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PBY in a vacation ad

swbradley1

swbradley1

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Cool pic. Beautiful clear water. I want to go back there.

I wonder if it flew any real missions...
 
jw4x4

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Grand Cayman was my favorite part of the cruise years ago. I didn't see anything like the this, but I did feed squid to the stingrays. Beautiful sands and crystal clear water.
 
hndrsonj

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Well we did a funeral today and it was -10; I'd love to see a PBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Capt Pat

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Absolutely my favorite aircraft, second is the B-25, third the Skyraider. Never flew in any of them and wouldn't if offered a chance..... (never did like flying, first flight ever took me to Viet Nam on a C-141'that sucked' he flight, not the plane) As a diver, I learned first hand what happens when those machines have "issues", ya can't call a buddy with a wrecker there. Like the bumper sticker says, "Fly Navy, Diver's Need the Work"
One of the old Great Lakes freighter skippers I used to sail with was a flight engineer on PBY's just after the war and had some stories about them, including taking a timber strike while landing on Lake Erie in November while flying out of Grosse Isle, Mich. He nearly drown as the lake poured in through the hole and the pilot was trying to get her off the surface and into the air before she became too heavy and they crashed.
Nope, love them, but if I owned one, it would be a "hanger queen" till the next generation took it over..... It would be nice to sit in and dream though..........
 
vtdeucedriver

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Hey all..............Sorry to burst your bubble but I have not heard recently and it would have been big news if he had sold anything but there is a VERY good chance that this is a VERY old picture! This PBY has not flown in a few years and is tucked away in a private hangar with his other PBY and collection of airplanes in Big Springs Texas.
 
USAFSS-ColdWarrior

USAFSS-ColdWarrior

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vtdeucedriver said:
Hey all..............Sorry to burst your bubble but I have not heard recently and it would have been big news if he had sold anything but there is a VERY good chance that this is a VERY old picture! This PBY has not flown in a few years and is tucked away in a private hangar with his other PBY and collection of airplanes in Big Springs Texas.
Click to expand...
Cool!
Big Spring (without the "S") is just up the road from me! (about 80 miles)
I'll have to check that out with my contacts there and see what I can come up with. Maybe even get a chance to get some current photos and status details to share.

VTDD: If you have any contact info please feel free to PM me and advance my research a few "free spaces". Thanks.
 
vtdeucedriver

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USAFSS-ColdWarrior said:
Cool!
Big Spring (without the "S") is just up the road from me! (about 80 miles)
I'll have to check that out with my contacts there and see what I can come up with. Maybe even get a chance to get some current photos and status details to share.

VTDD: If you have any contact info please feel free to PM me and advance my research a few "free spaces". Thanks.
Click to expand...
Correct about no S............ I dont have a contact there but have seen a thread on another forum before the pics got deleted of someone who knew him well. I had met him and his son at a airshow in FLA back in the early 90's and he is a nice enough fellow for a oil tycoon. He has his own airstrip and well, he loves old airplanes. I cant imagine how old he is now but his son was my age.

Now recently within a couple of yrs, a PBY finally got her feet wet but I believe never came off the step when doing it. There were 2 other PBY's that operated out of S.Fla and the reason is of INSURANCE COSTS. To land on water, the premiums go through the roof because during the war we lost more PBY's due to water landings than combat loss. From what I am told, the seals in the Nose gear area are of poor design and with today, age is another issue.
A recent story was posted that one of the "requirements of a PBY was a box of golf T-s and a hammer. So when ever a rivet popped in the hull, drive a t in the hole and drive it home with the hammer to stop the leak.
 
Recovry4x4

Recovry4x4

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Since we are speaking of flying boats, I remember looking at this pic since I was knee high. According to my father it was the first jet powered flying boat. I don't remember how many were made but I recall him saying he salvaged one out of the sea. Been a long time so my memory could be clouded. Pops passed in 86.

If I'm right it's a Martin P6M-2 Seamaster. I just found the pic after it being missing since 95. I took a pic with the phone but will get it scanned tomorrow.

IMG_20130226_221823(1).jpg
 
USAFSS-ColdWarrior

USAFSS-ColdWarrior

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Fresh PBY Film.....

I know this thread has been dormant for a year and a half, but.....

My cousin Fred in South Carolina just emailed this link to me. His father, my Uncle Loren, was a radio operator on such an aircraft in the South Pacific during WWII and rescued quite a few downed pilots and aircrews.

Uncle Loren broke his nose on one particular rough-seas-landing and he did a FACE PLANT on the radio rack!!!

This video gives a nice tour of the PBY Flying Boat....

Aviation enthusiast and warbird collector, Jim Slattery, shares his thoughts with AOPA's Barry Schiff on the restoration of a Consolidated PBY for The Greatest Generation Naval Museum in San Diego, CA. The beautiful Lake Mead video footage of this historic WWII amphib was supplied by The Greatest Generation Naval Museum.

http://vimeo.com/99919462

Carry on.
 
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