Warplanes of the USA: Consolidated PBY Catalina

Consolidated PBY Catalinas

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War preserved in the USA.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website.  Photos are as credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War in the United States of America would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at [email protected].

(USN Photo)

Three Consolidated PBY-5A Catalinas of patrol squadron VP-52 in the south-west Pacific in December 1943. VP-52 was based at Port Moresby, New Guinea at that time and was engaged in so-called "Black Cat" (nighttime) operations. The amphibious PBY-5A variant could take off from both land and sea, ideal for Pacific island operations.

The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (US Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In US Army service it was designated the OA-10, in Canadian service as the Canso and it later received the NATO reporting name Mop. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of the Second World War. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. The last military PBYs served until the 1980s. As of 2021, 86 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations in some parts of the world. (Wikipedia)

(SDASM Archives Photo)

Consolidated XPBY-5A Catalina (Serial No. 1245), San Diego, California, 1939.

(SDASM Archives Photo)

Consolidated XPBY-5A Catalina (Serial No. 1245), San Diego, California, 1939.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina (BuNo. 0143) from Patrol Squadron 3 (VP-3) in flight. VP-3 was stationed at Naval Station Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, c 1939.

(USN Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina of Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-54 pulled from the water at a base in the Philippines, late 1945. Note turret. The PBY was originally designed to be a patrol bomber, an aircraft with a long operational range intended to locate and attack enemy transport ships at sea in order to disrupt enemy supply lines. The aircraft eventually bore the name Catalina after Santa Catalina Island, California; the name was coined in November 1941, as Great Britain ordered their first 30 aircraft.

(USN Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5 front armament.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina of Patrol Squadron 11 (VP-11) in flight c1938.

(NARA Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina patrol bomber cruising against a backdrop of snow-clad mountains in Aleutian Islands, searching for enemy activity, March 1943.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina patrol bomber (BuNo. 7248).

(USN Photo)

A U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina patrol bomber (BuNo. 7248) in flight, with landing gear down near the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, 8 March 1942. Note the radar antennas on side of fuselage and under wings. NAS Patuxent River was called "Cedar Point" at this time.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina patrol bomber (BuNo. 7248) in flight, with landing gear down, 8 March 1942. Note the Radar antenna.

(USCG Photo)

Dave Gershowitz, U.S. Coast Guard, pictured in front of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina during a visit to the LORAN station on the French Frigate Shoals, 1953. This was the amphibious version of the PBY-5 with two 1,200 hp (890 kW) R-1830-92 engines, first batch (of 124) had one 0.3 in (7.6 mm) bow gun, the remainder had two bow guns; 803 built including diversions to the United States Army Air Forces, the RAF (as the Catalina IIIA) and one to the United States Coast Guard.

(SDASM Archives Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, VP-63, over the Mediterrranean Sea near Gibraltar, 1944.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo. 64013) in flight near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland,, on 1 June 1947.

(USN Photo)

U.S. Navy Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo 46642) in flight. Note the radar pod located above cockpit between the engines.

(SDASM Archives Photo)

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina, overhead view.

(SDASM Archives Photo)

Naval Aircraft Factory PBN-1, March, 1944.

Consolidated PBY Catalinas preserved in the USA

(Greg Goebel Photo)

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Catalina, RCAF (Serial No. 8317), c/n 1231, National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida.

This aircraft is on loan from the National Air and Space Museum.  A fair number of Catalinas have been preserved or restored to various levels and many are on display in museums or are active aircraft throughout the USA.

By default, 5-digit numeric serials known as Bureau Numbers (BuNo) are as issued by the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer).  4-digit serial numbers in the form 9xxx, and 5-digit serial numbers in the form 1xxxx are as issued to Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircraft.

(Valder137 Photo)

(Author Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 33966), Reg. No. N3936A, Kermit Weeks, Fantasy of Flight, Polk City, Florida.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 33968), Reg. No. N84857, PBY Memorial Foundation Museum, Oak Harbor, Washington.

(Articseahorse Photo)

(Thornfield Hall Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 33993), USAF (Serial No. 43-4033), McChord  Air Museum, McChord Field, Lakewood, Washington.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 34027), Reg. No. N9505C, Commanche Air, Ephrata, Washington.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 46456), Historic Aircraft Restoration Project, Floyd Bennett Field, New York City, New York.

(airforcefe Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 46457), Rescue Museum, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 46522), Reg. No. N2172N, Erickson Group Ltd, Tillamook Air Museum, Tillamook, Oregon.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 46582), painted as (BuNo. 6582), Naval Air Station Jacksonville Collection, Jacksonville, Florida.

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 46590), Reg. No. N68756, Mark Pilkington, Midland, Texas.

(Oren Rozen Photo)

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina (BuNo. 46595), painted as an OV-10, USAAF (Serial No. 44-33879), C/N 1959.  National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

(Bill Larkins Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 46602), National Museum of Naval Aviation, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. 2006.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 46602), National Museum of Naval Aviation, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. 2013.

(Michael Kemp Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 46602), National Museum of Naval Aviation, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (Serial No. 2459), Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (Serial No. 16-218), now with the Collings Foundation, Stow, Massachusetts, under restoration to its original configuration.

Consolidated PBY-5B Catalina Cutaway, RAF (Serial FP 216), National Museum of Naval Aviation, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo. 46662), Reg. No. N4NC, Wilson C. Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 48287), Reg. No. N287, Cavanaugh Air LLC, Addison, Texas.

(Joanna Poe Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 48294), Reg. No. N9521C, Training Services Inc TA (Military Aviation Museum), Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 48375), Reg. No. N96UC, World's Greatest Aircraft Collection, Polk City, Florida.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 48406), San Diego Air & Space Museum (Balboa Park), San Diego, California.

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina (BuNo. 48426), Carmacks Commercial Corp, Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs, California.

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo. 64072), Reg. No. N7057C, American Airpower Museum, Farmingdale, New York.

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo. 64092), Reg. No. N324FA, Commemorative Air Force, Duluth, Minnesota.

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo. 64097), Reg. No. N7179Y, Commemorative Air Force, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina (BuNo. 64107), Reg. No. N98252), Frederick C Peterson, Moses Lake, Washington.

Consolidated OA-10A Catalina (Serial No. 44-33954), Reg. No. N57875, Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, Anchorage, Alaska.

(Alain Rioux Photo)

Consolidated OA-10A Catalina (Serial No. 44-33972), Reg. No. N483CV, Flying Cat Aviation, Sanford, Maine.

Consolidated OA-10A Catalina (Serial No. 44-34037), Reg. No. N2763A, C.F. Nichols, Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California.

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF (Serial No. 9742), Reg. No. N68740, Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona.

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF (Serial No. 9746), Reg. No. N5PY, Ron Ruble, Aurora, Oregon.

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF (Serial No. 9750), Reg. No. N206M, Black Cat Aviation, Greybull, Wyoming.

(Articseahorse Photo)

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF (Serial No. 9815), Reg. No. C-FNJB, Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.

(Ad Meskens Photo)

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF (Serial No. 9838), Reg. No. N4934H, Historic Aviation Memorial Museum, Tyler, Texas.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF (Serial No. 11047), Reg. No. N413PB, Hans Lauridson, Glendale, Arizona.

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A, RCAF  (Serial No. 11074), Reg. No. N222FT, Wilson C Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Consolidated (Canadian Vickers) PBV-1A Canso A,  RCAF (Serial No.11089), Reg. No. N427CV, Greatest Generation Naval Museum, Gillespie Field, El Cajon, California.

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