Viduz.com - Search - Consolidated PBY Catalina

Home

Consolidated PBY Catalina....

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Time :

6 : 28

From its introduction to U.S. Naval service in 1936, through its continued international military use into the 1970's, to the recent retirement of the last civilian fire-bomber, the Consolidated PBY Catalina has served a distinguished career as one of the most rugged and versatile aircraft in U.S. history. It was created in response to the U.S. Navy's 1933 request for a prototype to replace the Consolidated P2Y and the Martin P3M with a new patrol-bomber flying boat with extended range and greater load capacity. The Catalina was created under the guidance of the brilliant aero-engineer Isaac Macklin Laddon. The new design introduced internal wing bracing, which greatly reduced the need for drag-producing struts and bracing wires. A significant improvement over its predecessors, it had a range of 2,545 miles, and a maximum take-off weight of 35,420 lbs. In 1939 the Navy considered discontinuing its use in favor of proposed replacements. The Catalina remained in production, however, because of massive orders placed by Britain, Canada, Australia, France, and the Netherlands. These countries desperately needed reliable patrol planes in their eleventh-hour preparations for WW II. Far from replacing the PBY, the Navy placed its largest single order since WW I for an aircraft. Over the years, numerous improvements were made to the design. An amphibious version, the PBY-5A, was developed in 1939, through the addition of a retractable tricycle undercarriage. The PBY-6A featured hydrodynamic improvements designed by the Naval Aircraft Factory. The Soviet Union produced a license-built version for their Navy called the GST and powered by Mikulin M-62 radial engines. Boeing Aircraft of Canada built the PB2B-1 and PB2B-2 ("Canso"), and a derivative of the PBY-5A was built by Canadian Vickers. In US Army Air Force service, the aircraft was known as the OA-10A (PBY-5A) and OA-10B (PBY-6A). The Royal Air Force's Coastal Command flew Catalinas under the designations Catalina Mk I/II/III/IV. A total of approximately 4000 Catalinas were built between 1936 and 1945. Because of their worldwide popularity, there was scarcely a maritime battle in WW II in which they were not involved. The PBY had its vulnerabilities: it was slow, with a maximum speed of 179 mph, and with no crew armor or self-sealing tanks, it was highly vulnerable to anti-aircraft attack. However it was these weaknesses, coincident with the development of effective radar, and Japanese reliance on night transport, which led to the development of the "Black Cat Squadrons." These crews performed nighttime search and attack missions in their black-painted PBYs. The tactics were spectacularly successful and seriously disrupted the flow of supplies and personnel to Japanese island bases. The Catalinas also proved effective in search and rescue missions, code-named "Dumbo." Small detachments (normally of three PBYs) routinely orbited on stand-by near targeted combat areas. One detachment based in the Solomon islands rescued 161 airmen between January 1 and August 15, 1943, and successes increased steadily as equipment and tactics improved.

Consolidated PBY Catalina with the RAF

Time :

7 : 47

In 1933 Consolidated of Buffalo was in competition with Douglas of Santa Monica to supply the United States Navy with its first cantilever-monoplane flying boat. Though the Douglas aircraft was good, its rival, designed by Isaac M. Laddon, was to prove a classic. It would be manufactured in greater numbers than any flying boat before or since. Theoriginal Catalina featured two 825 hp Twin Wasps mounted close together on a wide clean wing, on the tips of which were retractable stabilising floats. The prototype XP3Y-1 achieved a speed of 184 mph - high for a flying boat in 1935. Production began at San Diego, California. The initial order - for 60 - was exceptionally large for the time, but within a decade more than 4,000 had been ordered. In1938 three were purchased by the Soviet Union, which urgently tooled up to build its own version, the GST. In 1939 the British RAF bought one PBY and soon placed large orders - it was the RAF which gave the aircraft its name 'Catalina'. This name was adopted in the United States in 1942. InDecember 1939 came the PBY-5A (OA-10) with retractable landing gear, which was named the 'Canso' by the Canadian air force. Many hundreds of both the boat and the amphibian version were built by Canadian Vickers (as the PBV-1) and Boeing Canada (as the PB2B-1). Revised versions with heightened tail-fins were manufactured at New Orleans (PBY-6A) and by the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia (PBN-10). TheCatalina established a remarkable combat record during World War Two. In the Atlantic it performed vital service in the war against the U-boats, and an RAF Catalina famously located the Bismarck after the formidable German battleship had temporarily succeeded in escaping from British forces. Inthe Pacific the Catalina gave outstanding service in the search and rescue role. It was a Catalina which first located the advancing Japanese forces during the decisive Battle of Midway. 'Black Cat' night-flying Catalinas made a valuable and prolonged contribution to the Allied effort in the Solomons campaigns during 1942-43, frequently making torpedo attacks on Japanese shipping. For many years after World War Two hundreds of Catalinas served with various nations, in civilian as well as in military roles.

PBY Catalina flyby lowpass 1992 Newtownards, N. Ireland.

Time :

0 : 36

small clip of two low pass flybys of the classic 2400 hp Consolidated Catalina patrol bomber at Newtownards air field 1992 one of the very few saturdays I got of work! Great sound of the two 1200 hp pratt & whitneys! = whole of airshow was video'ed, will post some more clips if i get time! (saab draken next)

Consolidated PBY Catalina from Private at by Andre Bernet

Time :

3 : 30

Air display at Yv\'Air 05 airshow. This big plane sure looks strange, but that slow, smooth and stable flight is truly graceful. Really nice to be able to see one of these rarities.

RIAT 07 CONSOLIDATED PBY-5A CATALINA

Time :

1 : 57

CONSOLIDATED PBY CATALINA FROM DUXFORD UK

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Time :

0 : 53

The PBY Catalina was the flying patrol boat of the 1930s and 1940s. It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and .50 caliber machine guns. Catalinas served with every branch of the US military and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. Over 4,000 were built.

Catalina

Time :

4 : 12

Initially designed to meet a pre war US Navy requirement for a new maritime patrol aircraft, the prototype PBY 1 first took to the air on 21 March 1935. Subsequently, the PBY series of flying boats and amphibians were built in greater numbers than any other aircraft of their type and used by Air Forces and civilian operators around the world. The Royal Air Force were assigned 602 PBY 5s and gave them the name later adopted by the US Navy the Catalina. The Catalinas of RAF Coastal Command played a key role in the Battle of the Atlantic, sinking a number of German submarines. Beyond Europe, RAF and Commonwealth Catalinas patrolled the Indian and Pacific Oceans and flew in support of the Allied landings in North Africa.

PBY-5 Consolidated Catalina Canso

Time :

0 : 24

This video was taken at the Warplane Heritage Museum Air Show- home for this PBY, Hamilton Ontario Canada June 17, 2007

PBY Catalina

Time :

1 : 19

PBY Catalina was the United States Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. PB stands for Patrol Bomber, with Y being Consolidated Aircraft's manufacturer identification. It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and .50 caliber machine guns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the US military and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. In the United States Army Air Forces and later in the USAF their designation was the OA-10, while Canadian-built PBYs were known by the nickname Canso. - Wikipedia

Flight with a Catalina

Time :

4 : 59

Flight with the Consolidated PBY 5A 'Catalina' PH-PBY 'Karel Doorman'

Consolidated PBY5a Catalina Flying Boat

Time :

2 : 12

A truly elegant aircraft, this is currently the only airworthy Catalina in New Zealand, and is lovingly maintained by the Catalina Group of New Zealand. See: http://www.catalina.org.nz/ During the Second World War, the RNZAF operated a total of 56 Catalina flying boats. None of these aircraft were of the amphibious type as is ZK-PBY, but this Canadian built example is (usually) painted to represent one of the flying boats operated in the Pacific Theatre. In part sof this video the aircraft shows a temporary French colour scheme. See us at: http://www.aviationfilm.com