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Well first off hello to all, ive been reading these forums in the last 2 years.
My name is Erik Thingbo; I have been in the Royal Danish Air Force for more than 40 years.
I started my career in 1956, and joint the Hunting Percival “Pembroke” flight in 1957, and flew as flight engineer on it until 1960; we flew mostly Search and Rescue missions. After that I joint the “Catalina”
I flew as crewmember and flight engineer until 1970. Our flights were mainly transport and SAR missions in Denmark and on Greenland.
In 1967 on the 13/14 October, was I Flight Engineer on Catalina-5A, L-857, (ex. US Navy serial: 08109) on a patient evacuation flight to Faroe Island, where we landed on the water out of the town Torshavn, and took the patient on board, and flew back to Vaerelose.
(It was a very badly burn fisherman, unfortunately he didn’t make it.)
Flight time was 12:00 hours.
It was the very last time that Catalina L-857 ever flew. Total time on airframe, 6083:50
This Catalina can now be seen on Sola, Norway, where the Cat. are under restoration of the “Catalina team”, on Flyhistorisk Museum Sola. Stavanger.
On the 11 Dec.1969, was I involved in a fatale crass with Canso A, L-853, (Canadian Vickers Ltd. Canso A Mk. 28-5AMC. Constructors number 316. RCAF
serial: 11034.) North of Gilleleje, in the see Kattegat. Total time on airframe, 5274:25
The second pilot was killed, the Captain was badly wounded, and the rest of us had only minor scratches.
On the 13 Nov. 1970, flew the last 3 Catalina’s in the Royal Danish Air Force service, a Country around flight, it was L-861 - L-863 - L868, I was crewmember on L-861.
In 1974 on the 30 May, was I crewmember on the flight of Catalina-6A, L-866 from RDAF station Vaerlose to RAF station Colerne, Wiltshire, UK. The flight time was 8 hour and 20 min.
This Catalina can now be seen on The RAF Museum Cosford.
Then I vent on to C-47 and C-54 until 1975 where we got the C-130H. I was chief on the Engine T56- A-15 and Propeller 54H60-117 shop until retirement in 1996.
After my retirement from the Air Force, have I done a lot of restoration work on Catalina L-861, there on that time was on The Air Museum in Helsingor. And for years as member of the technical group in Danish Dakota Friends, where wee have a C-47, OY-BPB
Later have we moved the Catalina from Helsingor to Stauning that we did in November 2009.
My total flight time on Catalina is 2164:20
And my membership No: in The Catalina Society is 2007.
King regards
Erik Thingbo
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