80 Years, a Tribute to the PBY Catalina Review
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Cover image – Published by Avion Ventures B.V. (May 1, 2018)
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A Brief Review
by Les Oystryk
by Les Oystryk
Many of the 400 photos have never been published before. This aircraft has, over time, become part of the “Jurassic Park of Aviation” as the last of the wartime-made flying dinosaurs.
While reading this book you can just feel the author’s passion and sense of mission which led to his exhaustive search for rare and not so rare images and stories of this iconic aircraft. The level of research and detailed information about the photos is amazing.
80 Years, A Tribute To The PBY Catalina takes us through the most complete history of this aircraft’s use around the world.
The chapter on the origins of the Catalina during “The War Time Years” explains the role it played in so many military uses. From its initial design by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation for the U.S. Navy in 1933, to its flight tests and maiden flight in 1935, the aircraft was destined to make aviation history. Production of the PBY series began in 1937.
Many of the detailed descriptions and photos of her war-time use come from Africa and the Pacific War, but the most memorable role that Canadians will recall was her place in history over the Atlantic Ocean. The RCAF had 13 anti-submarine squadrons in which the Canso/PBY played a crucial role in the anti-submarine warfare and in winning the “Battle of the Atlantic”.
The remarkable stories and photos that the author has assembled describe the Canso/PBY’s role from all across the WW II theatres of battle. It had the reputation as the most efficient ship and anti-submarine hunter/killer and spy eye for the Navy. One such photo shows an RCAF Canso monitoring the surrender of German Submarine U-899. This book is full of detailed photo interpretation and historical information, as well as many links to further on-line sources of information. The “Post War Years” chapter describes the role of these surplus WW II aircraft in a multitude of civilian uses. With her rugged design she was particularly suited to a variety of jobs.
“While she could takeoff from any “hub” airport with a sandy, gravel or asphalt runway, the Cat could land right in the middle of nowhere, on any stretch of water, to deliver its passengers or cargo at an outback camp, remote settlement or an island in a matter of hours; a journey that otherwise would take days to get there by boat or a truck. It is exactly this feature that gave the Cat a bright future right after the war, with an extended operational life in water-rich or ocean-surrounded countries like Alaska, Northern Canada, Brazil, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, etc.. “(Page 70)
The many highly illustrated and interesting post war service stories are an excellent read. Although the vast array of photos that depict her in those post-war years, are from many counties around the world, there is a special story of one such Canso from northern Saskatchewan. This story is documented under the heading “Canadian Civil Cats Operations”. This is the story of Canso CF-SAT. She came from the Canadian War Assets Corporation and was purchased by the Saskatchewan Government Airways (SGA) in the spring of 1948. The primary intended use of this Canso was for the purpose of transporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of commercially caught fish in northern Saskatchewan. The government of Saskatchewan had established fish filleting plants at La Ronge and Beaver Lake (Denare Beach) and needed a reliable, efficient amphibious aircraft to do that job. She was a tough and rugged aircraft, designed to withstand hard water landings when hauling a 10,000 pound payload of fresh fish.
The reliability of this Canso made for the successful transport of fish to the fish processing plants at La Ronge and Beaver Lake. These fish plants were 170 miles and 242 miles away (respectively) from the commercial fisheries on Reindeer Lake and Wollaston Lake. Numerous photos of this specific aircraft are displayed in large format in this book with a detailed description for each. A unique relationship to the City of Flin Flon in 1948 is also explained along with a 1948 photo of Canso CF-SAT at the Beaver Lake fish filleting plant at Beaver Lake (Denare Beach).
The author’s personal experiences and love for this aircraft is also wonderfully illustrated in “The Catalina Odysseys” chapter. The true re-birth of the aircraft in a very special “Journey of Nostalgia and Romance” is told in photo and textual format. These photos document the story of the Catalina Z-CAT in the made for T.V. series “The Catalina Odyssey” over the Atlantic and the Americas in 1993. This was sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant Travel.
All-in-all, this book has become the go-to source for historical information and references to the entire world-wide history of this iconic aircraft.
From 1937 to 2017, a lifespan of 80 years of this flying boat is still counting, as there are a number of operational survivors around the world that can still be admired at air shows and in museums.
You will not regret seeing and reading this unique photo album about the best flying boat ever made!
A book like none other you have seen before.
Below you can browse through a preview gallery of images from the book itself.
The chapter on the origins of the Catalina during “The War Time Years” explains the role it played in so many military uses. From its initial design by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation for the U.S. Navy in 1933, to its flight tests and maiden flight in 1935, the aircraft was destined to make aviation history. Production of the PBY series began in 1937.
Many of the detailed descriptions and photos of her war-time use come from Africa and the Pacific War, but the most memorable role that Canadians will recall was her place in history over the Atlantic Ocean. The RCAF had 13 anti-submarine squadrons in which the Canso/PBY played a crucial role in the anti-submarine warfare and in winning the “Battle of the Atlantic”.
The remarkable stories and photos that the author has assembled describe the Canso/PBY’s role from all across the WW II theatres of battle. It had the reputation as the most efficient ship and anti-submarine hunter/killer and spy eye for the Navy. One such photo shows an RCAF Canso monitoring the surrender of German Submarine U-899. This book is full of detailed photo interpretation and historical information, as well as many links to further on-line sources of information. The “Post War Years” chapter describes the role of these surplus WW II aircraft in a multitude of civilian uses. With her rugged design she was particularly suited to a variety of jobs.
“While she could takeoff from any “hub” airport with a sandy, gravel or asphalt runway, the Cat could land right in the middle of nowhere, on any stretch of water, to deliver its passengers or cargo at an outback camp, remote settlement or an island in a matter of hours; a journey that otherwise would take days to get there by boat or a truck. It is exactly this feature that gave the Cat a bright future right after the war, with an extended operational life in water-rich or ocean-surrounded countries like Alaska, Northern Canada, Brazil, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, etc.. “(Page 70)
The many highly illustrated and interesting post war service stories are an excellent read. Although the vast array of photos that depict her in those post-war years, are from many counties around the world, there is a special story of one such Canso from northern Saskatchewan. This story is documented under the heading “Canadian Civil Cats Operations”. This is the story of Canso CF-SAT. She came from the Canadian War Assets Corporation and was purchased by the Saskatchewan Government Airways (SGA) in the spring of 1948. The primary intended use of this Canso was for the purpose of transporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of commercially caught fish in northern Saskatchewan. The government of Saskatchewan had established fish filleting plants at La Ronge and Beaver Lake (Denare Beach) and needed a reliable, efficient amphibious aircraft to do that job. She was a tough and rugged aircraft, designed to withstand hard water landings when hauling a 10,000 pound payload of fresh fish.
The reliability of this Canso made for the successful transport of fish to the fish processing plants at La Ronge and Beaver Lake. These fish plants were 170 miles and 242 miles away (respectively) from the commercial fisheries on Reindeer Lake and Wollaston Lake. Numerous photos of this specific aircraft are displayed in large format in this book with a detailed description for each. A unique relationship to the City of Flin Flon in 1948 is also explained along with a 1948 photo of Canso CF-SAT at the Beaver Lake fish filleting plant at Beaver Lake (Denare Beach).
The author’s personal experiences and love for this aircraft is also wonderfully illustrated in “The Catalina Odysseys” chapter. The true re-birth of the aircraft in a very special “Journey of Nostalgia and Romance” is told in photo and textual format. These photos document the story of the Catalina Z-CAT in the made for T.V. series “The Catalina Odyssey” over the Atlantic and the Americas in 1993. This was sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant Travel.
All-in-all, this book has become the go-to source for historical information and references to the entire world-wide history of this iconic aircraft.
From 1937 to 2017, a lifespan of 80 years of this flying boat is still counting, as there are a number of operational survivors around the world that can still be admired at air shows and in museums.
You will not regret seeing and reading this unique photo album about the best flying boat ever made!
A book like none other you have seen before.
Below you can browse through a preview gallery of images from the book itself.
Source: Doug Pegg in the summer of 1948 in front of the Beaver Lake Fish Filleting Plant at Denare Beach, Saskatchewan.
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Photo shows Canso CF-SAT taxiing towards the dock in front of the Beaver Lake Fish Filleting Plant at Denare Beach, Saskatchewan. A barge type watercraft which was used for loading and unloading freight and fish from the Canso is seen moored to the dock. A small rail cart which was used for hauling boxes of fish up to the fish plant is seen on the dock.
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Source: Harold Jacobson on Wollaston Lake in northern Saskatchewan in the summer of 1948
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Photo shows two men unloading boxes and other freight belonging to Harold Jacobson and his wife Sylvia. They were unloading this freight onto a motorized canoe that belonged to the Jacobson's. CF-SAT was used to transport Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson and their belongings from their commercial fishing camp on Reindeer Lake to their new commercial fishing camp location on Wollaston Lake.
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Source: Maureen Hogan in 1948 on top of Canso CF-SAT while it was moored on the water in front of the Beaver Lake Fish Filleting Plant at Denare Beach, Saskatchewan.
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Although time has taken away the memory of Junie’s last name, Maureen Hogan recalls that she was a co-worker at the Beaver Lake Fish Filleting Plant that summer. Junie appears to be quite happy and comfortable while sitting on top of one of CF-SAT’s engines. The Beaver Lake Fish Filleting Plant buildings are seen in the background. Junie seems to be a proud wearer of her “Flin Flon – North of 54” sweatshirt. The community of Flin Flon, Manitoba was located just 20 km away from Denare Beach, Saskatchewan.
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Source: the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan Ref. # BE-71. Photographer unknown.
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Photo taken in July 1950 and shows S.G.A. Canso CF-SAT moored on the water in front of the Beaver Lake Fish Filleting Plant at Denare Beach, Saskatchewan. Three men in a motorized canoe appear to be approaching the Canso in a motorized canoe with a load of freight to be taken onboard. Canso crew member inside the Canso hold, appears to be ready for them to come alongside.
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