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Its been stuck up here since October:
All going to plan its taking off at 0930, flying to Dalcross and departing from there at 1100.
Ah that's good, I remember it looked a little dicey for a bit when they realised it needed a whole engine swap. Such mad looking things
It's off the Loch now and safely at Dalcross.
Apparently there were sizable waves breaking over the bow / nose as they were lining up for the take off from the Loch!
Hope someone filmed it 🙂
I agree - a film would be good.
Beautiful plane.
That would be my quadruple rollover win on the Euromillions sorted. Better buy a ticket then.
Does anyone know how did it ended up in Loch Ness,was it a planned flight that developed engine problems after landing?
A couple of video on you tube with the pilot discussing this. They flew up there for CAA certification checks for a few pilots. All did well then they did some filming before engine failure. They always intended to be on the loch, just not for so long!
Beautiful plane.
That would be my quadruple rollover win on the Euromillions sorted. Better buy a ticket then.
If you don't get lucky in the euromillions then you could buy a share in that one if you fancy;
https://www.catalina.org.uk/
Thanks frank
Catalina is one of the nicest looking aircraft despite its odd shape, alongside the 747 and the Spitfire.
Catalina is one of the nicest looking aircraft
Yup! It’s been one of my favourites since childhood!
I only realised today the wing floats fold up! Now I feel stupid but that is fantastic design.
Duxford is closed today, so she's going into Tatenhill near Burton Upon Trent for a nightstop before continuing on to DX tomorrow. In case anyone's in the vicinity of Tatenhill .....
Plane Resurrection have been filming the whole process for a documentary
I only realised today the wing floats fold up! Now I feel stupid but that is fantastic design.
How have I not known this before...?
It's departing Dalcross just now.
I only realised today the wing floats fold up! Now I feel stupid but that is fantastic design.
Electrically powered, with a hand-crank option if that fails. Which is a fun way of spending an hour. NOT !
well, if you're going to spend your quadruple rollover lottery winnings on something, you could get one of these:
They're currently sitting near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island (at least they were a year ago) having been retired from firefighting duties
Nope. That is ugly as ****.
The Catalina though is a thing of beauty. I would have my pilot fly me to nice places whilst I lounge in one of the blisters looking at the world.
Not seen G-PBYA on FLight radar yet>
Anyone know exactly where at Tatenhill it's going? There's a small airfield and a few lakes round there
They are gorgeous! I first heard about that Cat in this news article
Seems like an unbelievably cool school expedition!
Elsewhere in the world (clearly not Loch Ness)
After WWII, some surplus PBYs inevitably were converted into flying yachts, during the private-flying heyday that encouraged fantasies of flying cars, personal jetpacks, dad commuting in a Piper and seaplanes bobbing in lakes with fishermen on one float and bathing beauties on the other. Luxury PBYs fit right in.
The most impressive lipstick-on-a-Pigboat scheme was the early-1950s Landseaire. Even Egypt’s King Farouk had one on order before his abdication. The base price of a Landseaire was $265,000, which is about $2.3 million today and would be a bargain, since that’s roughly the cost of a bush-taxi Cessna Caravan single on amphibious floats. The Landseaire had 14-foot dinghies under each wing, hoisted to fit flush by cables that had once lifted torpedoes and bombs, and the gunners’ blisters were replaced by one-piece, blown-Lucite “flying bay windows” that invariably were photographed for various magazines (including a snarky Life feature) with a bikinied babe, drink in hand, stretched out on the interior foam-rubber cushion.
Source - https://www.historynet.com/cat-tales-consolidateds-pby-flying-boat.htm
Landseaair article and Life Magazine pictures here - https://www.messynessychic.com/2014/04/24/all-aboard-the-flying-yacht-circa-1950/
@Eddiebaby - now there's your quadruple rollover project!!
Its showing on ADS-B now currently over Ochil's. Track seems to show it doing a touch and go in the Tay but I'm not 100% sure that is accurate
Just tracked it on flight radar,not going near us 🙁
Anyone know exactly where at Tatenhill it’s going? There’s a small airfield and a few lakes round there
It'll be the airfield. Water landings verboten in England these days.
She's just passed over Falkirk at 3,500 feet
Patiently waiting in West Yorkshire...
3,500 feet is still too close to be to Falkirk 😉
While she was at Dalcross earlier:
On its current trajectory, will be heading pretty much straight over the valley between Tod & Hebden Bridge in about 10 mins.
Edit - just gone over Hebden Bridge, by the look of it
Holmfirth... 'Stay on target, stay on target'
I didn't see it but it went over my dad's (tipped him off) and he was well chuffed.
I remember that from Top Trumps 🙂
Longest wing span... Lost on everything else...
Landseaair article and Life Magazine pictures here – https://www.messynessychic.com/2014/04/24/all-aboard-the-flying-yacht-circa-1950/
/blockquote>SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!
Are folding wings for canal landings?
I don't imagine the cabin is heated, must be bloomin cold.
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Flew right over me whilst driving home this afternoon, had no idea what it was, I had to pull in and check. Too high and by the time I'd stopped too far away for a phone photo.
Landseaair article and Life Magazine pictures here – https://www.messynessychic.com/2014/04/24/all-aboard-the-flying-yacht-circa-1950/
/blockquote>Absolute perfection.
Must check out the legality of landing one in Portland Harbour.
Duxford is closed today, so she’s going into Tatenhill near Burton Upon Trent for a nightstop before continuing on to DX tomorrow. In case anyone’s in the vicinity of Tatenhill …..
A pilot friend of mine is hopefully going to be on board for that trip tomorrow. I've asked him to get plenty of pictures / vids etc. If everything goes to plan I'll stick some on here.
I don’t imagine the cabin is heated, must be bloomin cold.
No, no heating, but it stays low so not usually a problem. Lots of clothes otherwise.
Must check out the legality of landing one in Portland Harbour.
Don't think it would be allowed, plus they won't land it on salt water unless the charterer is prepared to finance cleaning it afterwards
A pilot friend of mine is hopefully going to be on board for that trip tomorrow
Who is that, out of interest ?
What time is it scheduled to take off tomorrow? Working in Burton tomorrow 👌
Don’t think it would be allowed, plus they won’t land it on salt water unless the charterer is prepared to finance cleaning it afterwards
Spoilsports. It's not like they fly many choppers out of there any more.
I can imagine the extra worries of salt water if it isn't essential. Just a bit entertaining when you consider what they did in service. Obviously as it is pretty much a museum piece they have to stretch out its lifespan.
What time is it scheduled to take off tomorrow?
1100 / 1115 ish.
Parrotheads will remember that Jimmy Buffet had his own flying boat
I watched it take off this morning, I heard the engines start up when I was in my house so drove up the hill to watch it.
I took a couple of vids but have no idea how to host them here. I've posted them on the Catalina Facebook page in the comments section.
It was an amazing sight, I've been watching it's progress since it landed. It developed an engine problem after it landed so they replaced it on a quay at the side of the Loch.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3463684253720642&id=233330846756015
Full version of the flying yacht story:
A couple of pictures from on board today:
Like
Excellent. 🙂
I just finished reading the last part of that article that IHN and mashr posted, jings what a horrendous experience , must have been truly terrifying.
I just finished reading the last part of that article that IHN and mashr posted, jings what a horrendous experience , must have been truly terrifying.
Just finished it myself. What a nightmare!
There's a Catalina lying in Clyde off Great Cumbrae just south of the ferry slip. It's 30 years since I've dived this but access through the blisters was straightforward & you could swim all the way out the front. I seem to remember the cockpit & wingtips were gone as were the engines. On the swim back up the slope to the beach one of the engines was lying on the seabed covered in weed. Parts of this made it back home & I've still got one of the sodium filled valves somewhere. Anyone know how it came to be there ?
Just to add to Davesports tangent, there is also a bit of Catalina lying beside the road in Vatersay.
My wife's old man was a radio operator in Catalinas during the war based in Oban. Coastal Command B-17s too flying out from Benbecula. in the B-17s he was also the ball turret gunner (tiny guy), not a job that appeals much I must say.
Just to add to Davesports tangent, there is also a bit of Catalina lying beside the road in Vatersay.
Aye, been for a look at that. I think the wreckage has been relocated to its present location. I'll away and see if I can find out how it arrived there.
I've not watched it yet, but here's the link to the BBC Alba programme about the recovery of the Catalina from Loch Ness - Linky