18and substituted with radar altimeters.
39:21This not only allowed accurate low-level bombing,
39:24but gave the ability to fly safely
39:26at low altitudes in the dark.
39:29Low-level flying ability was very useful
39:31in avoiding the eyes of Japanese night fighter pilots.
39:34The cats with their matte black paintwear skimming just above water level
39:39were almost impossible to see.
39:48Over the ocean, at night,
39:51even a large convoy of ships is an elusive target.
39:54On moonlit nights, once a sighting was made,
40:00the trick was to try and get the target between the cat and the moon.
40:05Sometimes that wasn't possible.
40:06When a sighting was made,
40:10in this case, a convoy of ammunition freighters,
40:13signals were often dispatched to other cats
40:15that may be in the area.
40:22On these night convoy searches,
40:24the cats carried a variety of armament and ordnance.
40:28Combinations included two 500 and 2,000-pound bombs,
40:32or two 500-pound bombs and a torpedo.
40:36As the cats started their bombing rounds,
40:39it was a classic case of David and Goliath.
40:43In spite of all rumors to the contrary,
40:45the cats were capable of diving,
40:47but the strain on those big high-mounted wings was immense.
40:51In a dive from 3,000 feet down to masthead level,
40:54pilots reported that the wings were really flat.
40:56As well as their bomb loads,
41:02the cats used their machine guns
41:04to retaliate against the anti-aircraft fire from the ships.
41:08In this apparently unequal struggle,
41:10the cats achieved an extraordinary success rate.
41:14U.S. Navy PBY Squadron BP-52,
41:17between November 1943 and June 1944,
41:22destroyed or damaged 16 enemy ships,
41:24including submarines, tankers, cruisers, and destroyers.
41:43Many other squadrons operating throughout the Pacific
41:46had comparable records.
41:48And more often than not,
41:50after prowling around in the night
41:51and taking an impossible amount of punishment,
41:54these cats came back.
42:00But it wasn't just the air crew
42:02who made the night missions in the Pacific a success.
42:05Those who served as ground engineers,
42:07the maintenance men,
42:09had the daunting task of repairing the damage
42:11sustained in the night missions
42:13and keeping what were fast-becoming old planes in the air.
42:18Maintaining the Pratt and Whitney double wasps
42:20on a remote island somewhere in the Pacific
42:22required ingenuity.
42:24Recycling old parts
42:25and making others when replacements were not available,
42:28ground engineers found the PBY
42:30to be a plane that demanded little
42:32and forgave much.
42:34Often repairs needed little more
42:36than a pair of tin snips to patch bullet holes,
42:39a reminder to the air crew
42:40of just how precarious the night missions were.
42:43But not all PBY machines were instruments of aggression.
43:02Their versatility was demonstrated in many different ways.
43:05Throughout the war, they were used for air-sea rescue,
43:08searching the oceans for survivors of countless air battles
43:11in theatres across the globe.
43:14This air-sea rescue role,
43:16sometimes referred to as the Dumbo missions,
43:19saved hundreds of lives by rescuing airmen and sailors alike.
43:24Often, to make the rescues possible,
43:26the pilots would have to execute full-stall landings
43:29on swells of eight feet or more.
43:32This could be a dangerous maneuver,
43:34and sometimes, the cat crew,
43:36in attempting a rescue,
43:38would find itself in the water,
43:40waiting for the comforting drone
43:41of the next cat to come along.
43:46Once loaded with survivors,
43:48the next problem was taking off.
43:50Sometimes it was necessary for the pilots
43:52to drain fuel and jettison
43:54whatever could be thrown overboard.
43:56With a load of over 20 people
43:57and a large swell running,
43:59these take-offs needed luck and good timing.
44:02If, on the take-off run,
44:04a swell through the cat in the air,
44:06the moment had to be seized
44:07by grabbing full power and hoping for the best.
44:10Few planes, apart from the PBY,
44:13could have come through such difficult operations.
44:15In the course of World War II,
44:45it was not only military Catalinas
44:47that saw service.
44:49The Qantas Perth to Colombo flights
44:51are legends in the history of civil aviation.
44:55While the war in the Pacific went on,
44:57the Australian airline Qantas
44:59used five Catalinas
45:01to provide a small but continuing service
45:03flying a maximum of three passengers
45:06from Australia to Colombo
45:08in a flight that would take
45:09no less than 24 hours.
45:11The wear and tear on engines was phenomenal.
45:15And these Qantas Indian Ocean flights
45:18are to this day
45:19the longest duration scheduled trips
45:21that any airline has offered.
45:24The Catalinas' war record,
45:26whether in combat or civilian service,
45:28was magnificent.
45:30From the polar regions to the tropics
45:32and in both hemispheres,
45:34it flew with the distinction
45:35achieved by few other airplanes.
45:38It wasn't fast
45:39and it wasn't agile.
45:41It just worked.
45:47Post-war,
45:49serviceable PVYs
45:50became sought-after items.
45:53The old qualities of reliability,
45:55ease of service,
45:56and long range
45:57had much the same appeal
45:59to commercial operators
46:00as they did to the military.
46:03Hundreds of ex-service machines
46:04were snapped up
46:05by civil airlines
46:06and small private operators.
46:09Just how many Catalinas
46:10flew in civilian roles
46:12over the land and sea
46:13for which they'd fought
46:14is a tantalizing mystery.
46:17One thing is for certain.
46:19For a plane that was
46:20originally ordered in 1933
46:22and considered by some
46:24to be obsolete
46:25by the war's end,
46:27the Catalina
46:27has survived magnificently
46:29and is still flying.
46:32It deserves its reputation
46:33as one of the world's
46:35great planes.
46:36was like,
46:37even if you could
46:55win as a part of the world's
46:56against immigration.
46:57ORGAN PLAYS
47:27ORGAN PLAYS
47:57ORGAN PLAYS
48:27ORGAN PLAYS
48:57ORGAN PLAYS
49:27ORGAN PLAYS
49:57ORGAN PLAYS
50:27ORGAN PLAYS
Comments