From ArthurBorges post #324 -
It is an odd thing that the first Catalina of a country that produced Catalinas herself was a second hand Catalina: In 1937, Dr. Richard Archbold purchased Consolidated's first commercial PBY. It was a modified PBY-1 licensed as a model 28-1. Guba, as Archbold called his aircraft, was to be used in support of a planned expedition to New Guinea. These plans were altered when Archbold was asked to aid in a mission of mercy. The Soviet government had asked him to sell Guba to them for $230,000[8]. Archbold agreed and the Soviets used Guba to search for Sigismund Levanevsky and his crew who disappeared during a flight across the North Pole from the Soviet Union to Fairbanks. The Canadian researcher Sir Hubert Wilkins flew Guba to Coppermine in Canada's Northwest Territory on the 23rd of August 1937 and made five search-trips during August and September. In the end of 1937, Guba, now registered L-2, was flown to New York, dismantled, and shipped by steamer to the Soviet Union. From January to March 1938, Wilkins flew four more flights, two of which were during the polar night. Sadly Levanevsky and his crew were never found.
Wilkins wrote a letter to Reuben Fleet, saying he had flown 19,000 miles "... under the most adverse weather conditions, flying over rough and uncharted terrain, and for the most part heavily loaded with fuel, supplies, and equipment. It is my privilege to congratulate you and your associates and all those who had part in the fabrication of this airplane, and in no uncertain terms. Without this magnificent airplane, we could not have attempted our difficult task."[2]
Correction - Sir Hubert Wilkins was an Australian. He was not himself a licensed pilot and although he was quite competent he always employed an experienced one to fly his aircraft on his many Arctic and Antartic exploratory flights. His prime role was that of navigator and co-commander. He wrote some amazing books. Simon Nasht recently published an outstanding biography, 'The Last Explorer.'