CWH's PBY-5A Canso Questions

[daveymac82c]

Does anyone know if the Canadian Warplane Heritage eventually plans on putting a proper nose-turret on their PBY Canso?

And, do they do water landings with it at all?

Cheers,

David

[Fleet16b]

My friend flies the CWH Canso and says that they never land it on water.
As for the nose turret, no plans to install one at this time.
( I live only 20 mins from CWH and was an employee years ago)

[daveymac82c]

Thanks Fleet,

any reason why they wouldn't touch water with her? Is it a certification/leak issue?

And I find it interesting that they are not pushing towards having the nose-turret installed. As much as the CWH's Canso looks great, I think it would look so much better with the turret. That's just my personal opinion.

Thanks again,

David McIntosh

[Jerry O'Neill]

Besides making sure it doesn't leak, which might take some costly work, it is probably more a question of additional insurance cost to perform water landings.
That cost has kept many warbird PBY's from doing water landings.
Jerry

[Canso42]

I've been told by a PBY fan who's a Fed that PBY's with a nose turret cannot be certified for water landing in US airspace due to the flooding risk.

Doug.

[JDK]

I've been told by a PBY fan who's a Fed that PBY's with a nose turret cannot be certified for water landing in US airspace due to the flooding risk.

We've had this discussion before, I think. Certainly the same issue applies in the UK and Aus, not sure about Europe, but I think so. OTOH, nothing to stop you fitting the nose turret (if you can get one) and sticking to land-landings.

[Fleet16b]

Thanks Fleet,

any reason why they wouldn't touch water with her? Is it a certification/leak issue?

And I find it interesting that they are not pushing towards having the nose-turret installed. As much as the CWH's Canso looks great, I think it would look so much better with the turret. That's just my personal opinion.

Thanks again,

David McIntosh

Jerry O hit the nail on the head.

[JDK]

Some discussion on page two of this thread, including a couple of accidents:
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... hp?t=11837

[rmcf]

under the current regulations a PBY could be operated in Australia with all original equipment fitted including a nose turret. There are always the apocraphal stories on these issues.

[daveymac82c]

So it's a little unclear to me for PBY's in Canada.

If an owner wanted to do water operations in Canada in a PBY-5A fitted with a nose-turret, would it be allowed? And if so, thereafter, would it just be an insurance issue?

Cheers,

David McIntosh

[rmcf]

let's not confuse Cat ops for commercial use with restored warbirds..there are different airworthiness categories covering this.

[Fouga23]

wouldn't there be a way to install a fake turret on the nose and with that, keeping the watertight hull underneath?

[rmcf]

the Cat accident in the UK had nothing to do with the nose. It was a failure of a nose landing gear door bracket that caused this sinking. There is an AAIB report on this.

A properly installed and maintained turret fitted Cat would have no problems other than correct operations..

[davem]

Has there every been an accident involving the nose turret??

I know of lots involving the nose gear doors, but can't recall ever one involving the turret.

Perhaps an urban myth???

[rmcf]

myth methinks..

Thousands of PBY's operated from the 1930's for up to 50 years in that configuration. Turrets were removed often as being obsolete equipment rather than any other reason. eg. blisters..