Warbird Information Exchange

G'day one and all.

I recently had a trip to Exmouth in the North of Western Australia and visited the remains of a PBY-5 Catalina that crashed there during WWII.

There were many, many pieces there but one that has left me puzzled. It looks to be the cover for an undercarriage leg but I discount that as firstly, the PBY wasn't an amphibian and secondly, if it is somehow from another airframe it does not look like anything I can see in images or drawings of a PBY-5. Its blue/grey colour matches that of other parts that are definitely from the PBY.

Here's a couple of images of the part in question, front and rear. The item in front of it is a 12 inch ruler for scale





Any ideas?

Cheers.

Rodger Kelly

G'day Rodger,

It isn't the front section of one of the blisters, by chance?

Cheers,
Matt

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Matt Austin - playing with warbirds since the early 80s.

See my Lee-Enfield videos at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollygreenslugg

Sort of looks like the fixed front bottom end of a pig boat side blister, last time I checked the PBY 5A and PBY 6 were both amphibians

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

G'day folks,

It could have been one of the Aussie Cats that was de-converted from amphibian to pure flying-boat. Removing the undercarriage enabled better range capability.

The profile of the narrow section looks like a strengthened section to support Perspex to me.

Cheers,
Matt

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Matt Austin - playing with warbirds since the early 80s.

See my Lee-Enfield videos at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollygreenslugg

Yes, but wasn't the PBY-5 (no "A") a pure flying boat? (the original posted stated "PBY-5", not "PBY-5A")

Dean the argumentative

Is Mudge on a vacation Caribbean cruise??

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

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45-47=-2

Nicely done Mike!

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Very nicely done Mike! I think your picture even shows the correct side.

Inspector, that was FUNNY!!

Andy Scott

G'day Mike,

Many thanks for that!

Cheers.

Rodger

looks like a part of a balance horn to me, although i don't ever recall seeing one on a pby, but with that huge center mounted wing w/ pontoons it makes sense. there was no rule a balance horn had to be mounted on the exterior.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Nice Pic there Mike. Solved the part issue real quick.

Was it from this crash at all?

http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/wa29.htm

G'day Brenden,

Yes, I am a fellow Sandgroper and no, it was not this aircraft it was Bureau number 08294. I can confirm the Bureau number as it is stencilled on a chunk of wreckage there.

I understand that the aircraft crashed there on 3 July 1943. It was flying low over the Potshot airfield to drop a message when both engines failed (put down to water in the fuel) causing it to crash less than one mile from the airstrip. Sadly four out of the eight aboard were killed.

Cheers!

Rodger