Catalina Flaps

Gentlemen
Thankyou all. I shall continue to watch Catalina arrivals and departures with interest !

As the area aft of the rear spar on a Catalina wing is cloth covered, incorporating them in the design would be tricky and incur a huge weight penalty.

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The Catalina does’nt have any flaps at all, as was the norm for aircraft design when it was first developed in 1933 to meet a 1934 US Navy specification,

It was considered obsolete by 1939 and the PBY-4 was expected to be the final USN order, however an RAF order for the PBY-5 with its gun blisters re-established the type and renewed orders from the USN, USAF, RAAF etc resulting in the type becoming the most numerous and successful flying boat design ever built.

However none of the later models ever added flaps, most likely as the airframe had enough “built in” drag with the floats as you point out, and the large wing provided sufficient lift already, and its wet runways created “short” landings in anycase, removing most of the early reasons for the development of flaps.

The Boeing 247 of 1933 similarly did’nt have flaps in its original design, with the DC-2 of 1934 being the first modern airliner to introduce flaps, the 247D was produced with flaps to try and compete with the DC-2.

As I recall the DH84 Dragon developed in 1932 did not have flaps, and the DH89 Rapide of 1934 introduced them in 1936?

Similarly I seem to recall the early Ansons were built without flaps and introduced on the GR1 aircraft.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Cracking shots there Anday.
Can confirm the Cat dosen’t have flaps.

Although it doesn’t help answer the question, at least it gives me an opportunity to share this lovely shot….

Pretty sure there aren’t any on a Catalina…