- 7 hours ago
For educational purposes
The lightest sea-based aircraft was the Consolidated PBY Catalina.
Its reliability, lifting power and endurance were assets in its mercy missions and successful attacks on German U-boats.
The lightest sea-based aircraft was the Consolidated PBY Catalina.
Its reliability, lifting power and endurance were assets in its mercy missions and successful attacks on German U-boats.
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00:00You
00:39It earned its reputation in virtually every theater of the Second World War.
00:44And yet, the model is practically outdated when the war begins.
00:49As large and ungainly as an albatross, this flying boat still holds lasting appeal.
00:55It isn't the largest or the fastest, but more than any other plane in its class, it gets
01:01the job done over and over again.
01:04I'm Paul Max Moga, and I've flown some of the most sophisticated planes ever built.
01:17This is the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia, home to one of the largest
01:22collections of restored warbirds in the world.
01:24Of all the flying boats ever built, the consolidated PBY, the Catalina, is the hands-down favorite.
01:35Prior to World War II, before paved runways were common, flying boats solved the difficult
01:41problem of where to land a large aircraft.
01:44Its large, high-mounted wings, supported by stays, reveal its not-so-distant biplane ancestry.
02:00My name's Don Anklin.
02:01I work for the Military Aviation Museum here in Virginia Beach as the director of restoration,
02:06and I'm also chief pilot and a PBY pilot.
02:11All right, Don, so here we are at the PBY.
02:14I mean, she's a little bit of a flying monstrosity, but tell me what you know about why the plane
02:19was developed.
02:20What need was it filling?
02:21The Navy wanted something that could go long distance for search and rescue, you know,
02:27boats that needed help in the ocean, you know, open water type of search and rescue.
02:31So a SAR platform.
02:32Yeah, basically, yeah.
02:33And I guess the first thing that I realized when I look at this is that it doesn't have
02:36to land on our runway.
02:38I mean...
02:38No.
02:39It's a boat.
02:40Yeah.
02:40The original antenna of this airplane and the original design was no wheels.
02:44None.
02:45None.
02:45Always off the water.
02:47It was a flying boat.
02:48Yeah.
02:48So in this version of the airplane, they had two different versions.
02:51They had one that was the total flying boat, and then they had the 5A, which meant it had
02:55landing gear.
03:09Even this government film of the period, titled Black Cat, suggests that the PBY's success
03:16comes in an unlikely package.
03:37Anything familiar?
03:39That horse-o with a middle-aged bag?
03:41Her speed less than some cars can do.
03:44Maneuverable?
03:45Some days, all right.
03:47On others, she brings around like a 10-ton truck.
03:50She dives under protest.
03:52Wings can't handle half the pressure dive bombers take.
03:55Got her?
03:56Right.
03:57The old cat.
03:59Navy Catalina patrol boat, TBY, in a black nightgown for night camouflage.
04:04A black cat.
04:08In a war that spawns the jet airplane, the ballistic missile, and the atomic bomb,
04:13this sturdy flying boat offers reliability, range, lifting power, and above all, endurance.
04:28It can fly all day, nonstop missions, take heavy punishment, and still bring crew and passengers
04:35home.
04:39Again and again, the Catalina proves worthy of its legend.
04:50Twenty years before the Catalina, designers tinkered with plans for flying boats.
04:59World War I, the first conflict to fully exploit military aviation, sees an immediate need.
05:05The prime target?
05:07The submarine.
05:09Silent and extremely effective, German U-boats become a highly economical weapon of war.
05:17The Allies quickly realized that a flying boat with sufficient range and lifting power
05:22could become an effective anti-U-boat bombing platform.
05:30Even when used for reconnaissance, aircraft pose a serious threat to submarines.
05:39Toward the end of the war, when Allied flying boats score direct hits on Axis submarines, the threat increases
05:46and a trend is set.
05:56By the late 20s and early 30s, the biplane flying boat becomes a very practical prototype
06:01for large airplanes.
06:10Unlike most other military planes hangared until called to war, many Coast Guard flying boats
06:15would see regular service, not only for weather observation, but often to rescue sick or injured
06:21seamen.
06:25In the 30s, these peacetime mercy missions proved the unique value of flying boats.
06:32And that value only increases in the war-torn years to come.
06:57Coast Guard flying boats, stationed in San Diego, see many mercy dashes between the wars.
07:08And that value of flying boats.
07:09This area of southwest California, with its warm, stable air and nearby flat desert, also
07:15attracts early flying pioneers eager to develop their technology.
07:29In 1935, aviation pioneer Ruben Fleet, who controls consolidated aircraft, moves the company's factory
07:36from the cold of Buffalo, New York to the warmth of San Diego.
07:46One of the factory's early commissions comes from the Navy to prepare plans for a new flying boat.
07:57Unlike previous flying boats, this one will be a monoplane, designated PB for patrol boat
08:03and Y to denote the manufacturer.
08:15With this big commission comes big risk.
08:19The depression has made contracts scarce and competition fierce.
08:27And playmaking is still the domain of skilled craftsmen, not huge factories.
08:33Not until this one.
08:40The PBY Catalina is known by many nicknames, including Black Cat, Pig Boat, Mad Cat, Nomad, P-Boat, Mop and
08:51Dumbo.
09:09In 1936, in the midst of the Great Depression, the aviation company Consolidated Aircraft takes a risk by accepting a
09:16large commission from the U.S. Navy for 60 deliveries of its PBY-1.
09:22However, their large factory is about to change the game in the aircraft production industry.
09:29The PBY-1 is about to become the first production version of the Consolidated Catalina.
09:43In the main wing assembly area, the sophisticated steel fabrication and old world hand stitching join forces to create the
09:51massive PBY wing.
09:53This wing is the key to the PBY design.
10:05It not only provides great lift, but also carries the entire fuel load, giving the PBY its legendary range.
10:14Two portholes in the center of the wing provide access to the main fuel tanks.
10:25How about fuel capacity?
10:28I mean, I would assume that these things could fly forever.
10:33I mean, just basic reconnaissance tactics.
10:36Absolutely, absolutely.
10:37This airplane can hold 1,750 gallons of fuel.
10:40At a standard normal cruise, she'll burn 100 gallons an hour.
10:45You can bring it back to economy cruise, that's 17 and a half hours in the air with no reserve.
10:50That's a long time.
10:51So that's a long time.
11:00Next, the rugged main spar heads to the fabric department, where durable, unbleached cotton is tied to the wing with
11:06knotted stitches that can't come undone.
11:12The combination of fabric and metal provides lightness and strength.
11:17Putting them together takes hundreds of hours of exacting craftsmanship.
11:32In its final step, the wing gets coated with the resilient lacquer that pulls the canvas taut and bonds the
11:38components together.
11:45Each rib gets extra reinforcement.
11:51The PBY's all-metal hull needs tens of thousands of rivets.
11:59Punched out of steel, Consolidator's rivet machine produces over a million rivets each week.
12:12Given the extra stresses the hulls of flying boats endure with every landing, joints have to be especially rugged.
12:19To keep the rivet steel at its most workable, and to provide the tightest fit, each batch is frozen until
12:26ready for use.
12:39Metal ribs and stringers form the hull's skeleton.
12:44The hull bears the brunt of the landing impact, enduring the weight of the plane and the buffeting of the
12:50seas while keeping water tight.
12:57Wooden wedges ensure the closest fit between framework and skin.
13:01And only when the seal is perfect is the entire hull rotated to its upright position and moved on to
13:06the next process.
13:19The fuselage takes form as thousands of components get fitted to the tightest tolerances.
13:41The center spar that supports the wing also houses the flight engineer.
13:49He sits perched above the two pilots, close to the two engines he constantly monitors.
13:57At this stage, the shark-like profile of the hull is almost complete.
14:03To make sure it's seaworthy, it's filled with water and checked for leaks.
14:12Then, it goes to the paint shop where it's scraped and painted.
14:15In the paint room, large fans produce positive air pressure, keeping dust and contaminants out.
14:24The completed fuselages stand ready for their main wing spars.
14:47These early model PBY-3s, with their distinctive flat-side canopies, are part of a pre-war order of 65
14:54aircraft placed by the United States Navy.
14:58Next, the main wing spar gets fitted to the center column.
15:07The wings are thick.
15:09The center section is almost completely occupied by fuel tanks, holding 1,750 gallons.
15:22The fuel feeds two 1,200 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines.
15:27They're secured to the wing with just four bolts each.
15:35The dry California climate eliminates the need for a massive hanger.
15:41Finally, the plane is assembled outside.
15:52The PBY's retractable wing tip floats can be raised in flight to extend the wing and improve handling.
16:00Then, they lower for landing.
16:16During original manufacturing, each plane must pass a thorough inspection before it's handed over to the Navy.
16:24From the north side, they're in, in-run.
16:37The D- Московus之前, the limited品 has been compromised by the nearby network.
16:39The D-Corp is the main wing it up to the other field.
16:39The D-Corp is the main wing of the PBY.
16:41The D-Corp is a pretty small town town to make the ball or the enemy.
16:42This is the main wing of the pre-war.
16:42The D-Corp is a huge town homerà on the edge of the main wing.
16:43The D-Corp is a big and a big and a big guide to make the move.
16:44The D-Corp has actually been vic Embarrassed the parklands as well as the main wing.
16:44The D-Corp, is not a big outta here.
16:49G-100, but pure air is amazing than the D-Corp.
16:54From 1936 to 1945, with just nine short years of production, a total of 3,290 PBY Catalinas were made.
17:21After years of perfecting early models of the PBY, consolidated aircraft creates what will be the first version of the
17:28Catalina to be produced in large numbers, the PBY-5.
17:32With the props just feet behind the pilot's head and the engineer and pilot sitting apart, communication is through headsets.
17:40Understanding crew members is essential for a successful mission and a safe return home.
17:45On March 28, 1938, the new PBY-5 makes its maiden flight, powerful and rugged.
17:52To conserve fuel and increase range, the craft can fly on a single engine.
17:58Like most successful aircraft, the PBY evolves to fit changing needs.
18:06In December 1939, the U.S. Navy commissions about 200 PBY-5s as boat bombers.
18:12But that is just the beginning.
18:39In 1940, the delivery of the first Royal Air Force PBY-5s was the first Royal Air Force PBY-5s.
18:44The PBY signals the start of a long relationship.
18:47The RAF even gives the PBY its popular name, the Catalina.
18:57Besides the PBY, the British also order an amphibious aircraft, the PBY-5A.
19:05Though heavier, slower, and with less range than the Catalina, the PBY-5A can operate on sea
19:11and land, making it more versatile.
19:14Nearly half of the aircraft delivered to the RAF are amphibious.
19:22The Catalina's 4,000-mile range proves indispensable to maintaining the supply lines between North America and Britain.
19:42Operating from bases in the North Atlantic, PBYs escort the vulnerable supply convoys,
19:48which would otherwise be sitting ducks for the predatory German U-boats.
20:02RAF Catalinas carry the British-designed ASV, aircraft-to-surface vessel anti-submarine radar, to supplement visual observation.
20:18Once a U-boat is spotted, the PBYs launch an attack with bombs and depth charges.
20:31How about, so it could take out targets with bombs, did it have anything else?
20:34I mean, did it have guns on it?
20:36Did it have torpedoes?
20:37I think I remember hearing that.
20:39Yeah, they dropped torpedoes.
20:40They had rockets on them, believe it or not, and they had torpedoes.
20:44They had all kinds of stuff on these things.
20:46They had depth chargers they would drop in the water.
20:49Guns, yeah, it had guns, but it was mostly for offense.
20:52They had two .50 caliber waist guns, and then they had, depends on what version, they had a .50 caliber
20:57nose gun or .230s.
20:58Yeah.
20:58And then they had a little stinger gun, which they could pull a door open in the back and stick
21:02another .30 out of it.
21:03And all those defensive, obviously.
21:04Just defensive, they couldn't do anything else with it.
21:07I mean, I can't fathom trying to strafe something.
21:10Well, this was a sitting duck, this airplane here.
21:14I mean, 105 knots, that's it.
21:18I mean, that's where she goes.
21:19Oh, they're smoking.
21:41On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese conclude the conflict with a cruel blow to the U.S. 7th Fleet.
22:04At Pearl Harbor, PBYs take their share of the battering.
22:18The PBY first proves its legend during the Battle of Midway.
22:23The stage for this infamous battle is set in the cold of the Aleutian Islands.
22:28The four groups of islands form part of Alaska.
22:57In the early days of June, 1942, the Japanese used the weather to be in the U.S. 7th Fleet.
23:01They're here to try and push American forces out of the Pacific.
23:04From behind a bank of storms, they dispatched two invasion forces with two widely separate objectives, Midway Island and Dutch
23:12Harbor.
23:12The operation is designed to shatter the American line of sea defenses along the Pacific coast.
23:32The unit cost of a single PBY Catalina in 1935 was $90,000.
23:58In June of 1942, the Japanese make a bold move to secure absolute domination of the Pacific Ocean.
24:06Using a moving bank of storms, they dispatched two invasion forces with two widely separate objectives, Midway Island and Dutch
24:15Harbor.
24:16The Japanese lose the element of surprise and the battle.
24:20The decisive United States victory over the Japanese carrier force at Midway breaks the back of Japanese naval air power.
24:41On the northern front at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians, the American forces also prepare an effective counterattack.
24:51Facing unbearable weather, PBY patrols persevere in their search for Japanese U-boats.
25:08Thanks to the PBYs, Japanese U-boats in the Pacific enjoy none of the early success of the German U
25:14-boats in the Atlantic.
25:19And American subs fare well in the Pacific because the Japanese have nothing like the PBYs to flush them out.
25:43The Americans hold the line.
25:47Dutch Harbor is as close as the Japanese ever come to mainland America.
25:51Again, the Catalina plays its part.
26:05But the PBY has rivals of its own on the home front, like the more advanced Martin Mariner twin-engine
26:11long-range reconnaissance bomber.
26:16Several models of this flying boat are produced long after the war.
26:22This particular one replaced many of the older Catalina squatters as the famous consolidated flying boat started to age.
26:37Back at consolidated San Diego plant, PBY construction forges ahead, almost throughout the war.
26:47Even with the later models available, the original 1933 model is the one to beat.
26:55By now, manufacturers besides consolidated build the Catalina.
27:01Boeing, Vickers, and the Naval Air Factory tool up to meet the demand.
27:08The U.S. Navy alone wants 3,000.
27:11And big orders come in from the British, other Commonwealth nations, and the Dutch.
27:22The PBY-5A dominates the production lines, both in its flying boat form and the more versatile amphibious model.
27:37The PBY-5A and later versions feature large blister canopies on each side of the rear fuselage.
27:45The canopies provide excellent visibility for the gunner positioned inside.
27:56Although the Catalina leads Consolidator's war effort, it isn't the only flying boat they have in production.
28:03In 1936, the company makes ready for the much larger four-engine heavy patrol bomber, the PB-2Y, the consolidated
28:12Coronado.
28:16The PBY had set new standards in its day, but now thoughts turn to larger four-engine flying boats.
28:27The British start the trend and successfully develop the four-engine Sunderland.
28:36This Coronado flying boat is San Diego's answer.
28:41The gigantic Consolidated PB-2Y Coronado boasts four large engines and a double-decker fuselage, but it still uses retractable
28:50floats.
28:54Consolidated produces this model, number 29, only as a flying boat.
29:03The Coronado ends service in 1945, with only a few produced.
29:08Many of the patrol bomber versions will become naval ambulances, with accommodation for up to 25 stretchers.
29:17What had once made flying boats like the Coronado unique and popular will soon contribute to its slow decommission from
29:23military service.
29:30With the war comes thousands of new airstrips around the world, so water landings and takeoffs become unnecessary.
29:41The era of large flying boats draws to a close.
29:57Consolidated finds new success in its four-engine bomber, the B-24 Liberator.
30:05Though designed for ground landings, it bears a striking resemblance to its flying boat predecessor.
30:11The factory turns out more than 12,000.
30:19Meanwhile, on remote Pacific islands, the basic Catalina PB-2Y gets on with the business of war, laden with bombs,
30:27death charges, torpedoes, and .50 caliber machine guns.
30:41Despite its impressive payload, aside from machine guns, the PB-2Y has few weapons to defend itself with.
30:51But the flat black finish that helps it disappear into the night sky has transformed the PB-2Y into the
30:57legendary black cat.
31:06Throughout the Second World War, the US Navy operates from secret bases scattered across the Pacific.
31:15PB-2Ys work alone, performing aerial reconnaissance, mine lane, air-sea rescue, dive bombing, and torpedo attack missions.
31:27Success hinges on the skilled men who fly and maintain the PB-2Ys under less than ideal circumstances.
31:33On a remote island, experience and improvisation are the best and only teachers.
31:47The Catalina's high, closely-mounted engines make steering difficult when taxiing.
31:55Throttles must be opened gradually on takeoff to minimize the blinding spray that can damage the propellers.
32:03Under heavy weights and other conditions, the PB-2Y might need three miles of run-up before the cat finally
32:10takes to the air to prowl the sky.
32:17In this airplane, another neat thing about this airplane is it doesn't have flaps. There's no flaps. It does not
32:24have flaps.
32:25So the airplane is an airplane that you gotta, it'll come out of the water relatively, you know, decent with
32:32a standard load, but they've been known to go three and a half miles down the river before they get
32:37them off the ground with a full load of them.
32:39Oh boy.
32:49Usually flying into dusk, and frequently into turbulent tropical weather, the crews accept the rough ride as a normal operating
32:56condition.
33:01Without the usual electronic navigation aids, plotting the PB-2Y's course is more art than science.
33:09And while a starless night provides some safety from Japanese night fighters, it also eliminates the crew's only navigational resource.
33:26A small break in the clouds allows a quick star sighting from the exposed nose turret, confirming the PB-2Y's
33:32course.
33:44On this night, Black Cat crew search for a Japanese convoy, thought to be at anchor in an enemy harbor.
33:55As the PB-2Y carefully reduces altitude, the crew strains to find their target.
34:00Right now, stealth is their only weapon.
34:08If the Black Cat gets too close, the sound of the engines will draw fire from the Japanese anti-aircraft
34:14guns.
34:28Jack Cousteau used an amphibious PB-6A as part of his diving expeditions.
34:33On June 28, 1979, his second son, Felipe, was killed while attempting to land a PB-1Y in the Tagus
34:40River near Lisbon, Portugal.
34:52While the PB-2Y is notorious for its slow speed, topping out around 200 miles per hour, the Black Cats
34:58have a primitive but effective strategy against the Japanese ships below.
35:04By painting the plane solid black, the Black Cats have the advantage of stealth.
35:18Because many Japanese ships lack radar, they can close in on them undetected and inflict heavy damage.
35:29Despite the intense Japanese fire, the Cat sees no sign of the convoy.
35:36The search continues out at sea, under the threat of the Japanese night fighters, now alerted to the PB-1Y's
35:43presence.
35:45Most Black Cats have replaced their bomb sights with radar altimeters to enable low-altitude flight in the dark and
35:52accurate low-level bombing.
36:00Skimming just above the water, the Black Cats are practically invisible to Japanese night fighters.
36:13Over the dark sea, even a large convoy can be elusive.
36:19On moonlit nights, the trick is to get the enemy between the Cat and the Moon.
36:25When the crew spots their target, in this case a convoy of ammunition freighters, they signal other cats in the
36:31area.
36:37The cats load up for their meeting with the convoy.
36:42For a mission like this, a cat will typically carry two 500 and 2,000-pound bombs, or two 500
36:48-pound bombs and a torpedo.
36:54Still, against the convoy, it's David versus Goliath.
37:03They can manage steep dives, though the enormous high-mountain wings shudder with the strain.
37:14In a dive from 3,000 feet down to masthead level, pilots report that the wings really flap.
37:26Besides their bombs, cats can use their machine guns to retaliate against anti-aircraft fire from the ships.
37:33Even in this lopsided battle, the cats score extraordinary success.
37:40Between November 1943 and June 1944, U.S. Navy PBY Squadron BP-52 destroys or damages 16 enemy ships,
37:50including submarines, tankers, cruisers and destroyers.
38:06Many other PBY squadrons throughout the Pacific had comparable records.
38:11And more often than not, after prowling around in the night and taking an impossible amount of punishment,
38:15these cats come back.
38:27But the glory doesn't belong to the air crew alone.
38:31Ground engineers have the crucial and daunting task of repairing the damage sustained in the night missions.
38:40Maintaining the Pratt & Whitney double wasps on a remote island in the Pacific demands ingenuity,
38:45recycling old parts or cobbling together replacements.
38:52Fortunately, the PBY is a plane that demands little and forgives much.
38:59Often, they require little more than a pair of tin snips to patch bullet holes,
39:04a not-so-subtle reminder of just how precarious these night missions can be.
39:14PBYs aren't only instruments of aggression.
39:17Throughout the war, they troll the oceans for survivors of air battles in theaters across the globe.
39:28These so-called Dumbo missions save the lives of hundreds of airmen and sailors.
39:44So when this thing went out on search and rescue missions, obviously it's over the ocean,
39:48and there's probably not any ships around because they're sending this in.
39:52So talk to me how they would do that.
39:55They would land this thing in the ocean.
39:57Yeah, they'd land it in the open water.
39:59And if the swells were real big, they'd do what they call a full stall landing,
40:03where they get the thing just right at the point of a stall,
40:06and hopefully they'd hit the top of a wave and then ride the wave down.
40:10And just plop it in?
40:11And plop it in. Full stall.
40:12And I've seen pictures in the books where they'd have the tail just right in the water
40:17and just plopping it right in the full stall.
40:18That's old-school flying.
40:20And believe me, I've done some stall landings on this airplane on wheels, and it takes a lot of muscle.
40:26Yeah.
40:33To make a rescue, the pilot often has to execute full stall landings on swells of eight feet or more.
40:41Sometimes the rescue crew finds itself in the water, waiting for the company drone of the next cat to come
40:47along.
40:49Laden with survivors and crew, the overburdened cat might be too heavy to take off.
40:55The pilot would have to drain fuel and jettison cargo.
40:59With over 20 people on a large, angry sea, the pilot needs good luck and better timing.
41:07If on takeoff a large swell throws the cat in the air, so much the better.
41:12A skilled pilot will seize the moment, grab the throttle, and hope for the best.
41:17Few planes other than the PBY can handle this kind of maneuver.
41:34Not all Catalinas serve in the military.
41:37As the war in the Pacific wears on, the Australian airline Qantas flies five Catalinas in continuous service from Perth
41:45to Colombo.
41:45Modern day Sri Lanka.
41:50Each plane holds a maximum of three passengers, and the flight takes 24 hours.
41:56The wear and tear on the engines and the passengers is phenomenal.
42:00To this day, these Qantas Indian Ocean flights remain the longest duration scheduled trips that any airline has ever offered.
42:21The Catalina has a magnificent record, both in combat and civilian service.
42:26From the polar regions to the tropics, and in both hemispheres, it flies with a distinction achieved by few other
42:33planes.
42:34It isn't fast.
42:36It isn't agile.
42:37It just works.
42:39Because of their reliability, ease of service, and long range,
42:43civil airlines and small private operators after the war seek out the PBYs.
42:48Just how many veteran Catalinas flew over the land and sea for which they fought is hard to say.
42:54One thing is for certain.
42:56For a plane that was originally ordered in 1933, and considered by some to be obsolete by the war's end,
43:03the Catalinas survived magnificently.
43:05And many, like this one, still fly today.
43:36As long as the
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