CAF Duluth Squadron's PBYs in the news...

[Warbirdnerd]

Northland's NewsCenter NBC 6, CBS 3, My 9, and Northland CW for Duluth MN / Superior WI
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Duluth Commemorative Air Force Merges Two Vintage War-Time Planes
Originally printed at http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/new ... 67992.html

A major restoration project is underway in the Northland on a World War II Plane. Parts from two damaged planes are being merged to create one that will eventually take off. The goal is to one day use the planes to teach about the commitment and dedication of veterans.

During the height of the war the PBY Catalina was one of the most widely used air crafts.

"It was used in rescue missions in pacific theater during World War II, used for recognizance, radar and aerial bombing," said Peter Prudden, the unit leader of the Commemorative Air Force of Duluth.

But unlike most American Flying Boats the one sitting inside the Cirrus North Hangar this weekend never saw military action. It was built in 1946 as a water bomber to fight fires from the sky.

"There are a half dozen of these air crafts in the United States, only three of which are worthy of flying and we intend to create one here in Duluth," Prudden said.

Using two identical PBY's, once stationed in St. Paul, members of the Commemorative Air force are resurrecting a new one that one day take to the skies.

A 104 foot wide wing is hoisted up 30 feet in the air, lowered and attached to the body of the plane. Dan Kallos, the Executive Officer of the Lake Superior Commemorative Air Force says the beginning of this project doesn't come without challenges.

"The two airplanes, although less than a hundred serial numbers a part when they left New Orleans after manufacturing ,have been extremely modified," Kallos said.

Damage to the body of the aircraft makes it an even more difficult process.

One of the PBY planes was fully intact up until the late 1990's. That's when a freak windstorm in St. Paul toppled the plane over, rendering it completely useless.

"The center wing section was destroyed, the outer wing section was destroyed and the insurance company totaled the aircraft," said Kallos.

Shoddy repairs and years of use put the other plane out of order.

"Structural members were damaged, lots of corrosion. An aluminum can in and out of water for 60 years, the red PBY was not restartable without major work," said Kallos.

Once complete, the half-a-million dollar project, funded by donations, will share quite the tale of war time victory.

Kallos says, "It will tell how one crew during midway, spotted the advancing Japanese fleet and basically turned the war in the Pacific"

The rebuilding of this PBY Catalina is a story in itself. The entire restoration project is expected to take five years to finish. Once it's done, it will join about 150 other vintage World War II planes already on tour around the country.

Found it here:
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/new ... 67992.html

[Holedigger]

With nose turret, Cool! OK article, but I guess any news is good news!

[Holedigger]

Arrrrrg! Weirdness Double Post!

[Alan Brooks]

More information and PICCIES can be found here: http://commemorativeairforce.org/?page= ... uresID=276
The Duluth Detachment of the Minnesota Wing had a couple of big battles with a couple of big flying boats..... The Blue PBY was the flying PBY that ended up on her back after a big fr*&^*ing storm blew through. The red PBY was a flyer and a former firefighter, who used to do water drop demos at Airsho'! Her hull was full of corrosion...... I know Gary has a great deal more knowledge on these birds than I, so I will stop at this point. However, follow the above link and there is more info available on the work being performed. Very interesting stuff as you do not often see a complete wing being lifted from one PBY and place onto another. Alan

[retroaviation]

...... I know Gary has a great deal more knowledge on these birds than I, so I will stop at this point. However, follow the above link and there is more info available on the work being performed. Very interesting stuff as you do not often see a complete wing being lifted from one PBY and place onto another. Alan

All I did was go up to Minnesota and inspect the two airplanes to see what the best plan might be for them (at the time, they were just wanting to sell everything). I formed the thought that if they truly wanted a flying airplane, then make one out of two, and take the good set of wings and install them on the good fuselage. The remaining pieces could be made into a nice static display aircraft that museum guests can come through and flip switches, break knobs off, or whatever it is they do that you don't want done to a flying airplane.

It was up to the folks to whom the airplanes are assigned to make a final decision on what to do, so I'm glad to see that they're making forward progress on the plan that was suggested to them.

Gary

[seaknight15]

Somewhere I have the pictures of Cross Country boat transport hauling the blue PBYy on cc's hydro boat trailer to Duluth. It was just like hauling a Chris Craft. I'll seee if Cliff at c.c. has some good ones.

[Rajay]

"air crafts"
and
"It was built in 1946 as a water bomber to fight fires from the sky."

Maybe this reporter is one of them youngin's that thinks the First Gulf War is ancient history just like Vietnam, WWII, and that little bit of unpleasantness between the blue and the gray.

Good to see another PBY working its way back from the brink of oblivion, though. Always loved the Catalina. It was the very first scale model airplane I built, and maybe the last (I still have two, one 1/72nd PBY-5A amphibian and one 1/48th scale PBY-5 flying boat, forty years later....)

[John Dupre]

Since when did the plural of aircraft become aircrafts, let alone air crafts? Journalism is going to be as dead as the theater.

[Holedigger]

Not a journalist, just a right er!