He did say P166.

And yes it was Bass Charrington / United Breweries. As I recall it had a toby jug insignia on the fin.

Moggy

Well yes he did but the thread is about a rare flying boat type …

Thanks David. The general message remains though; it isn’t just Americans that wreck Catalinas!

Point taken Meddle but, without in any way wishing to score points, I would contend that they certainly have monopolised, albeit they have had more scope through numbers!

Excluding commercial losses (e.g. water bombing accidents) the Confederate Air Force (as was) alone has lost four – one to a completely avoidable fatal accident (N16KL), one to a mechanical fatal accident (N15KL), one to utter neglect (N68756) and one to weather related ground damage (N7179Y) that although ultimately repairable will have consumed a fifth airframe (N324FA) in the process of restoration when eventually finished. Another, privately owned aircraft (C-FSAT) was lost in the USA after a precautionary landing on water off Hawaii and in a crane recovery manner very similar to what appears to have happened to N85U the other day.

Duxford Thursday 2nd July.

Miss Pick up was outside this morning with her new decals and departed around mid-day although is expected to return before her departure to Greenland next week.

Flew to Koksijde in Belgium today for a fly-in and will return to DX on Sunday before departing on the first leg of Operation World First on Monday. Arrived safely at Koksijde around 14:33 according to the on-board tracker.

I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on with the windows on the Catalina.

New window installed forward of the port side entry hatch and general beefing up of structure to accommodate it. Yet to be re-sprayed.

Worth mentioning that the BOAC/RAF ‘Guba’ was actually ‘Guba’ II?

Indeed Dave although also worth mentioning for those who do not know that the second Guba was just called Guba like its predecessor and not Guba 2 or Guba II as sometimes stated.

The BOAC Catalinas remaining after ‘Guba’ was scrapped and G-AGDA (named ‘Catalina’) had been wrecked at Poole , were then shipped out for the Double Sunrise service which is generally considered as a QANTAS operation rather than a BOAC one, though they were allies 🙂

Just to clarify Guba wasn’t “scrapped”, at least not at the point that is implied in the quote above. It was offered to Qantas Empire Airways in mid-43 but declined whereupon it was transferred to Saunders-Roe and ended up with them at Beaumaris, Anglesey in early-44, later passing to the British Air Council. It became SM706 in September 1944 and sank in a storm at Pwllhelli later that year, date not known. Although recovered, it was scuttled in 1945.

Anyone know what the Catalina work is about? I seem to remember it getting an extra window last year? Or is it Alzheimer?

Hi Fouga 23 – last year’s new window was on the starboard side, this year’s is on the port side, and they are just to let in more light to an area that is a bit of a coal hole and where previously there was hardly any view out. Purists will be horrified but in common with virtually all surviving Catalinas it has had many other mods in its life. This adds positively to the experience of anyone sitting in that area.