Qantas Founders Museum is aquiring a Catalina

[Warbirdnerd]

Historic Qantas flying boat readied for journey home
Australian engineers are in Thailand trying to get a historic aircraft back in the air in order to fly it back to Queensland.

The Qantas Founders Museum (QFM) has been trying to get the 70-year-old Catalina flying boat to its complex at Longreach in western Queensland.

Engine trouble has seen the plane grounded since late last year.

QFM spokesman Tony Martin says he hopes the Catalina will arrive by November in time for the 90th birthday of Qantas.

"We're having some volunteer engineers over there at the moment doing some of the engine replacement - hopefully in the air within the next few weeks," he said.

"These guys are pretty amazing, these engineers, and they work under some amazing conditions."

Found it here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... ion=justin

[daveymac82c]

That's great news! It's nice to see another PBY being preserved.

Thanks for bringing this information forward.

Peace,

David M

[Russ Matthews]

Does anyone know if this particular airframe ever flew with Qantas -- or is it merely representative of the type?

[DaveM2]

Representative only-it is ex US/Can/Spain & Portugal.

Dave

[Russ Matthews]

Representative only-it is ex US/Can/Spain & Portugal.

Dave

Thanks, Dave .. I should've known you'd have the answer!

It seems like a good project -- hopefully we'll see the full story of it's journey to Australia in a future issue of "Classic Wings."

[JDK]

More - going back to earlier in the ferry saga - here:

http://www.warbirdz.net/forum/showthread.php?t=349

[jdvoss]

Is there any possibility that Qantas can reclaim their Boeing PB2B-2 Catalina "Frigate Bird" from the Power House Museum in Sydney?? IIRC Qantas Catalinas were all flying boat models. Correct??

[PbyCat-Guy]

Are they planning to fix it up enough to fly it out of there, and then do a complete restoration? If so, I've heard this idea before. It'll be great to see another Cat in the air.

[David Legg]

Above, jdvoss asks "Is there any possibility that Qantas can reclaim their Boeing PB2B-2 Catalina "Frigate Bird" from the Power House Museum in Sydney?? IIRC Qantas Catalinas were all flying boat models. Correct??"

On the second point, you are quite right - all the post-war QANTAS Catalinas were flying boats (Boeing of Canada-built PB2B-2s) as opposed to amphibians. On the first point about Frigate Bird, I do not believe QANTAS ever had this aircraft in its fleet so "re-claiming" it is not appropriate. It was allocated, ex-RAAF, to Capt P G Taylor at Rathmines for his survey flight from Australia to Chile in 1950 and upon the return flight's completion it was gifted to him by the Goverment but was stored again at Rathmines and later Rose Bay and other local sites before going to the Powerhouse (not Power House) Museum in Sydney where it remains. If QANTAS ever did have an interest in it, I would welcome details.

[jdvoss]

David:

Thank you so much on your comment on the Qantas PB2B-2 Catalinas. I did not realize that ALL of their Catalina fleet at the time were the PB2B-2's. Regarding the Firgate Bird (IIRC, that is) when I viewed the subject aircraft in Sydney it seems to me that I spotted the term QANTAS painted on the nose section of the aircraft. For reasons beyond me phtography was not permitted in the museum therefore I did not capture it on film. Perhaps Qantas provided techncial / financial support for the epic flight hence they felt it was politcally correct to give them some credit for their participation. Unfortunatly the Power House Museum example is the only PB2B-2 in existance.

[David Legg]

jd - I took a look at the various photos I have of VH-ASA at different periods and cannot see any QANTAS emblem or lettering on the bow although the flags of Australia and Chile together with the name Frigate Bird II do appear. That said, you've seen the aircraft 'in the flesh' and I have not! The site below has some intersting content and photos....

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collect ... img=126665

Intrigued about how the return flight to Chile was financed, I took a look at P G Taylor's excellent book Frigate Bird to remind myself. There is no mention of QANTAS but he says that the Catalina itself was given to him by the Australina Prime Minister for the flight and it was gifted to him, thereafter and that the flight costs were sponsored by the Government.

[DaveM2]

Taken during a 1999 visit-photography rules must have changed since then.

[jdvoss]

David Legg:

OK, I stand corrected the "Frigate Bird" DOES NOT carry the Qantas name on the nose. I must have had it confused with another A/C or perhaps Old Tmers Disease is showing its ugly head once again.