34 thoughts on “The endlessly versatile PBY Catalina”
I’m nearly 72 yrs old and this is an aircraft I’ve dearly loved since I was a little kid but unfortunately I’ve never seen one except in pictures and would love to fly in on! Sam Adler
Elegance over flash everytime. The A-10 is the same. May not be the prettiest horse in the stable, but damn when you're in trouble who do you want to see?
A PBY-4 from PATWING 10 scored the first "air to air combat victory" for the USN in WWII, December 8th, over Luzon when a Zero overtook the Cat in a breif a dogfight. The Zero pilot forgot Cats hae claws… and a 50 cal bow gun.
The Catalina is such a beautiful aircraft. I heard that after the war, some people bought them as they were decommissioned and used them as flying yachts, with kids jumping out of the rear gunner pods for fun. What I wouldn't give for that…
This plane has this one thing that my favorite vehicles do: Utility. It could do nearly every job. Spotting, bombing, submarine hunting, cargo carrying and rescue. It could go everywhere and land anywhere. A 1940s seadogs' best friend to smuggling excellency. Utiliy above all.
One of my favourite aircraft ever. Though I've always had a soft spot for flying boats of any kind or nationality and made quite a few scratch models as a boy, 70 years ago – sadly all lost. So emotional when my son presented me recently with a very fine model. Only a few years since i watched one splash down in a N.E. England harbour and take off again. Just marvellous. If i won a few million in a lottery, I'd spend it on a Catalina trip around the world – and at 80 yo wouldn't much care if I didn't survive the trip.
Yours Truly had the distinct honor back in my Navy days of restoring a pby 5A Catalina which is now on static display in front of Naval Air Station Jacksonville to this day
I’m nearly 72 yrs old and this is an aircraft I’ve dearly loved since I was a little kid but unfortunately I’ve never seen one except in pictures and would love to fly in on! Sam Adler
The Catalina wine mixer…
Elegance over flash everytime. The A-10 is the same. May not be the prettiest horse in the stable, but damn when you're in trouble who do you want to see?
It's my favourite. I love the shape of it.
The Hercules of its day. An Icon . A Workhorse.
Few aircraft are sexier than the Cat.
The PBY came from Consolidated Aircraft
But the name "Catalina" came from the Brits.
We had these planes in South Africa at one point. There is still a wreck of one in lake Saint Lucia.
A PBY-4 from PATWING 10 scored the first "air to air combat victory" for the USN in WWII, December 8th, over Luzon when a Zero overtook the Cat in a breif a dogfight.
The Zero pilot forgot Cats hae claws… and a 50 cal bow gun.
There were some based in Perth Western Australia and operated from the Swan River.
It does NOT hold the record for duration lmao
The Catalina is such a beautiful aircraft. I heard that after the war, some people bought them as they were decommissioned and used them as flying yachts, with kids jumping out of the rear gunner pods for fun. What I wouldn't give for that…
Hiked out to see a crashed one in the mountains in BC. Was a cool site to see.
This plane has this one thing that my favorite vehicles do: Utility. It could do nearly every job. Spotting, bombing, submarine hunting, cargo carrying and rescue. It could go everywhere and land anywhere. A 1940s seadogs' best friend to smuggling excellency. Utiliy above all.
Id love one could live in it
One of the best looking aircraft ever put in the sky! If I ever hit the big one on the Euromillions I'm getting one!!!
Didn't the Black Cats in WW2 use those?
We here in Hamilton Ontario at the Warplane Museum, we have one restored and flying
Don’t forget the bets of them all.. The Catalina f*club wine mixer!
❤️
Watching them land near Rathmines on Lake Macquarie, NSW was a highlight of my youth. Such beautiful machines.
Useful for killing Cousteau’s as well.
Reminiscing of a time we fought the nazis…
We currently dont have an army and the police stop you walking round London being openly Jewish. 😂
I always loved the Catalina and if I were alive then would have wanted to serve on them!
It was truly a civilian👨🏻⚖️ that went war…👨🏼✈️
Flying bomb
One of my favourite aircraft ever. Though I've always had a soft spot for flying boats of any kind or nationality and made quite a few scratch models as a boy, 70 years ago – sadly all lost. So emotional when my son presented me recently with a very fine model.
Only a few years since i watched one splash down in a N.E. England harbour and take off again. Just marvellous.
If i won a few million in a lottery, I'd spend it on a Catalina trip around the world – and at 80 yo wouldn't much care if I didn't survive the trip.
My dad’s older brother flew Catalinas during the Second World War for the British Coastal Command.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBu64UiwleA
Is this Catalina plane related to the Catalina boat?
Yours Truly had the distinct honor back in my Navy days of restoring a pby 5A Catalina which is now on static display in front of Naval Air Station Jacksonville to this day
This plane doesn’t get the love it deserves
Saw one at darwin airport used by a oil exploration company in the timor sea
Always wanted to fly one of those. one day