Warbird Information Exchange

Exodus from Moses Lake.

The collection of PBY Catalinas at Moses Lake is rapidly diminishing. The changes to the center of the PBY world are as follows.

First to depart was C-GFFC the silver tanker 776, to Buffalo Airways then ultimately going off to Maine. The airplane is as far as I know in maintenence and will be down for some time. I am not sure if she is still in Tanker config, but I doubt it.

Nearby is the last tanker N85U with a photo taken from the PBY News site. This is the source for PBY news! An incredible action shot, heading in for a pickup tip floats up. (If they were down it would be less manuverable on the water) This plane is earning her keep and in the pink. Hopefully she gets to fly on fires another 50 years. She is ex Hemet Valley and Flying Fireman and is unique in being a PBY-6A Super Catalina.




N9505C has been ferried to Euphrata, perhaps 15 miles away and has been resprayed partially in a blue paint that looks great in photographs. The actual color is a medium/light blue that in the brilliant sun is hard to discern. The plane is no longer a tanker and has had the integral tank removed.



N2673A the Super Cat has been removed and roaded to Chino. The plane was obtained by Yanks Air Museum and will be restored to perfection as all of their airplanes. It has arrived in Chino. She is not a tanker and was a spare aircraft for Schlafli.



N31235 has been purchased by the Palm Springs Air Museum! The plane has been worked on for the last 4 weeks and is ferry close! I hope to fly her to Palm Springs soon. In any case more to follow as soon as I recover. This one will fly to airshows on the west coast. YES! This is one of the last PBY Tankers now left, the other being the flying N85U. We will deconvert her post flight when home at PSP, but will retain her bomb bay doors...we have plans for those every Memorial Day.




N9825Z is the last PBY built. Bu 64107 has also been deconverted from tanker status and is being lovingly restored by the owner to stock. The blisters and turrets to be added are fantastic. As he is alone pretty much, this guy could use help. If you are in the area this, soon to be the last Moses Lake PBY could use your effort!




Last of All is N2886D, destroyed during a water pickup fighting a fire some years back. Good only for parts, the remains of the aircraft lingered at Schlafli's for years. After the final auction the parts were eventually decided to be worth scrap. They tore up the remains with road grader equip and put them on a truck. The pictures are recent and show whats left. To see the remains which were torn up by a dozer, venture west out of Euprata until you come to a salvage yard 10 miles away at a fork in the road. The wreckage of two PBY aircraft, one a 6A, the other a Candian wing are located here...Soon not of the earth...



Even for an aircraft as Historic as the PBY, the future can be bleak without people to drive preservation.

Thanks for the news! I was at Moses Lake right before the auction sale and took many pictures of them on the flightline. I've been wondering what was happening with them.

Thanks again,
Dennis

I doubt N85U will be going anywhere for quite some time. Flying Fireman Inc has a long-term (talking 30+ years here) contract with the State of Washington for operations from Moses Lake. That contract was signed in the 1990s, so there is at least another 10 years left in that contract. The only way she'll be replaced is if the State of Washington pays for the conversion of a Convair 580 or two (which are in storage awaiting that decision).

The interesting item is that N85U "Tanker 85" is only State of Washington use and USFS does not have that tanker number as being assigned to the PBY anymore but to a helicopter. Kinda odd, but I guess if the aircraft isn't used outside Washington there's no need for the USFS to assign it one of their unified tanker numbers.

CAPFlyer is correct as to the national tanker number 85 being assigned to another aircraft.I believe that 85 is assigned to a CDF Turbine S-2 rather than a helicopter,though.

Thanks for the correction Larry. It's been a while since I looked at the national registry. Hey, do you know if Bud's been flying missions again in 85?

Confirmed. It was unloaded earlier this week. Sorry, but I forgot to take photos! Duh...

As an aside, we need a current PBY typed pilot for the ferry flight.

Any questions 949-280-9799 JOE

Man, you'd have hoped someone would have at least picked N2886D clean of its spares before taking a dozer to her remains. Very glad to see the others going to respectable museums.

_________________
Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Wow had no idea, thanks for posting Joe.

John

Guys,

HARS in Australia with a PBY-6A from Portugal has started to reconfigure the machine to full military with the turrets. Dumb question, any blister parts available or Ryan turret pieces. Have located a few together with some that can be used as patterns but obviously the more bits we can get the better. Maybe able to manufacture some parts for others as well but that is down the track.

Joe,
Thanks for the great pix and the updates. I don't recall ever seeing your byline on PBY@yahoo, though. Pleeeezzzz post those pix on that site too.
N85U -Tanker 85 (locally I guess) still soldiers on conveniently loopholed though the Fed action that grounded about all the old piston pounders a few years ago.
You're a P-boat pilot it seems. Glad to know ya. My dad is a PBY veteran and I'm a volunteer at Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Tx. and plane captain of their (static) PBY-5A, N68740. Ex. RCAF9742. What other PBY's have you been around as pilot or crew?

Doug Ratchford, Brenham, Tx.

Rob/All,

I can confirm the remains of N2886D and the other parts at the Euprata salvage yard are all going to be picked clean of spares and going to a good home - smiles These parts are all being held for recovery to Australia in the new year.

Mustang51
There are no blister or turret parts in these parts however we are recovering two early bow turrets in the same shipment, one of which has been purchased for the HARS aircraft.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

Ryan,
I am wondering if you have any need for the bomb racks in 2886D. We would really like those for N31235 and can provide you eith other spares if needed such as floats or other parts.

JOE

Previously assoc/flown N322FA, N324FA, N69RF and the odd Hu-16

Joe,

I am not sure who you are messaging to as Ryan? but if you are seeking parts from N2886D at the Euprata salvage yard we now own that wreckage and all other PBY parts at that site for intended parts salvage and recovery to Australia.

Please PM me in regards to your needs and any swap part proposals.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

Mark,

Just got names crossed up. In any case we know you own that stuff and PM sent.

BTW that yard is something special even for a junkyard troller like me.

For Exampe for those who have not been there....there was a handwritten cardboard sign that stated:

KEEP OUT!

NO LIARS, THEIVES OR SLUTS

THIS MEANS YOU JIM

sublime....in its own way.