PBY flight photos and maybe more...
Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:34 pm
Hello all,
Some of you may like the PBY. Well, thanks to good friend Bob Hill and Jerry Yagen, I've been able to fly in her a couple of times and compile some good photos, and *keep this to yourself*..just a bit of high-def video.
Here's some photos below. I'm currently working on a DVD for FF to use for marketing the Cat to airshows (only combat veteran flying in the US), and depending on Jerry's thoughts, may produce a DVD along the lines of the "roaring glory" type.
I will have some preliminary cuts up on my website, most likely this weekend. I think some of you may enjoy "flying along" with Bob Hill, Bob Cope (co-pilot) and myself.
Some of you may like the PBY. Well, thanks to good friend Bob Hill and Jerry Yagen, I've been able to fly in her a couple of times and compile some good photos, and *keep this to yourself*..just a bit of high-def video.
Here's some photos below. I'm currently working on a DVD for FF to use for marketing the Cat to airshows (only combat veteran flying in the US), and depending on Jerry's thoughts, may produce a DVD along the lines of the "roaring glory" type.
I will have some preliminary cuts up on my website, most likely this weekend. I think some of you may enjoy "flying along" with Bob Hill, Bob Cope (co-pilot) and myself.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:43 pm
Where were these photos taken? I am always interested when a PBY flies.
RICK
RICK
Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:55 pm
Cool pics, tks for sharing.
Is that access door factory ?
Never seen one like this before.
Mind you all the water bomber conversion I've seen are normally accessed through the back blisters or where the blisters used to be.
MIchel
Is that access door factory ?
Never seen one like this before.
Mind you all the water bomber conversion I've seen are normally accessed through the back blisters or where the blisters used to be.
MIchel
Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:57 pm
Very cool! Does she ever see water anymore?
Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:02 pm
What a beauty of a PBY. I love the fact that he has all of the turrets installed.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:42 pm
b17engineer wrote:Where were these photos taken? I am always interested when a PBY flies.
RICK
Looks like Millville NJ.
Rich
Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:27 pm
This is the Fighter Factory PBY-5A. At least that was where it was going in 2003 when it came through Keflavik. Here are a few photos of it leaving on July 15.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:29 pm
I LOVE her with the turret and blisters installed:D Makes it look so much nicer. Only been inside a Catalina once, but I love it's looks. If only I had the money 
Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:21 pm
ditto...... a rarity to see that nose turret!!!!!mustangdriver wrote:What a beauty of a PBY. I love the fact that he has all of the turrets installed.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:25 pm
wow...beautiful photos! Love the old PBY. 
Didnt know any -5A's were still flying! 
Didnt know any -5A's were still flying!
Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:31 pm
Yes Rich, it was at Millville. She doesn't see water anymore (I believe that insurance would be $30k ADDITIONAL annually) though Mr. Yagen has on occasion considered it. I'll keep working on him about it, as long as I'm in a photo-ship if it were to happen. 
They are supposed to put a gun turret in the nose, if I remember what Bob said correctly. History channel was down at Fighter Factory when I was there also, with an independent company doing a follow up on "great planes" series, shooting the Cat. No word on if/when it would air.
Rich
They are supposed to put a gun turret in the nose, if I remember what Bob said correctly. History channel was down at Fighter Factory when I was there also, with an independent company doing a follow up on "great planes" series, shooting the Cat. No word on if/when it would air.
Rich
Last edited by richkolasa on Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:15 pm
Nathan wrote:wow...beautiful photos! Love the old PBY.
All the PBYs that are flying today are 5A or 6A models.
And that is not the only flyable PBY that saw combat, the PBY in Glendale, Az attacked a Uboat while on patrol off the Candian coast.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:45 pm
Your photos turned out well Rich. The Millville show was a pleasure. After all, it's all about the people, without them, it's just a bunch of airplanes. I enjoyed the entire airshow group. Tom Duffy, Terry Rush, Jim Vocell, Lennie Boyd, Dan Dameo, Eric, Greg Witmer to name a few that made it a great time. Lets not forget Hell Hawk, Frank "Lucky" Luckman!
As far as airplanes, the P-47's did it for me. The PBY flew at Millville in honor of my deceased friend and fellow PBY pilot, Nathan Gordon, MOH. Fare thee well old pelican!
About the Cat's bow turret, the Fighter Factory has a fully restored seperate turret, but the TC requires (for flight) the mechanism be removed and the gun opening faired over. So, it wouldnt make sense to install it when the airplane continues to fly. It would be nice to place it on display in the museum.
I've flown this Cat for 6 years now, in between Liberty Belle's schedule and other Fighter Factory airplanes, and we have yet to place it on H2O. Additional insurance $ was the deal breaker. At the time, Jerry asked me if we needed to put it on the water. Of course not. I found this additional premium interesting since I'm typed in 5 large boats and stayed water current in the CL-215, Albatross, and Mallard. I havent flown the CL-415 in several years, but I'm typed in it too. Thats discounting any ASES currency, and type of water experience as well. All that said, a CL-215 can run 180K a year to insure.
Hydrodynamically, the Cat is a 1935 design and operates in a relatively narrow envelope on the water when compared to these later designs. The Canadair's are best, (much borrowed from the hull design of the Princess) with the Albatross following with its deep water design. Naturally, this stands to reason following design timelines.
I dont know about the combat history, if any, of the former C-FOFI, now in Glendale. David Legg stated in his Cat survivors book that any details of this airframes wartime service are obscure. There is always some story that a Cat attacked a U-Boat, including one such episode for the Fighter Factory's 48294. I've seen that claim in print too. Most of these claims are unsubstantiated.
What is unique to 48294 is that all the combat logs are intact to include the first test flight at San Diego on Oct. 23rd 1943. It would serve with VP-92 flying out of Morroco, at both Port Lyautey and Casablanca after being outfitted with depth charge bomb racks under the wings. This, and all her subsequent patrols are logged and signed by both pilots. I have made color copies of every page of her wartime service logs and a thorough study reveals no entry of any U-boat attack made.
Just patrol after patrol. And, this is in the Straits of Gilbraltor area!
VP-92 would later transfer to Trinidad and she performed the same task in the Atlantic. This is the documented facts.
It's longest logged flight is from San Diego to Norfolk, 2 weeks after its shakedown flight, for a total of 19.2 hrs.
Anyway, for someone that rarely posts here, I've rambled on far too long.
Hopefully, we'll continue to clear the U-boats out of the local lakes and keep the Cat flying.
As far as airplanes, the P-47's did it for me. The PBY flew at Millville in honor of my deceased friend and fellow PBY pilot, Nathan Gordon, MOH. Fare thee well old pelican!
About the Cat's bow turret, the Fighter Factory has a fully restored seperate turret, but the TC requires (for flight) the mechanism be removed and the gun opening faired over. So, it wouldnt make sense to install it when the airplane continues to fly. It would be nice to place it on display in the museum.
I've flown this Cat for 6 years now, in between Liberty Belle's schedule and other Fighter Factory airplanes, and we have yet to place it on H2O. Additional insurance $ was the deal breaker. At the time, Jerry asked me if we needed to put it on the water. Of course not. I found this additional premium interesting since I'm typed in 5 large boats and stayed water current in the CL-215, Albatross, and Mallard. I havent flown the CL-415 in several years, but I'm typed in it too. Thats discounting any ASES currency, and type of water experience as well. All that said, a CL-215 can run 180K a year to insure.
Hydrodynamically, the Cat is a 1935 design and operates in a relatively narrow envelope on the water when compared to these later designs. The Canadair's are best, (much borrowed from the hull design of the Princess) with the Albatross following with its deep water design. Naturally, this stands to reason following design timelines.
I dont know about the combat history, if any, of the former C-FOFI, now in Glendale. David Legg stated in his Cat survivors book that any details of this airframes wartime service are obscure. There is always some story that a Cat attacked a U-Boat, including one such episode for the Fighter Factory's 48294. I've seen that claim in print too. Most of these claims are unsubstantiated.
What is unique to 48294 is that all the combat logs are intact to include the first test flight at San Diego on Oct. 23rd 1943. It would serve with VP-92 flying out of Morroco, at both Port Lyautey and Casablanca after being outfitted with depth charge bomb racks under the wings. This, and all her subsequent patrols are logged and signed by both pilots. I have made color copies of every page of her wartime service logs and a thorough study reveals no entry of any U-boat attack made.
Just patrol after patrol. And, this is in the Straits of Gilbraltor area!
VP-92 would later transfer to Trinidad and she performed the same task in the Atlantic. This is the documented facts.
It's longest logged flight is from San Diego to Norfolk, 2 weeks after its shakedown flight, for a total of 19.2 hrs.
Anyway, for someone that rarely posts here, I've rambled on far too long.
Hopefully, we'll continue to clear the U-boats out of the local lakes and keep the Cat flying.
Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:02 pm
Thanks Bob for the information!
If anyone wants to see Bob Hill (and Bob Cope in the right seat) landing the Cat at Millville, you can check out some video on my site:
http://www.crystalgraphix.com/general/video.htm
Rich
If anyone wants to see Bob Hill (and Bob Cope in the right seat) landing the Cat at Millville, you can check out some video on my site:
http://www.crystalgraphix.com/general/video.htm
Rich
Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:21 pm
Neat photos, Rich, but I really didn't need to see that close-up of the #1 engine---all I could think about was worn out cowl flaps and cracked ring cowls on last year's project! 
It's really nice to have the documented combat history of the airplane still intact.
It's really nice to have the documented combat history of the airplane still intact.