CANSO PBY set to fly again

[Mick G]

One of Buffalo's former Waterbombers that crashed in 2001 is set to fly once again after a 9 year restoration.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... -1.3976241

[geodoc]

And if you love the PBY / Canso, check out "The Last African Flying boat" just posted in videos.




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[longjon]

Any word as to who is going to fly this machine, kudos to the team who got it this far, Cat any offers?

[Moose47]

G'day

First off, it is PBY-5A Canso not the other way around.

PB – Patrol Bomber
Y – Consolidated
5 - 5th Model
A - Amphibian

The aircraft was designated as the Canso A while in service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. The first of an eventual 224 aircraft was taken on strength with the R.C.A.F. on the 25th of August, 1941. The Canso was officially struck off strength on the 26th of April, 1962. Canada was the only country to call the amphibious version the 'Canso'. All other users called it the Catalina.

The Canso was built initially by Canadian Vickers Limited at Cartierville, Quebec. On the 11th of November, 1944 the new crown company Canadair took over all operations at the Vickers plant which included the production of the Canso. Canadian Vickers designated their production PBY-5A's as the PBV-1A. (Patrol Bomber Vickers-1A)

Canadian Vickers and Canadair manufactured 230 aircraft for the U.S.A.A.F. They were used during and post-war in the air sea rescue role. These aircraft were designated as the OA-10A.

O-Observation
A-Amphibian
10- Model Number
A- Sub Type

Cheers...Chris

[CLguy]

Actually Moose if I remember things correctly the Catalina is the water based version which was the original PBY. When it became an amphibious aircraft it then became the Canso.

[Old Dog Flying]

And Boeing built the Canso at a plant in False Creek, Vancouver with final assembly at Sea Island.. The wife of a friend worked there.

Barney

[Moose47]

"Actually Moose if I remember things correctly the Catalina is the water based version which was the original PBY. When it became an amphibious aircraft it then became the Canso. "

G'day

The original PBY-5 (pure flying boat) was a follow on of the PBY-4. When they added the landing gear it became the PBY-5A.

Canso was the exclusive designation for the Canadian-built amphibian version of the PBY-5. Sometime in 1940, the Royal Canadian Air Force had actually made selected the name Convoy. It did not take long for the powers to be that this would lead to mass confusion during radio signals between ship convoys and the aircraft. After a selection process, Canso was chosen after the Straight of Canso. The R.C.A.F. also rejected the name R.A.F. designation Catalina as there were a number of equipment differences.

Boeing Aircraft of Canada Limited's original plant was built as an edition to the Hoffar Beeching Shipyards Limited on Coal Harbour (West Georgia). The enlarged plant was divided between building ships and aircraft. Incidentally, William Boeing`s yacht the Taconite, was built at Hoffars in 1931.

Construction of Boeing Aircraft of Canada Limited`s 224,000 square foot No. 3 Plant commenced in August, 1940 at Sea Island Airport. It produced the PBY-5 (U. S. Navy designation PB2B-1 -- R.A.F. designation Catalina Mk. IVB) Catalina and the PBY-5A Catalina (U. S. Navy designation PBB-1). This was followed by the construction of the PB2B-2 (PBY-6A) Catalina for U. S. naval air and R.A.F. (Catalina Mk. VI). Boeing`s first prototype Canso A (serial number 9751) was not flown until the 26th of July, 1944.

Cheers...Chris

[BeaverDreamer]

Wow. That is some great history on a great aircraft. Thanks Chris!

Still rather confused on the names though. You say that a Canadian amphibious PBY-5 is a Canso, but does that not make it a PBY-5A which you later call a Catalina?

Too much for a young guy to figure out

[Cat Driver]

The PBY5A is called a Catalina everywhere except in Canada where they were built for the military and called the Canso by the Canadian military.

It is no more complicated than that.

I usually reefer to them as a PBY which describes them in any country.

[Moose47]

G'day BeaverDreamer and Cat Driver


Canada also used the Consolidated Model 28 (PBY-5) Catalina Mk,'s I, IB and IVA. The first ten Mk. 1 Catlinas were diverted from an R.A.F. contract to fulfill a desperate need for anti-submarine aircraft on Canada's east coast. The other Catalinas were also R.A.F. Aircraft acquired through Lend-Lease and

Catalina Mk. 1 – 10 aircraft – Taken on strength with the R.C.A.F. on 13 June, 1941
Catalina Mk. II – 8 aircraft – Taken on strength with the R.C.A.F. on 4 December, 1942
Catalina IVA – 12 aircraft – Taken on strength with the R.C.A.F. on 8 May, 1943

NOTE: Later Catalinas ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force and built to R.C.A.F. specs were called the Canso and Canso A.

Canadian Vickers began delivering Canso flying boats in early 1942. Canada transferred the first 36 aircraft (R.A.F. designation Catalina Mk. II) to the R.A.F. to replace the Catalinas that had been diverted from R.A.F. contracts.

The first Canso A by Canadian Vickers was completed on the 3rd of April, 1943.

Here are the American Designations and R.A.F. Catalina Equivalents. Note: Mk. is short for Mark which basically denotes the version.

PBY-5 - Catalina Mk. I
PBY-5B - Catalina Mk. IB
PBY-5 - Catalina Mk. II
PBY-5 - Catalina Mk. IIA
PBY-5 - Catalina Mk. IVA
PB2B-1 - Catalina Mk. IVB * Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada
PB2B-2 - Catalina Mk. VI * Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada
PBY5A - Catalina Mk. III

If anyone is interested, I can carry on with this thread and go into which R.C.A.F. Squadrons and O.T.U.'s used the Catalina and Canso.

Take care and fly safe.

Cheers...Chris

[Cat Driver]

The longest non stop flight I ever did was in a PBY, nineteen hours and ten minutes.

[Mick G]

And if you love the PBY / Canso, check out "The Last African Flying boat" just posted in videos.




.

Hey thanks for that, I watched it last night and it was very interesting. Apparently the tour operator only ran for a few years. It looks like that plane is now in New Zealand?

[Cat Driver]

Yes it went to New Zealand where they still sell passenger rides in it the last I heard.

[Siddley Hawker]

The NZ machine, ZK-PBY, ex Z-CAT, ex CF-JCV is coming off a two or three year maintenance restoration. I seem to recall they had to replace a lot of the wing structure aft of the rear spar, because of corrosion.

[234james]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... -1.3976241
I expect it would be a actual thrill to just hold there on the sidelines and watch this plane take off for the prime time in many - many years.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Victoria now also has a flying Canso. The airplane will be flying this spring after the installation of the side blisters.

More information is at pbycatalina.com and I encourage those interested in preserving Canadian aviation history to join the non profit Catalina Preservation Society

[CLguy]

Thanks for the info Moose! I was in Broome, Australia many years ago and there is some Catalina's in the bottom of the ocean that were sunk by the Japanese while they were moored in a bay. In low tide you could see them.

[switchflicker]

Just noticed the registration CF-JCV. That was also operated by Aero Trades in Winnipeg as a passenger and cargo machine.

[Framack]

What a huge endeavor - hats off to them for tackling this project.

I was cruising the web and found they have their own website documenting the rebuild process.
http://www.savethecanso.com/

[who me ?]

CF- NJE , my Dad ferried it from Fort Chimo CYVP , to Calgary , when Survair owned in around 1977 ish.
A wing float was knocked off , during a "fly by" at a camp.

They removed the other float and put it and the damaged one inside the cabin, for the ferry.
Field Aviation in CYYC did the repairs on it, I believe it was sold after it was repaired ?