Tmb:
Too true. Jim lost count and stopped counting 50 years ago.
Wunwing:
Again, too true. VH-CAT (N160AT is a temporary rego to facilitate ferry) is owned by the Catalina Flying Memorial, Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. As you say, nothing to do with VH-PBZ, the HARS cat at Albion Park, New South Wales.
But the long and individual histories of the old girls are intertwined and tell a colourful story. (PBZ includes a sinking, salvage after 2 years and, more recently, a gear collapse on landing.)
A bare bones outline:
- Both built as PBY 6As for US Navy, World War 2.
- 1957, both to Chile, regos CC-CNP (46665) & CC-CCS (46679) for passenger/freight service to Chilean Pacific islands.
- 1970, CAT converted to a firebomber in Canada followed by PBZ in 1980.
- 1988, CAT ferried to Spain followed by PBZ in 1991.
- 2001, both replaced by Canadair CL415s and parked on the fence at Seia, Portugal.
- 2002, PBZ purchased by Nev Kennard (Storage business) and Dick Smith (Aviation adventurer)
- 2003, PBZ ferried to Australia.
- 2007, CAT purchased by Catalina Flying Memorial. (Funded by Nev Kennard)
- Subsequently, PBZ with HARS, converted to World War 2, RAAF Blackcat.
- The plan is to also convert CAT to a Blackcat.
Today, a 10 hr. leg should have CAT at Medan, North Sumatra.
After having successfully negotiated the Northern Hemisphere winter with zero ice protection (configured for summer fire fighting, that is a 3500 litre water tank, no autopilot, no cockpit heating, “Gets a bit cool after 7 hours.”) she is now eye-balling the wet of the tropics. The cockpit “leaks a bit” so the concern is water damage to radios.
Funding for fuel is not yet home and hosed but with a little help from an early North West Monsoon, Darwin is not out of the question.
Jim Hazelton
