PBY-5A Catalina N423RS

[DavidLegg]

These two photos show PBY-5A Catalina c/n 1785, ex-C-FJJG, CF-JJG, N4002A, BuAer48423 at North Weald today. She is painted as RAF JV928/Y (not to be confused with the former Plane Sailing Air Displays Catalina G-BLSC that flew in the same colours during the 1980s and very early 1990s before it was re-painted as an RCAF Canso A s/n 9754). Recent history has been use by Greepeace then periods of storage at Duxford, Lee-on-the Solent and North Weald. It has only flown twice (ferry flights between the three aforementioned airfields) in recent years but is destined for the USA in due course.

[seawings]

Hi David,

Do you know who to contact to be able to get that close to it; me, for instance!

Does anyone ever work on it, so that one could pay a visit inside her?

[DavidLegg]

Bryan - I suggest trying Alan Crouchman at The Squadron. He may be able to help.

[seawings]

Thanks, David.

Question: Is this the Catalina that crashed at Southampton all those years ago?

[DavidLegg]

Thanks, David.

Question: Is this the Catalina that crashed at Southampton all those years ago?

No. That was the Cyclone-powered Super Cat VP-BPS in which I spent many a flying hour. But there was a tenuous link. When VP-BPS was first salvaged from Southampton Water she was taken to the old flying boat slipway aty Hamble adjacent to which was a land-based aircraft repair company. Some of the Hamble staff looked at VP-BPS and decided they could fix it and get it flying so they acquired it from the insurers and established themselves as Super Catalina Restoration(s?). They moved the Catalina first to Lasham and then to Lee-on-the-Solent and although quite a lot of work was carried out, the wings got wind damaged and long periods of external storage did the airframe no favours. Then the group broke up and eventually VP-BPS was sold to a chap in Eire who planned to open a museum - that didn't happen and to cut a long story short, it was bulldozed into scrap in June this year.

But, along the way, Greenpeace's Catalina N423RS (the one now at North Weald) came onto the market and Super Catalina Restoration, or one of its prime movers, had the 'great' idea of buying it to fly on the airshow circuit and make some money whilst VP-BPS was restored. There was an added attraction that N423RS came with a large spares cache - in fact SCR were probably more interested in the spares. Anyway, it was flown from Duxford (where Plane Sailing's engineer had been keeping an eye on it) to Lee-on-the-Solent - and nothing happened! It too was sold and its current owner(s) have made one ferry flight with it from Lee' to North Weald.

So, for a while, these two Catalinas were side by side at Lee under the same ownership.

[DavidLegg]

N423RS was ferried North Weald - Biggin Hill yesterday, Tuesday 5th March.

[seawings]

N423RS was ferried North Weald - Biggin Hill yesterday, Tuesday 5th March.

Hi David,

Do you know where it's going next?

[DavidLegg]

Hi David, Do you know where it's going next?

Well in due course, the USA with its latest owners but I do not know if it is going anywhere else in the meantime. You know how plans get changed anyway!

[DavidLegg]

The subject header is rather out of date now but here is a link that will give an update on this Catalina …

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Airventu ... 08?fref=nf

[MrWidgeon]

Any idea as to who the new owners are and where in the US (it's a rather large place y'know ) ?