Restoring a PBY to static condition ...

[Mark Allen M]

The San Diego Air & Space Museum's static PBY-5A

"The Museum's Catalina, a PBY-5A (US Navy Bureau No. 48406 / Consolidated construction #1768) After the war, the aircraft was used by the Coast Guard until its purchase by Thomas W. Kendall in 1956. It was donated to the Museum in January 1986 by the Thomas W. Kendall family. In May 1986, the PBY was flown from Van Nuys, California, to the Naval Air Rework Facility at North Island where volunteer craftsmen completed the first phase of restoration. When this work was completed in November 1988, the Catalina was transported by barge across San Diego bay to the Convair facilities on Harbor Drive near downtown San Diego where the second phase of its restoration was carried out by volunteers from the Convair Alumni Association.

The Catalina is now displayed in the Museum's Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight"
http://sandiegoairandspace.org/collecti ... .php?id=29

Part 1

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mark Allen M]

Part 2

[Mark Allen M]

Part 3

[Mark Allen M]

Part 4

[Jerry O'Neill]

Nice photo essay of the restoration, but there are two different PBY's in the photo spread. Both blue ones are different. One is the San Diego Air and Space museum's, that has a nose turret and waist blisters and the other has a clipper bow with no turret and no waist blisters at all. Also, that cockpit looks a little over restored and modern compared to what they started with.

[Mark Allen M]

I think what you are seeing are two different restoration periods for the same PBY. The second phase adding the nose turret and waist blisters. At least I believe it happened that way. Perhaps you are correct as there certainly seems to be a couple of photos of what looks to be a different PBY, and the cockpit photo seems quite up to date with avionics for a static restoration.

"The PBY was flown from Van Nuys, California, to the Naval Air Rework Facility at North Island where volunteer craftsmen completed the first phase of restoration. When this work was completed in November 1988, the Catalina was transported by barge across San Diego bay to the Convair facilities on Harbor Drive near downtown San Diego where the second phase of its restoration was carried out by volunteers from the Convair Alumni Association."

[old iron]

It always struck me as a wonder that the San Diego Museum found a way to have an important aircraft INSIDE THE MUSEUM BUILDING and yet still OUTDOORS!

[old iron]

It always struck me as a wonder that the San Diego Museum found a way to have an important aircraft INSIDE THE MUSEUM BUILDING and yet still OUTDOORS!

... apologies for the double post. Did a Moses (struck the button twice)

[Mark Allen M]

Recent photos show that the PBY is indeed covered.

[PropsRule]

It's interesting to see an amphibious PBY with beaching gear installed. Did they all have that provision or was it just temporarily added to this one? (I think the area the beaching gear was attached to is covered up by some new metal in later photos).

[Dan Jones]

Not only the turret and clipper bow, but the paint lines on the cowlings are different. And I agree, that last cockpit shot looks like it's of a modernized and flying PBY.

Dan

[Pogmusic]

Series 1 shows a PBY with blisters and a clipper bow. Restored one has clipper bow and no blisters. Why remove them when restored and then reinstall them? Two different a/c in my opinion.

[CoastieJohn]

If my math is correct, it spent a bit more time in Coast Guard colors than Navy colors.

[helinut]

I believe they all had provisions for the beaching gear , what I have seen is a rectangular shape at the top and a steel plate below that, with 2 holes that the gear pins into.

[Chris Brame]

And a footnote to N5590V's career: it had a guest-starring role in the 1961 Frank Sinatra/Spencer Tracy movie The Devil at 4 O'Clock: