What flying boat is this?

[Self Loading Freight]

Over in the exciting world of pop music, 80s superstar Thomas Dolby is preparing to re-release some of his old stuff (and finishing off some new). Recently, he had a photoshoot at his coastal home, which is somewhere on the East Coast - Norfolk or Suffolk, not entirely sure where.

One of the shots captures a flying boat pootling along behind him as he stares moodily into the sky while fondling random pieces of antique electronics (rock and roll!).

Question is: what is it? And, this being Pprune, who's flying?






R

[con-pilot]

PBY-4 Catalina.

[Self Loading Freight]

That were quick! Thanks.

Looking around, there's only one flightworthy Catalina in the UK, according to the Catalina Society, and that's G-PBYA at Duxford. Makes sense. It's listed as type Canso A, which looks like it's a PBY-5A, but I'm not on top of the types...

R

[Saab Dastard]

Wikipedia is your friend!

SD

[Corsairoz]

I'm not so sure.....(did Saab Dastard subtly call this first? )

Certainly its a Catalina. But taking the image and blowing it up a bit in photoshop I am pretty certain its a montage with the 'Cat' pasted onto the recent photo of Thomas Dolby. The pixel patterning where it is pasted is pretty clear. The 'Cat' also looks unnaturally blurred compared to the sharp horizon. I might be wrong.

But for sure most agencies and photographers given the chance would always use a stock historic image and pay a royalty rather than go through the horrendousy expensive arrangements of Norfolk weather, personality with EXACTLY the right pose at the right time and Catalina in the right place at the same time.

Its certainly a Catalina, but I am sure its 'photoshopped' so it could be any machine, taken at any time, in any country.

I think it might even be this pic from the main PBY Catalina page on wikipedia, reversed and blurred a bit.......then cloned into the main pic......

Things are not always as they seem.........Nice result though.....

Cheers
Corsairoz



2 minutes in photoshop and......

[chevvron]

I don't see a flying boat in the photo; I do see an amphibian though (Arthur Gibson would be turning in his grave)

[Saab Dastard]

I don't see a flying boat in the photo; I do see an amphibian though

Not all the Catalina PBYs had wheels... indeed only the PBY-5A and later had a retractable undercarriage. There seems to have been a roughly equal number of flying boat vs. amphibian Catalinas built, although there are probably more of the latter surviving.

SD

[mustpost]

Corsairoz

Well done that man - almost as sad as me! why don't we both join the 'nae mates' thread. Well spotted - and SD also for accuracy.
To cheer it up/round it off, here's G-PBYA at Duxford last year, just setting off for a bimble

[Saab Dastard]

If I were allowed to choose one aeroplane for my very own - without consideration of cost, maintenance etc. - it would be the PBY-5A Catalina. Massive range, land almost anywhere, reasonable space.

Now where's that lottery ticket?

SD

[Fris B. Fairing]

I don't see a flying boat in the photo; I do see an amphibian though

What's the problem with calling a Catalina a flying boat? Amphibian can further describe a flying boat or a floatplane.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Saab, way back in the Flight International archive there must be a fascinating article on just this, a Catalina converted into a flying mobile home. I have a memory of a description of fishing for trout out of the blister windows...
This would be 1972 - 76.

I always thought what a superb ship you'd have if you handed one to Messrs Basler, along with a suitably huge cheque...

[con-pilot]

There were some Cats converted to four engines with an interior that could be used for extended operations island hopping.

[Saab Dastard]

Con-pilot, that's a weird looking aeroplane! Are the wings also extended slightly?

I know that there were wingtip extensions for the Cat, but I'm talking about the area around the new engines.

The extra engines look like standard Lycoming / Continental 4/6 pot horizontals - do you have any more information?

Unless it's a wind-up?

SD

[Tankertrashnav]

80s superstar Thomas Dolby

No problem recognising the PBY/Catalina, but who is Thomas Dolby? Member of a popular beat combo perchance?

[Final 3 Greens]

Unless it's a wind-up?

No it isn't.

The outboards were standard lycomings or continentals, can't remember which.

[Sir George Cayley]

You've blinded me! With science!

Sir George Cayley

[PPRuNe Towers]

Don't give 'em your name Pyke

YouTube - Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

While playing with a search engine I couldn't resist this link. Well know to many but still worth a visit to the BBC aviation archive pages:

BBC - Archive - Aerial Journeys - Television Goes Flying

[treadigraph]

Definitely not a wind up SD, it's the Bird Innovator which I recall seeing parked at Tico Airport in Florida about 25 years ago. I think it's been restored to standard Cat config. now. I always thought it was a one off but Con Pilot may well be right.

[emeritus]

As I have always understood it.....

Flying Boat = Floating Hull

Float Plane = Fuselage with floats attached

Amphibian = Able to land on either wet or dry ( or both in the case of wet grass! )

In the case of all...Speedboating,Skiing and Flying all rolled into one!!

Emeritus.

[con-pilot]

Con-pilot, that's a weird looking aeroplane! Are the wings also extended slightly?

I know that there were wingtip extensions for the Cat, but I'm talking about the area around the new engines.

The extra engines look like standard Lycoming / Continental 4/6 pot horizontals - do you have any more information?

Unless it's a wind-up?

SD

No, it is a real aircraft. The picture that I posted was taken in, of all placed, Albuquerque, New Mexico (KABQ). It was based there for years and I had the pleasure of walking all around the aircraft, never got to go inside it sadly. However, what I could see peering through the cabin windows the interior was very impressive. I was told that it could berth six people, had a full galley with propane fueled stove, a full bathroom including a shower and quite an entertainment system.

Number one and number four engines are 400 hp Lycoming. The only airframe modification that I am aware of is the increased size of the vertical stabilizer and the rudder because of the additional two engines.

At one time the company that had done the modification had plans to modify many more PBYs, however, I don't know how many were done, I've only seen and heard about the one pictured.

Personally I think having that aircraft to fly all over the world island hopping from the South Pacific, to the Med, the Caribbean, etc. would be a blast.