Compiled by Geoff Goodall
Qantas Empire Airways' PB2B-2 Catalina VH-EBD "Island Patrol" ex RAAF A24-371 in New Guinea during the 1950s.
Photo: The Collection p1177-0333
Photo: The Collection p1177-0333
Wartime Catalina production was sub-contracted to two Canadian manufacturers:
- Boeing Aircraft of Canada Ltd, Vancouver, British Columbia:
- Canadian Vickers Ltd, Montreal, Quebec - reformed in 1944 as Canadair Ltd
The tender forms for these disposals aircraft included a declaration that the Department of Civil Aviation considered the Catalina series suitable for Australian civil certification. Those in the best condition were purchased by airlines and civilian concerns with optimistic plans for civil air services. Many in poor condition were sold at reduced prices to various civilian concerns to be stripped for engines and spare parts, then broken-up for scrap metal. The remainder were handed over to the Department of Aircraft Production organisation to be sold locally at token prices as "aircraft remnants"- most towed away by farmers to provide a variety of parts for use on their properties.
1FBRD at Lake Boga and 2FBRD at Rathmines on Lake Macquarie serviced Catalinas of other military arms operating in Australia during the war - US Navy, Netherlands Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and RAF. In 1942 US Navy Catalina units retreating from the Japanese invasions of the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies had established bases at Nedlands on the Swan River in Perth and also Exmouth WA, code name Potshot. No foreign Catalinas remained in in Australia after the war to become civil registered.
This summary is presented in the following order:
2 First RAAF deliveries - allocated civil registrations
3. Wartime Qantas Indian Ocean Service
4. Post-war RAAF Catalina disposals issued civil registrations
5. Other Post-war RAAF Catalina disposals
1. Imported civil Catalinas and visiting aircraft
2. Transitting French Catalinas to the Pacific
Dyak natives unloading supplies from NC777 in Netherlands New Guinea in 1938. Photo: Wally Civitico collection
The
first of the Consolidated Catalina family to be seen in Australia was
NC777, a Consolidated model 28-3, from the civilian development models
that led to the PBY- military series. Purchased from Consolidated
by wealthy American zoologist Dr. Richard Archbold for research
expeditions, it crossed the Pacific Ocean from California to New Guinea
over 8 days in
June 1938 for his third exploration mission of New Guinea. On
completion in May 1939 Guba
was flown from New Guinea to Sydney because Archbold had offered it to
the Australian and British Government for a survey flight across the
Indian Ocean by Australian Captain P. G. Taylor.
| .37 | Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation at San Diego CA Equivalent to the US Navy PBY-2 model but had an additional right side window, ice shields below cockpit and minor changes |
| 12.37 | Delivered wealthy zoologist Dr. Richard Archbold, New York, NY Named Guba (a Motu word meaning squall) |
| Replaced
a previous Consolidated Model 28-1 flying boat delivered to Archbold in
June 1937 also registered NC777 and named Guba.
In August 1937 it had sold to the Russian Government which engaged
Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins to mount a search for a missing
Russian aviator Sigismund Levaneski and his 5 crew on a trans-Polar
flight attempt. The month-long search was unsuccessful. The aircraft was then used by the Russian Navy and was destroyed by shelling from a German U-Boat at Moller Bay, Novaya Zemla on 26.7.42. | |
| The second Guba was crewed by Archbold's personal pilot Russel R. Rogers and pilot Stephen A. Barinka, navigator Lewis A. Yancey, radio operator Raymond E. Booth and flight engineer Gerald D. Brown. | |
| 6.38 | Dr.
Archbold was leader of an American Museum of Natural History Expedition
to Netherlands New Guinea. This was his third expedition to New Guinea. The flying boat's role was to support ground teams |
| 2.6.38 | Departed San Diego CA for Hollandia, Netherlands New Guinea. First leg to Hawaii was 18 hours flight time, Wake Island 16 hours, Hollandia 16 hours. |
| 9.6.38 | Arrived at Hollandia |
| Over
the next 11 months NC777 made 168 flights in New Guinea in support of the
expedition, including landing on Lake Habbema, 200 miles inland at
elevation 11,000 ft. | |
| 7.38 | NC777 flew from Hollandia
to visit Port Moresby. The following day Archbold made a series of
local flights taking a number of Port Moresby citizens for joy flights |
| 10.38 | Visited
Port Moresby again to collect
a replacement Sperry auto-pilot which had been shipped from America. It
was installed and tested over two days in flights from Port Moresby
harbour but Chief Pilot Russel Rogers was not satisfied with its
performance. |
| 14.10.38 | Russel
Rogers flew NC777 from Port Moresby to Cairns, Qld where the problem
was rectified. Departed Cairns for Port Moresby on 19.10.38 |
| 22.11.38 | NC777
arrived at Rose Bay flying boat base, Sydney Harbour to collect
supplies for the Archbold New Guinea expedition. Had flown from Port
Morsby in 11 hours 50 mins |
| 25.11.38 | Flew
Sydney-Melbourne to have the troublesome Sperry auto-pilot system
checked by airline instrument specialists. Landed at Williamstown and
moored in Williamstown boat harbour before returning to Sydney several
days later. |
| 10.5.39 | The
Archbold New Guinea expedition concluded when the Catalina brought all
expedition personnel back to Hollandia from the final camp site. |
| Australian
record-breaking pilot and navigator Captain P.G. Taylor successfully
lobbied the Australian and British Governments on the value of an
alternative
Indian Ocean route for Empire Air Mail service between Australia and Britain, in case the
looming war cut the
normal route vis Singapore and India. Taylor suggested Archbold be approached at Government level to use Guba for a survey flight across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Africa. Archbold offered his aircraft and all facilities. P. G. Taylor would be in charge of the survey flight, but the aircraft would be operated by Archbold and his flight crew. | |
| 12.5.39 | NC777 departed Hollandia for Port Moresby then Sydney. |
| 14.5.39 | Arrived Rose Bay flying boat base, Sydney Harbour |
| 5.39 | Overhaul
at Rose Bay by Qantas Empire Airways, including installation of extra
fuel tanks. All costs of the Indian Ocean survey flight were met by the
Australian Government |
| 3-4.6.39 | To commence the Indian Ocean survey flew Sydney-Port Hedland WA in 19 hours. Captain P.G.Taylor and Sydney newspaper journalist Jack Percival were on board, with Richard Archbold and the same crew he had engaged to fly Guba across the Pacific from America the previous year.: Pilot : Russel R. Rogers Navigator: Lewis A. Yancey Radio operator: Raymond E. Booth Engineers: Stephen A Barrinka and Gerald D. Brown |
| 4.6.39 | Refuelled from cans on Port Hedland harbour, then late that afternoon departed
for Cocos Islands. Unable to locate the Cocos Islands group so
forced to divert to Batavia, Netherlands East Indies (now Jakarta) where landed after 22 hours in the air |
| 7.6.39 | Departed
Batavia and successfully located Cocos Island and landed in a lagoon
off Direction Island. Taylor spent a week surveying sites for an
airstrip and flying boat operations |
| 14.6.39 | departed Cocos Islands for Diego Garcia, Mahe Seychelles and Mombasa, Kenya |
| 21.6.39 | Reached Mombasa |
| Archbold
and his crew then headed for home, NC777 making water landings at Lake
Victoria and Coquilhatville on the Congo River, Dakar, across the South
Atlantic to St Thomas, West Indies then non-stop to New York. Reached
New York on 1.7.40. | |
| 6.7.39 | NC777 returned to San Diego, completing the first around-the-world flight by a seaplane |
| 9.40 | Acquired by the British Aircraft Purchasing Commission based in USA to urgently procure military aircraft for RAF and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. |
| BAPC
purchased this non-standard Catalina intending it to be used for crew training in Canada.
However they were instructed to make it available for ferry to Britain | |
| 25.10.40 | Issued to Ministry of Aircraft Production as Catalina 1 AM258. Later notation says "number issued in error". AM258 was already been allocated to a RAF Liberator. |
| 25-27.10.40 | Catalina AM258 delivered
by a two man crew from Botwood NFLD to Stranraer, Scotland (16 hours)
then to Pembroke Dock. This was one of the first Atlantic air
deliveries and two weeks later the pilot gave a briefing to the crews
of the first Bomber Ferry Service on The Atlantic Bridge on 10.11.40 when seven RAF Hudsons departed Gander for Britain. |
| British Minstry of Aircraft Production allocated AM258 to BOAC for wartime services | |
| 10.12.40 | BOAC delivery date |
| 13.12.40 | Registered G-AGBJ Ministry of Aircraft Production |
| 30.12.40 | Change of ownership: British Overseas Airways Corporation, Hythe Named Guba |
| 1.2.41 | Commenced BOAC service Poole to Lisbon |
| 15.2.41 | Commenced BOAC West Africa Service: Poole to Lisbon, Bathurst, Freetown, Lagos |
| 12.5.41 | G-AGBJ was damaged by a lone Luftwaffe He 111 attack on Poole flying boat base |
| 21-24.12.42 | Log book entry: G-AGBJ name Guba flown Lagos to Poole via Bathurst, Lisbon, Foynes |
| 5.4.43 | Operated its last service for BOAC. Returned to RAF |
| 1.44 | Issued to The Air Council, allocated a new serial as Catalina Mk.1 SM706 |
| 1.44 | Issued to Sauders-Roe Ltd, Beaumaris, Aglesey as a company transport to carry aircraft components for military aircraft production |
| 14.1.44 | BOAC records date of disposal to Saunders Roe Aviation |
| - | Issued to Ministry of Supply |
| - | Used to test flying boat moorings at Pwellheli, North Wales |
| 1.45 | Damaged by gale winds at moorings, Pwellheli, North Wales. Stripped of parts then scuttled at sea later that year |
Photo: Wally Civitico collection
hangar for their Shorts C Class flying boats is under construction behind. Ben Dannecker collection
Lewis Yancey (Nav), P. G. Taylor, Russel Rogers (pilot), Richard Archbold (cigarette), S.Barrinka (engineer)
the survey flight from Australia to South Africa. Geoff Goodall collection
The US Department of State dictated that the Australian Catalinas could be ferried to the last refuelling point in US Territory in Hawaii by American civil crews, then taken over by Australian civilian (non miltary) crews for the rest of the delivery to Australia. The Department of Civil Aviation approached Qantas Empire Airways to supply experienced long-distance aircrew from the Sydney-Singapore route with navigators licences. Qantas management, with thoughts of future expansion across the Pacific, gladly cooperated, nominating Captains, First Officers, navigation officers and flight engineers. Operations Manager Captain L.J. Brain was in charge of the operation.
The initial order by the Australian Government.was soon changed to 18. The first RAAF Catalinas were Consolidated model 28-5MA (equivalent to the US Navy PBY-5) and were delivered by Qantas crews. To assist official handling of these military Catalinas during the United States neutrality policy, DCA allocated civil registrations VH-AFA to VH-AFS. These were effectively radio callsigns and were never painted on the aircraft, nor were they recorded in the DCA Civil Aircraft Register ledger at the time. VH-AFA to VH-AFS were subsequently allocated to civil aircraft in 1945-46 when the normal allocation sequence reached the VH-AF series.
Meanwhile, Australian long-distance pilot and navigator P.G. Taylor, fresh from his successful Indian Ocean survey flight to Africa in Catalina Guba, personally lobbied Federal politicians and even the Prime Minister, that his navigation experience was essential for Qantas to achieve the task. Taylor was a complex character, well-described by experienced Australian pilot Harry Purvis, who Taylor selected to be his co-pilot for the 1951 survey flight from Sydney to South America and return in Catalina VH-ASA - see below.
"P. G. "Bill" Taylor was a visionary who had proved himself time and again a brilliant achiever. His Indian Ocean flight in "Guba" in 1939 for example, had been of tremendous stategic value during the war years and he had written about his exploits, and aviation in general, with great insight, style and ability. These attributes, together with his manner and attitudes, which sprang from a very much taken-for-granted upper-middle-class background, made him a natural associate of the statesmen of the day. It also madce him some enemies, both in the RAAF and civil aviation, when it was seen that doors in high places seemd to open more readily for him than for others. Bill rode over all this in his rather egotistical way."
Taylor's letters to senior politicians urging his inclusion in the Qantas contract are included in a Department of Civil Aviation file, held by National Archives of Australia. When his proposal was accepted, Taylor presented a list of his requirements, stressing his status within the command structure of each Qantas flight crew he joined and dictating such items as his Honolulu hotel accommodation must be superior to that of the Qantas Captains. One can only imagine the reaction of the airline's management to being instructed to include a non-company man, with no knowledge of the airline's operational cockpit procedures, who had a wide reputation as a volatile loner with high opinions of his own abilities. Nevertheless, such was Taylor's presence, that a Qantas Management report written by Operations Manager Captain Lester Brain, describing the first RAAF Catalina delivery flight which he commanded, included "Captain Taylor was in charge of navigation throughout the flight and his work in this department was tireless, methodical and efficient."
"The Consolidated San Diego factory is in full production with 20,000 employees. A second factory is being erected and will also have 20,000 employees. At present the factory is working two shifts a day, each of 10 hours. Aircraft output has outstripped space. In some sections, work of semi-complete aircraft is progressing in buildings which are still in the course of erection. At this moment there are literally acres of large modern warplanes under construction out of doors. The fine dry climate makes this possible. Catalinas are being completed at a rate of about 8 each week. I have never seen higher quality workmanship."
The first Qantas delivery departed San Diego, California on 25.1.41 for Honolulu, under the command of Consolidated's pilot
E. J. Greer. Captain Brain was second pilot and also on board were Scotty Allan (listed as a QEA Captain to disguise his RAAF rank), P.G.Taylor, Dudley Wright, Qantas radio operator A.S.Patterson and two RAAF men returning home after service in Britain with No.10 Squadron, Sgts Bill Richmond and George Bemrose. At Pearl Harbor Lester Brain took command for the rest of the Pacific crossing, with P.G.Taylor supervising navigation. They refuelled at Canton Island and Noumea, reaching Rose Bay, Sydney on 2 February in 60 hours 16 minutes flying time. The first Catalina was a newly-completed RAF aircraft AH534 which the British agreed to divert to the Australian order because of production delays. Brain's report to Qantas head office Sydney:
"Departing San Diego at 1540 hours local time, we alighted at Honolulu 22 hours 5 minutes later. On arrival we had sufficient fuel for a further four or five hours' flying, the consumption being slightly higher than usual owing to the abnormal load at departure. In addition to ten personnel, there was baggage, emergency rations, equipment and miscellaneous gear supplied with the aircraft from the factory. Even the armour plating was not removed."
This first Catalina delivery flight was named Qantas Trip A, followed by 18 deliveries up to Qantas Trip S in October 1941, which was also under the command of Captain Lester Brain. No aircraft was damaged in this excellent display of aimanship by Qantas, carried out under wartime censorship.
The aircraft was RAF Catalina AH534 which had been diverted to the RAAF order to cover production delays.
QEA Operations Manager Captain Lester Brain is at far left.
Photos: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Lester J. Brain Collection
Photo: Dave Eyre collection
Qantas Captain Lester Brain's report on the delivery operation sets the scene:
"On arrival at San Diego in early January 1941, I was informed by Mr. F.B.Clapp, Australian Trade Commissioner in the United States, that the first Australian aircraft aircraft would not be ready until the first week of February. At the same time I was informed that the first four British Catalinas were waiting on the ramp to be flown away, but the British delivery crew organisation could not cope at that time. Since the Australian and British machines were identical in practically every detail, even to camouflage and markings, it was suggested through Mr. Clapp to the British authorities that we take over one of the four so we could return to Australia on schedule, and our first could be taken by the British when ready. Long negotiations followed and eventually the British authorities enquired whether I thought Australian crews available at San Diego could take two RAF aircraft immediately to Australia, one to remain the property of the Australian Government and the other to be flown on to Singapore. Since Captain G.U."Scotty" Allan lately with QEA and now RAAF and Mr. F.B.Chapman, former navigator on the trans-Tasman service were in San Diego in addition to several RAAF radio men and engineers, I replied in the affirmative.
The two aircraft were readied for departure on 24 January 1941. Owing to weather conditions and other matters, departure was delayed until the following afternoon. At 0830 on 25 January, the British authorities changed their minds and decided the second aircraft would not go to Singapore. Rapid rearrangement of crews was made. We adhered to the original plan, whereby Captain Taylor, Wright, Patterson and myself, with G.U.Allen and two RAAF sergeants as supernumeraries, accompanied the three Consolidated Aircraft crew. Captain O. Denny was to join us at Honolulu. We took off at San Diego at 1540 local time on 25th January. The take off time was 47 seconds and we took water over the cockpit for some seconds early in the run. Alighting at Honolulu 22 hours and 5 minutes later, we had sufficient fuel for a further 4 or 5 hours flying."
All indications are that the identities of the deliveries were as follows:
- Trip A VH-AFA: AH534 departed San Diego 25.1.41, arrived Sydney 2.2.41. To RAAF A24-1
- Trip B VH-AFB: A24-1 departed San Diego 12.2.41, arrived Sydney 27.2.41. Changed to A24-2 on arrival
- Trip C VH-AFC: AH540 arrived Sydney 12.3.41, delivered from Australia to RAF Singapore 20-23.3.41
- Trip D VH-AFD: A24-3 departed San Diego 5.4.41, arrived Sydney 12.4.41.
- Trip E to Trip S: VH-AFE to VH-AFS: A24-4 to A24-18 in sequence, final delivery October 1941.
Perth-Ceylon in radio silence-Karachi
worn off the nose of G-AGFL"Vega Star" in foreground. Behind are G-AGIE No.4 and G-AGFM No.2.
Photo: The Collection p1177-0303
Backed by the British and Australian Governments, a non-stop Perth-Ceylon route was proposed. Qantas Empire Airways agreed to operate the service, their pilots flying Catalinas loaned by BOAC. Qantas established a small base on the Swan River in the Perth suburb of Nedlands, close to a US Navy Catalina base at Crawley Bay. The first two Catalinas G-AGFL and G-AGFM had been operating BOAC wartime services on Mediterranean and African routes for some time before being diverted to Australia. The pair, flown by RAF crews, made seven proving flights between Ceylon and Perth, on the northbound flights carrying Qantas personnel and equipment to establish the Lake Koggala base. G-AGID and G-AGIE were RAF Catalinas diverted to the Indian Ocean service just as it was commenced, hastily given civil certification in the name of BOAC in July 1943 and ferried to Perth. The fifth Catalina G-AGKS was transferred from the RAF ten months later to provide extra capacity. when the Qantas Perth-Ceylon route was extended to Karachi.
All five retained their RAF camouflage, markings and serials. On arrival Perth, each had a Qantas fleet number 1 to 5 painted in white on the tail, "Qantas Empire Airways Ltd"painted over the camouflage on the nose along with the aircraft's "star"name. With no radio navigation aids on the ocean crossing, navigation by celestial star-shots was a critical factor, so the aircraft were named after the stars used.
Qantas Tail number / BOAC Registration / Catalina model / RAF type / RAF serial / Construction number / Name / details
| 1 | G-AGFL | PBY-5B | Catalina 1B | FP221 | 122 / 808* | Vega Star | Reg. BOAC 27.10.42, CofA 31.10.42 |
| 2 | G-AGFM | PBY-5B | Catalina 1B | FP244 | 145 / 831 | Altair Star | Reg. BOAC 27.10.42, CofA 31.10.42 |
| 3 | G-AGID | PBY-5 | Catalina IVA | JX575 | 182 /1109 | Rigel Star | Reg. BOAC 5.7.43, CofA 21.7.43 |
| 4 | G-AGIE | PBY-5 | Catalina IVA | JX577 | 184 / 1111 | Antares Star | Reg. BOAC 5.7.43, CofA 7.43 |
| 5 | G-AGKS | PB2B-1 | Catalina IVB | JX287 | Spica Star | Reg. BOAC 6.4.44, CofA 2.5.44 |
*Dual manufacturer serial numbers: first number is the serial number within the contract batch, the second number being the Consolidated serial number in the overall Catalina production. British and Australian official paperwork of the period only quoted the lower number.
The first Qantas service departed the Swan River Perth on 29 June 1943 and landed on Lake Koggala, Ceylon. Flights were operated in Japanese controlled airspace so radio-silence was maintained for the non-stop flights, time varying between 27 and 32 hours, depending on winds. The only mid-ocean diversion point enroute was the Cocos Islands, but it was avoided because of Japanese air activity. The Catalinas did land at Cocos on several occasions, one being 14.2.44 when Qantas Captain Russell Tapp commanding a Perth-Ceylon service agreed to divert to collect a Naval officer at Cocos - while refuelling on the lagoon from 4 gallon cans, a Japanese bomber flew over at 4,000 feet but continued out of sight. With no sign of his return, Tapp had ordered refuelling to recommence when the aircraft dropped a bomb from 15,000 feet overhead, missing the Catalina by 60 metres. The dinghy crew dived overboard and those on shore flattened themselves on the ground. The Japanese aircraft made no further attack but stayed over Cocos, probably signalling his base. Tapp had the diplomatic mail and safe-hand dispatches brought ashore in case the Catalina was sunk, but after refuelling departed safely for Ceylon.
The British CofA stipulated a Maximum All Up Weight of 33,000 lbs, but Qantas gained Australian DCA approval for MAUW increase to 35,000 lbs, allowing each aircraft to carry almost an extra ton of fuel. After much correspondence, the British civil aviation authorities finally agreed to the higher MAUW in January 1944, despite Qantas operating to that weight for six months.
With their heavy fuel loads, the Catalinas had a very limited payload, made up of highest-priority military mail and diplomatic messages, much of it micro-filmed to reduce weight. A maximum of 3 passengers approved at highest Government level could be carried. After a cramped, cold and uncomfortable trip, each passenger received a certificate The Secret Order of the Double Sunrise, signed by the Qantas Captain.
From Ceylon the priority mail and passengers continued by local airlines to Karachi where RAF Transport Command aircraft flew wartime routings to Britain. Qantas were later asked to extend from Ceylon to Karachi where the transfer to RAF would be more effective. This remarkable air service from Perth to India return each week commencing November 1943 covered a greater distance than Qantas peacetime Sydney-Singapore sector and would have been celebrated, but as a wartime military necessity it was operated in secrecy to protect the aircrew.
When Avro Lancastrians became available during 1945, the Liberators were retired and flown to Sydney. The original two were scrapped, but G-AGTI and G-ATGJ remained with Qantas as freighters VH-EAI and VH-EAJ, mostly used to carry engines to Qantas airliners across the growing postwar route network.
Qantas Liberator G-AGKT at Guildford Aerodrome, Perth in late 1944. The ANA hangar had just been built
and was still at Perth Airport used by Ansett Air Freight until the 1990s. Photo: Qantas
and was still at Perth Airport used by Ansett Air Freight until the 1990s. Photo: Qantas
Qantas founder and Managing Director Hudson Fysh later wrote: "Once
again
I tried to get official recognition for the Catalina captains and crews
and once again my representations were turned down. However
Captains Crowther, Tapp and Ambrose were jointly awarded the Johnston
Memorial Trophy "for outstanding achievements in air navigation"
Disposal of the Double Sunrise Catalinas
When the Catalinas were retired in July 1945, four were pulled up on to land on beaching-gear at Nedlands Marine Base, Perth, while G-AGKS had been ferried Nedlands to Rose Bay, Sydney on 25 March 1945 for overhaul. Because they had been originally supplied to RAF under Lend Lease, their disposal was placed in the hands of RAF No.300 Wing Transport Command in Sydney which operated Dakota and Liberator transports. They could have been simply broken-up for scrap, but the RAF authorities instead ruled that they should be towed out to sea and scuttled, which was carried out for G-AGKS in deep water off Sydney Heads. However the Fremantle traffic bridge blocked the Perth Catalinas from being towed along the Swan River to the sea. Seemingly oblivious to the cost, RAF 300 Wing command instructed that the four Perth Catalinas should be taken out of storage and made airworthy to make one last flight to land out at sea beyond Rottnest Island.
RAAF assistance was sought to provide current Catalina crews, and on 6 January 1946 RAAF Catalina pilots Flt Lt Ted Hodgson and Flt Lt Ted Withell and Catalina fitters Sgt Arthur Jones and Sgt John Williams departed RAAF Rathmines by Catalina to Rose Bay, then miltary transport aircraft to Perth. At Nedlands each aircraft was inspected and repairs made, especially extensive hull corrosion which had been unchecked since their retirement. Each was returned to the water for a test flight, before flying out to land on the sea at various locations between 13-18 miles west of Rottnest Island.
A RAAF crash boat was sent to Rottnest Island for each Catalina and marked the location for landing depending on sea state. The men on board were transferred to the crash boat in its dinghy, which was then rowed back to the aircraft by a Navy demolition expert, carrying two explosive charges brought from Perth on board the crash launch. He placed them in the bow and blister compartments, timed for the blister charge to detonate first to break the aircraft in two, followed by the other charge to destroy the forward section, to ensure debris would not be left floating as a shipping hazard.
The sinking did not always go to plan. The bow charge on Rigel Star did not detonate, leaving the wrecked forward section floating. After 200 rounds from 303 rifles on the crash boat, it began burning and later sank. The detonations on Altair Star caused a wing float to detach and float away. The two RAAF fitters were despatched in the dinghy, armed with a tomahawk from the crash boat's equipment locker, to hack at the float until it filled with water and sank. The RAAF contingent returned to Rathmines, by RAF Liberator transport from Perth to Sydney in a 9 hours direct flight, then to Rathmines on Catalina A24-10 which was sent to collect them.
The Catalinas were scuttled in the following order:
G-AGIE test flown 16.1.46, scuttled 17.1.46
G-AGID test flown 29.1.46, scuttled 30.1.46
G-AGFL test flown 13.2.46, scuttled 14.2.46
G-AGFM test flown 24.2.46, scuttled 27.2.46
G-AGKS scuttled off Sydney 3.46
Newspaper advertisements for the final CDC sales for a total of 34 RAAF Catalinas were published 6 September 1947. These remaining aircraft were described as "in fair to poor condition, offered as-is, where they lay." Also offered were 40 beaching-gear chassies for use with Catalinas.
Photo: Australian War Museum
Qantas Empire Airways
In early 1949 when the RAAF decided its Catalina SAR detachment at Port Moresby would be withdrawn, New Guinea authorities urged Qantas to base Catalinas in New Guinea: VH-EBC was ferried from Sydney to Port Moresby in May that year, followed by VH-EBD and VH-EBU. Their interiors were much more spartan, based on inward facing side-saddle bench seating with tie-down points in the centre of the cabin floor for freight. Passengers are reporterd to have often helped hold the cargo down in turbulence. This pair were based at Port Moresby until 1958 flying coastal routes, the West Coast Service to Daru and beyond, and the East Coast Service to Milne Bay and beyond. An addition route was Port Moresby north to Rabaul and numerous stops at plantations and settlements along the New Britain and Bougainville island chains. Air-dropping of supplies to remote outposts was a common practice from the Catalinas.
The long ferry flights to and from Sydney for annual CofA renewal overhauls at Rose Bay was eliminated in 1954 when Qantas built a slipway at Lae Airport on the shore of Huon Gulf. The improved company maintenance facilities at Lae allowed QEA to overhaul KLM DC-3s based at Biak, Dutch New Guinea. The final New Guinea Catalina revenue flight was 24 July 1958 under the command of Captain Ken Montague. The two Catalinas were retired, replaced by Qantas floatplane Beavers and Otters. During 9 years of New Guinea service they had carried a total of 54,259 passengers and logged 12,427 flying hours.
Maintenance costs for the QEA Catalinas were always high, because of the endless battle against hull corrosion caused by salt water immersion. Qantas Engineering purchased a number of spare Catalinas which were stored for future use: see Part 5 below.
| .45 | Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44287 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease as Catalina Mk.IV JZ834: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-369 | |
| 5.45 | Ferried across Pacific from USA to Australia after acceptance flights by RAAF |
| 31.5.45 | Received 1FBRD Lake Boga ex USA. RAAF Status Card quotes ex JZ834. Taken on RAAF charge as PB2B-2R A24-369 |
| Issued to 42 Sqn, 43 Sqn, received 2FBRD Rathmines 19.2.46 for storage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 8.10.46 | Sold through CDC for £1,000 to Poulson & Middlemiss, Sydney NSW |
| Ferried
Rathmines to Rose Bay flying boat base, Sydney where it was modified
with passenger seating and given an overhaul for issue of a civil
Certificate of Airworthiness. | |
| 29.1.47 | Registration application: Barrier Reef Airways, Brisbane Qld Application quoted ids JZ834, A24-369 |
| 29.1.47 | Registered VH-BRA |
| CofA issued, configured for seating for 22 passengers in 4 cabins | |
| Barrier
Reef Airways operated from the wartime Colmslie flying boat base on the
Brisbane River at Hamilton Reach, on the opposite side of the river
from the Qantas Empire Airways Hamilton flying boat terminal. Colmslie
had been built during WWII by the US Navy for the Naval Air Transport
Service which operated courier services between Hawaii and Australia
with Coronado and Mariner flying boats carrying personnel and military
supplies. Barrier Reef Airways flew passenger services from Brisbane to holiday islands on Great Barrier Reef. Inaugural airline service to Heron Island flown 12.7.47 by Cpt Middlemiss, followed by opening serivers from Brisbane to Daydream Island 8.12.47 and Lindeman Island 28.3.48. Short Sandringhams were introduced in 1950. | |
| 25.6.47 | Departed Brisbane on a
charter for Mr. Reginald M. Ansett, founder of Ansett Airways in
Melbourne, to inspect potential holiday resorts along Great Barrier
Reef. Landed atRockhampton, Mackay, Lindeman Island, Hayman Island, Bowen, Townsville then return to Brisbane. |
| 12.7.47 | VH-BRA flew Barrier Reef Airways' first scheduled service, Brisbane-Gladstone-Heron Island. Captain S. Middlemiss, F/O F.Kelly |
| 8.12.47 | VH-BRA operated the naugural airline service to Daydream Island |
| 4.50 | Company renamed Barrier Reef Airways Pty Ltd,
when Ansett Transport Industries purchased 51% holding. Middlemiss
needed the funding to purchase Short Sandringhams to replace the
Catalinas |
| 10.51 | Retired, replaced by Short Sandringhams. VH-BRA moored engineless on Brisbane River at Hamilton Reach |
| .52 | Barrier Reef Airways taken over by Ansett Flying Boat Services Pty Ltd |
| 1.53 | VH-BRA retired, now parked at BRAW slipway on Brisbane River |
| 21.5.53 | Struck-off Register |
| Broken up for scrap at Colmslie, Brisbane Qld |
Photo: Dave Eyre collection
Hayman Island Qld October
1950.
Photo by Charles D. Pratt courtesy Kevin O'Reilly collection
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44279 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease as Catalina Mk.VI JX661: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-350 | |
| 18.3.45 | Received 2FBRD, Rathmines ex USA ex JX661 Taken on RAAF charge as PB2B-2 A24-350 |
| Issued to 3OTU, later Air Sea Rescue Squadron. Issued to 2FBRD Rathmines 16.9.46 for storage | |
| 23.10.46 | Sold through CDC for £1,000 to Captain P.G.Taylor, Hunter Street, Sydney NSW |
| A syndicate headed by Captain P. G. Taylor was formed in 1946 to fly
scheduled airline services between Sydney and Lord Howe
Island, with experienced flying boat pilot ex RAAF Group Captain Hugh
M. Birch DFC as Chief Pilot. | |
| 28.12.46 | Captain Taylor and Hugh
Birch flew A24-350 on a survey flight Sydney-Lord Howe Island. On
return, it was flown to Cooks River on boundary of Mascot Aerodrome,
Sydney where
it was beached and work commenced on its civil conversion. |
| When Taylor learnt that
DCA were delaying issue of new airline licences, Marinair was dissolved
and its Catalinas sold. A24-350 sold to W.R. Carpenter Pty Ltd, Sydney | |
| 24.2.47 | Registration application: W.R. Carpenter Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW. To be based Madang NG Application quoted ids "361185" and JX661 |
| 15.5.47 | Registered VH-ALN |
| 15.5.47 | First test flight after civil conversion |
| QEA memo signed Hugh Birch: "On
15 May 1947 I was Captain of Catalina VH-ALN on a flight from Cooks
River adjcent to Mascot, to Rose Bay. This was the first flight of
VH-ALN as a civil aircraft,
VH-ALN was purchased from an organisation known as Marinair by
W.R.Carpenter. W.R.Carpenter then formed a subsidiary company called
Island Airways to operate VH-ALN in New Guinea based at Madang. I
was Chief Pilot and only pilot of Island Airways." | |
| 18.5.47 | Ownership transferred to Island Airways Ltd, Madang, New Guinea. Named Island Chieftan |
| 47 | Island
Airways was established as a subsidiary company of Mandated Airlines,
itself a subsidiary of W.R. Carpenter & Co, Sydney. When it
commenced in 5.47 its sole pilot/navigator was Captain Hugh Birch, an
experienced former RAAF flying boat pilot who had previously been employed by P.G.Taylor for Marinair. For takeoffs and landings he had company engineers Tom Mitchell or Ken Smith in the right hand seat. After some months, Birch was sent a copilot John Rowe. |
| 19.5.47 | VH-ALN departed Cooks River at Sydney Airport on delivery, arrived Madang 22.5.47, Captain Birch |
| Hugh Birch later wrote: "Island
Chieftan was a most remarkable and reliable aircraft. Most of our work
was transporting native labourers from all parts of Papua New Guinea to
plantations in New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville. We carried 50
or 60 at a time." | |
| 9.47 | Landed
on Kikori River near Port Moresby and loaded storepedos of supplies
which were dropped from 100 feet to oil search geologists in Samberigi
Valley |
| 11.47 | VH-ALN was flown by Birch to Sydney for overhaul, returned to Madang 12.47 |
| 1.48 | Flew
from Kikori River again for a week, dropping supplies to a geological
party in remote areas of the Strickland River. Repeated in March for a
week. |
| 4.48 | Hugh Birch wrote: "In April we did a supply drop in the Porgera River country, to
the Leahy brothers and the Stickland Syndicate party. Quite exciting -
we had to climb very high to get into this vast valley. That same month
we dropped suppies to Ivan Champion's camp on the shore of Lake Iviva at an elevation of 8,500 feet above sea level." |
| 5.48 | Island Airways ceased operations when DCA ruled that all passengers required seating with seat belts. This followed the crash of Guinea Air Traders Lockheed Hudson VH-ALA at Lae on 18.4.48 in which 35 natives were killed. Until then, New Guinea aviation operators had loaded native labourer groups by weight. |
| 7.5.48 | VH-ALN returned to Rose Bay, Sydney. Parked at Rose Bay with the undelivered Catalina VH-BDQ Island Warrior, which was to be Island Airways' second aircraft |
| 28.9.48 | Certificate of Registration expired. |
| .48 | Qantas purchased the Island Airways civil converted Catalinas VH-ALN & VH-BDQ |
| 6.1.49 | QEA Engineering records: Taken over by Qantas from Carpenters Airlines (sic) |
| 17.1.49 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| 5.4.49 | Registered VH-EBC. Retained name Island Chieftan |
| 5.49 | Ferried
Sydney-Port Moresby by QEA Captain Hugh Birch, who was tasked to
establish a new Port Moresby base for QEA Catalina services |
| 14.5.49 | Captain
Birch with QEA Senior Captain Orm Denny commenced route survey flights
in VH-EBA to New Guinea ports, along the west coast and east coast
from Port Moresby |
| 30.5.49 | First
scheduled Qantas West Coast Service: from Port
Moresby to Yule Island, Kerema, Kikori, Lake Murray, Daru and return.
Captain Hugh Birch with First Officer Ross Threadgold. Then flown weekly. |
| 1.6.49 | Inaugural
East Coast Service: Port Moresby to Abau, Milne Bay, Sa,arai, Esa'ala
Losiua, Trobriand Islands, Kitava Island, DeBoyne Lagoon Samarai and
return. Then flown weekly. |
| 11.52 | VH-EBC
maintained QEA New Guinea flotplane services while VH-EBD was
temporarily in Sydney for overhaul and VH-EBU had been retired and
departed Port Moresby for Sydney 18.8.52 |
| 23.12.52 | two medical emergency flights in West Papua, Captain Phil Oakley |
| 30.1.53 | Departed Port Moresby for Sydney for overhaul, replaced by VH-EBD back from overhaul in Sydney |
| 3.5.58 | Airframe logbook: withdrawn from service |
| 19.8.58 | Airframe logbook: ferry Port Moresby to Lae |
| .58 | Towed from seaplane ramp to Lae Aerodrome, where it would be scrapped |
| 11.11.58 | Qantas Management Memorandum D952 authorised VH-EBC and VH-EBD to be broken up and scrapped |
| 11.58 | Broken-up for scrap at Lae VH-EBC airframe Log Book: "Broken up and scrapped under authority of Management of QEA Ltd, reference memorandum D952 dated 11 November 1958" |
| 9.5.59 | Struck-off Register |
Captain Hugh Birch standing. Photo: Qantas via Greg Banfield collection
Photo: Qantas via Allan Bovelt collection
| Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corp at San Diego, California | |
| 21.10.41 | Royal Canadian Air Force as Canso RCAF 9711: not delivered |
| Transferred to RAF as Catalina Mk.IIa VA711: not delivered | |
| Transferred to RAAF as A24-26 | |
| 14.4.42 | Arrived Rathmines on delivery via Suva and Noumea. Taken on RAAF charge as A24-26 "ex 9711" |
| Issued to 11 Sqn, 3OTU, retired at Lake Boga | |
| 4.10.46 | Sold through CDC to W. R.Carpenter Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW |
| 16.5.47 | Registration application: J. Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne Vic. Letterhead: Shipbuilders and boat repairs Application quoted ids 292, 9711 and A24-26 |
| 24.6.47 | Registered VH-BDP |
| 6.47 | John Fraser, ex RAAF pilot, commenced
operations to Tasmania to carry freshly caught seafood from fishing
trawlers at Port Davey, Tasmania. to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney |
| 8.11.47 | VH-BDP arrived at RAAF Lake Boga, probably to collect spare parts. Departed two days later. |
| 24.5.48 | Change of ownership: Ralph Richard Cobley, trading as Richard Conway Aviation, c/- Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne Vic |
| 5.6.48 | VH-BDP departed Australia via Darwin NT |
| Australian Ralph Cobley was a mercenary pilot flying for the Indonesian Independence movement in the Netherlands East Indies. | |
| 8.48 | Newspaper reports that the
Dutch Government accused the Indonesian Minister for Finance of using
an Australian Catalina with 3 Australian crew to smuggle 17 tons of
opium from the NEI to Malaya. The cash generated by the drug sale
was being used to build the new republic's foreign currency. |
| 8.48 | DCA assured the press that no Australian civil aircraft were operating in the area. However among the aircraft of the embryo Indonesian Republic Air Force operating clandestine missions against the Dutch military forces in NEI were several DC-3s and the following from Australia: RI-001 Anson VH-BBY RI-003 Stinson L-5 owned by Ralph Cobley RI-004 Anson VH-AGX RI-005 Catalina VH-BDP Ralph Cobley RI-008 DH.86 G-ADYH ex Intercontinental Air Tours, Sydney |
| 29.12.48 | Crashed and sank during a river takeoff near Djambi, Sumatra NEI VH-BDP had been moored on a river near Djambi, Sumatra for several days having maintenance carried out on an engine, Dutch troops closed in on the aircraft and commenced firing. Ralph Cobley attempted a takeoff on just one engine, but swung and struck a partly submerged boat. Aircraft broke up and sank, all on board killed. |
| News
of this event did not reach DCA in Australia. The next entry in their
file for VH-BDP is a memo dated 21.4.49: "Information received that
this aircraft crashed at Singapore." | |
| 21.4.49 | Struck-off Australian Register |
| In
1995 the wreck of VH-BDP was rediscovered on the bottom of the river
near Jambi. The Indonesian Air Force Museum at Jogjakarta announced
that if enough airframe was salvaged, it would
rebuild the wreck as a memorial to Indonesian independence During 1996 a wooden fuselage framework was constructed for parts to be attached, but in the event a full-size replica was built with little or no original parts from VH-BDP | |
| Catalina replica displayed at Museum Perjuangan Rakyat Jambi, Jambi Displayed painted as "VH-BDP" and "RI-005" |
in a dark colour, with large registration letters in white on the rear fuselage.
Indonesian independence fighters fighting Dutch military forces in the Netherlands East Indies.
| 41 | Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corp at San Diego CA |
| Completed as a Model 28-5MA to Australian order. Equivalent to PBY-5 | |
| Allocated to RAAF as A24-10 | |
| .41 | The
US Deparment of State neutrality rules required that the RAAF Catalinas
be flown to the last refuelling point at the limit of US territory by
the manufacturer's civilian pilots, there handed over to an Australian
civilian crew for the rest of the Pacific crossing. Qantas Empire Airways delivered the first 18 RAAF Catalinas from Honolulu to Sydney under this arrangement during 1941. USA entered the war on 5.12.41 after Pearl Harbor. |
| Delivery flight Qantas Trip K, assigned civil registration VH-AFK by DCA to mask the military nature of the QEA delivery. No Certificate of Registration issued. | |
| 8.9.41 | Arrived Rose Bay Flying Boat base, Sydney Harbour. |
| 9.9.41 | Taken on RAAF charge as A24-10. Allotted to Rathmines ex Rose Bay |
| Issued to 11 Sqn, 20 Sqn, 3OTU. Received CMU Lake Boga 9.4.46 for storage | |
| 16.5.47 | Sold through CDC for £615 to J. W. Fraser c/- Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne |
| CDC advise the sale has been cancelled | |
| 8.12.47 | Sold through CDC for £400 to J. Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne |
| 25.5.48 | Registration application: Ralph Richard Cobley, trading as Richard Conway Aviation, c/- Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne Vic Application quoted ids 270 and A24-10 |
| 5.48 | DCA allocate registration VH-BEF. Never taken up, no Certificate of Registration |
| 20.12.48 | Letter to DCA from solicitors, Melbourne: "Catalina aircraft VH-BEF
now at Lake Boga was acquired some time ago by R.R.Cobley from Messrs
Botterill and Fraser. It has now been disposed of by Cobley to Major Eric Chrichton Daniels, Mitre Hontel, Singapore |
| 1.2.49 | RAAF Status Card A24-10: Issued to purchaser ex CMU Lake Boga |
| 4.9.49 | Letter
to DCA from A. E. Taylor, Air Base, Lake Boga: "I am at present
wrecking a number of Catalina aircraft on behalf of a Sydney firm." He
requests be advised of the ownership of VH-BEF and A24-2, because he
wishes to acquire them for parts. |
| 20.3.50 | Letter
to DCA from A.E.Taylor: advises that he now owns A24-2 and VH-BEF, both
of which he acquired from Major Daniels. They are still at Lake Boga and will be broken up |
| .50 | Broken up at Lake Boga |
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44261 | |
| to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX643 | |
| Transferred direct to Australia, to RAAF A24-361 | |
| 5.5.45 | Taken on RAAF charge. received 1FBRD Lake Boga ex USA |
| Issued to 43 Sqn. Received 2FBRD Store Rathmines 27.2.46 for storage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 27.9.46 | Sold through CDC for £1,000 to Mr. Bridgewater, Sydney NSW |
| 8.8.47 | Issued to purchaser |
| Acquired by W. R. Carpenter Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW | |
| 48 | DCA allocated registration VH-BDQ. Never taken up, no Certificate of Registration |
| Civil conversion at Sydney, to be the second aircraft for Island Airways, Madang Name Island Warrior was painted on the aircraft. While being prepared for delivery to New Guinea, Island Airways ceased operations in May 1948: see VH-ALN | |
| 48 | VH-ALN and VH-BDQ were parked at Rose Bay |
| .48 | Qantas purchased the Island Airways civil converted Catalinas VH-ALN & VH-BDQ |
| 28.7.49 | QEA Engineering records: Taken over by Qantas from Carpenters Airlines (sic) |
| 16.9.49 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney. QEA request registration VH-EBU. To be based in New Guinea Application quoted ids 44261, JX643 also JX634, A24-361 |
| Civil overhaul and modification for passenger use by QEA at Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour | |
| 25.11.49 | Cable from DCA Sydney office: "VH-EBU airworthy as of today" |
| 25.11.49 | Registered VH-EBU |
| 25.11.49 | CofA issued |
| 52 | Based at Port Moresby with Qantas New Guinea Internal division |
| 17.4.52 | Rescued the 3 survivors of
DHA-3 Drover VH-DHA which ditched in the sea between Wewak and Manus
Island the previous day. The Drover pilot Clarrie Hibbert was seriously
injured from a prop blade detaching and cutting through the side of the
cockpit. Their dinghy had been located overnight by QEA DC-3 VH-EAL (Captain Ian Ralfe) and a RAAF crash launch guided to them by dropping flame floats. VH-EBU (Captain Fred Fox and First Officer Ken Montague) departed Port Moresby harbour before dawn, climbed to 14,000 feet altitude to cross the Owen Stanley Mountains and landed in the sea off the Purdy Islands, where the 3 men was transferred from a RAAF crash launch and flown to hospital in Port Moresby |
| 18.8.52 | Departed Port Moresby for Sydney for retirement, fown by Captain Fred Fox |
| 18.11.52 | Struck-off Register as withdrawn from service |
| Broken-up for scrap at Rose Bay NSW |
Photo: National Library of Australia
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44291 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JZ838 | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-364 | |
| 29.5.45 | Taken on RAAF charge as PB2B-2R A24-364. Received 1FBRD Lake Boga ex USA |
| Issued to 42 Sqn, 111 ASRF. Received 2FBRD Storage Rathmines 5.3.46 for storage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 8.10.46 | Sold through CDC for £1,000 to Poulson & Midelemiss, Sydney NSW |
| 27.2.47 | Issued to purchaser |
| .47 | Ferried
Rathmines to
Barrier Reef Airways base at Colmslie on the Brisbane River, where it
was stored on land with other RAAF disposals Catalinas purchased by the
company.Remained in storage until work commenced on its civil conversion, completed mid 1949. |
| 23.9.47 | Registration application: Barrier Reef Airways, Brisbane Qld Application quoted ids JZ838, A24-364 |
| 23.9.47 | Registered VH-BRB |
| .49 | CofA issued, configured with seating for 22 passengers in 4 cabins |
| 9.49 | Commenced service with Barrier Reef Airways. Named The Buccaneer |
| Flew passenger services from Brisbane River to holiday islands on Great Barrier Reef | |
| 31.1.50 | Damaged when drifted into and struck a tourist launch at Daydream Island Qld. Captain Stewart Middlemiss was having trouble starting the starboard engine at the time. The impact with the boat damaged the port engine installation and the Catalina drifted for some distance. Subsequently the Catalina was towed to Bowen where it was pulled up the wartime flying boat base slpway on to land for repairs. It was then ferried to Brisbane. |
| 4.50 | Company renamed Barrier Reef Airways Pty Ltd, when Ansett Transport Industries purechased 51% holding. Middlemiss needed the funding to purchase Short Sandringhams to replace the Catalina |
| .50 | Retired, broken-up for scrap |
| 5.52 | Barrier Reef Airways taken over by Ansett Flying Boat Services Pty Ltd |
| 23.7.52 | Flew to Southport Qld for landing trials |
| 25.7.52 | Operated the first service on a new route Brisbane-Southport-Grafton-Sydney |
| 17.2.53 | Departed
Brisbane on AFBS first "South Pacific Air Cruise"to Noumea, Suva, Apia,
Cook islands to Tahiti. Tour returned to Brisbane 10.3.53 |
| 10.3.53 | Retired on return from South Pacific cruise, reportedly due mechanical problems |
| 4.53 | VH-BRB has been retired, parked at BRAW slipway at Colmslie, Brisbane River |
| 16.4.53 | Struck-off Register as withdrawn from service |
| Broken-up for scrap at Colmslie, Brisbane River |
Whites Aviation (NZ) photograph
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44253 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX635 | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-378 | |
| 4.7.45 | Taken on RAAF charge as A24-378. Received 1FBRD Lake Boga 7.7.45 ex USA |
| Issued 113ASRF. Received 2FBRD Store ex 113ASR 6.1.46 for storage | |
| 29.8.47 | RAAF Status Card: Issued to Qantas Empire Airways on temporary loan at no charge, approval granted by Minister |
| 20.10.47 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW Application quoted ids 44253, JX635 |
| 20.10.47 | Registered VH-EAW |
| 20.11.47 | Operated the first Qantas survey flight from Sydney to Lord Howe Island |
| 1.5.48 |
Departed Rose Bay on
survey flight to New Caledonia, under command Captain Len Grey, with
Senior Navigation Officer Jim Cowan. Surveyed landing sites for new
flying boat routes to Noumea, Port Vila and Santo. Returned to Sydney 4.5.48. |
| 11.48 | DCA
Memo: this Catalina was taken over from RAAF by QEA in full
camouflage. After civil conversion it was used by QEA on regular services from Sydney to
Lord Howe Island, Noumea, New Caledonia and Suva, Fiji and is still on
these services. |
| 26.8.49 | Airframe logbook: last flight Noumea to Rose Bay |
| 27.8.49 | Destroyed by bomb at moorings Rose bay, Sydney. An explosive charge with timer was placed on board at night by persons unknown. The aircraft was badly damaged an sank. It was salvaged, but damaged beyond repair. |
| Captain Bryan Monkton, founder
of Trans Oceanic Airways, Sydney was charged by police over the
sabotage. TOA and QEA were bitter competitors at the time. At
trial he was aquitted but the stigma stayed with him. Nobody else was ever charged. In his book "Boats I Flew", Monkton says the perpetrator was a digruntled former TOA employee he had dismissed, who knew Monkton would be the prime suspect. |
Photo: The Collection p1177-0120
| Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation at San Diego CA | |
| US Navy order as PBY-5A Bu48297 | |
| Transferred to Australia for RAAF as A24-75 | |
| 26.1.44 | Taken on charge by RAAF as A24-75. Received 2FBRD Rathmines ex USA |
| Amphibian PBY-5A models delivered to RAAF had their undercarriage mechanism removed on arrival to reduce weight. The
modification included using the port wheel well for the APU and
starboard wheel well as the food locker, was carried out by the FBRDs prior to
issue to operational units. As flying boats, they were
designated PBY-5A(M) | |
| Issued to 11 Sqn. Received 2FBRD 23.7.45 for fuel tank repairs, tfd to Storage 19.3.46 | |
| 9.5.47 | Sold through CDC for £1,000 to Mr. Kennedy, Sydney NSW |
| 5.47 | Sydney Morning Herald newspaper classified advertisement: "Pilots, engineers ex RAAF required for aerial company operating to the Far East, on a shareholding-working basis. Apply Oswald Keith Kennedy, Sydney ex Australian Army" |
| 6.47 | At
least 4 ex RAAF men answered the advertisement, invested sums of money
and went to Rathmines to work on a Catalina which Kennedy told them he
had "an option" to purchase. |
| 21.7.47 | RAAF Status Card A24-75: Issued to purchaser |
| 7.47 | Clarence Hart Campbell, Sydney joined the group by investing a much higher amount making himself the largest shareholder.
Campbell was active in politics, a Communist, owner of Marx House in
George Street, Sydney, HQ of the Australian Communist Party. |
| 11.47 | A24-75 ferried from Rathmines to Rose Bay flying boat base, Sydney Harbour |
| 10.47 | DCA
Memo: Catalina VH-BDY is having an overhaul at Rose Bay for
owners Asian Airlines. It is parked on a slipway in the open weather,
no workshop, no facilities. Work being carried out by licenced ground
engineer J. E. Wood |
| 4.10.47 | Sydney Morning Herald newspaper advertisement: "Catalina, current CofA, just converted to freighter. Top overhaul completed. World-wide range and radio.18 hour cruise range. All equipment. Will delivery anywhere. C.H.Campbell, Sydney phone number. Same advertisement was repeated several times into 11.47, despite BDY not yet being completed or issued with a CofA |
| 9.12.47 | Registered VH-BDY Asian Airlines Pty Ltd, Sydney |
| 16.1.48 | Letter to DCA from Asian Airways Manager Mr. C .H. Campbell:. Asian Airlines letterhead "Freight and passenger service to and from Anywhere" Complained about engineer J. E. Wood who had not completed the CofA overhaul of their VH-BDY. Wood had been employed by Butler Air Transport but from June 1947 worked on VH-BDY for Asian Airways in evenings and weekends. Shortly after, he left Butler and worked full-time on VH-BDY. He estimated it would be ready by 8.47 but after 4 weeks with 4 assistants work was slow and Wood abused Asian Airlines personnel. By 10.47 Woods was at Lake Boga working for Barrier Reef Airways, preparing Catalinas they wanted to ferry from Lake Boga to Brisbane. At the same time at Lake Boga he worked for the Sydney Morning Herald to dismantle a Catalina they had purchased and he had arranged with Butler Air Transport to remove and send to them engines and parts from several Catalinas he had purchased himself. Campbell dismissed Wood on 28.12.47 but a replacement engineer had to repeat much of the work at an extra cost, and VH-BDY is still far from ready. DCA suspended Wood's engineering licence to investigate the quality of his work on VH-BDY at Rose Bay. Wood claimed that Campbell employed him under the name Singapore Air Traders, but soon after threatened him unless he signed out the Catalina as airworthy before it was ready. His work was slow because of lack of payments from Campbell. |
| 5.48 | CofA issued. Aircraft will be based at Singapore. |
| 20.7.48 | VH-BDY flew Rose Bay to Lake Boga. Fred Wong, Asian Airlines director was a passenger. On 23.7.48 Wong drowned at Lake Boga when a dinghy capsized while he was helping fit beaching gear to a company Catalina. |
| 25.7.48 | VH-BDY
returned Lake Boga to Rose Bay, carrying Fred Wong's body. On arrival,
his body was moved to the hearse through a guard of honour of 150
Chinese citizens |
| 7.48 | Asian Airlines advise DCA that VH-BDY is scheduled to leave Australia on 28.7.48 |
| 9.48 | Campbell
spent several weeks in Singapore while making an application for an
Airline Licence for Asian Airlines Pty Ltd to carry freight to
Singapore and Malaya. The applicatrion was refused by the Malayan DCA, with no reasons given. |
| 25.1.49 | Letter to DCA from Asian Airlines Manager C. H. Campbell: On 20.9.48 Messrs M.Burgess, B.Falke and G.Pattinson arranged with our company to charter one of our aircraft VH-BDY to enter a Tasman airfreight service. We have cancelled arrangements with these people and we are now entering into an arrangement to charter our aircraft to Mr. H. J. Morony, Sydney whose business name is Australian Air Traders. |
| 26.7.49 | CofA expired, Asian Airlines advise that the aircraft is at Lake Boga but is due to be flown to Sydney shortly to be sold |
| 5.51 | Photos
show VH-BDY at Lake Boga, allover metallic finish, complete. Parked on
a ramp on beaching gear, canvas cover over cockpit asnd nose turret, surrounded by dismantled Catalinas |
| 8.51 | DCA memo: Has been reduced to scrap at Lake Boga |
| 6.8.51 | Struck-off Register |
| Asian Airlines Pty Ltd was
incorporated 9.1.48 with C.H.Campbell appointed Managing Director for
five years. On 15.1.48 an agreement was made between the company and
Frederick Kenneth Wong, Louis Wong and William Jangsing Lee, all of
Sydney, to finance the purchase of 9 Catalinas for Asian Airlines. Campbell had been activily campaigning against the Dutch rule in Indonesia, and Frederick Wong was a Communist activist committed to Indonesian independence and had made a movie on the topic. The first Asian Airlines Operations Manager learnt that Campbell had organised to have Lake Bota, near Batavia (now Jakarta) prepared to handle his Catalinas flying in arms and supplies, including a large consignment of Australian military disposals radio and radar gear, for the Indonesian Independence rebels. By the end of 1949 Asian Airlines ceased to exist. |
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44280 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX662: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-372 | |
| 6.6.45 | Received 2FBRD Rathmines ex USA |
| Issued to 20 Sqn. Received 2FBRD Rathmines ex 20 Sqn for storage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 5.2.48 | Issued to Qantas Empire Airways on temporary loan at no charge, approval granted by Minister |
| 8.2.48 | QEA Engineering records: Taken over by Qantas ex RAAF |
| 17.2.48 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney To be used on Qantas services from Sydney to Pacific islands Application quoted ids 44280, JX662 |
| 17.2.48 | Registered VH-EAX |
| 11.6.48 | Weighed at Rose Bay at completion of CofA overhaul |
| 18.6.48 | CofA issued. |
| 22.6.49 | Airframe log book: last flight Sydney-Lord Howe island, 3 hrs 6 mins |
| 23.6.49 | Wrecked at Lord Howe Island when blown on to rocks by a storm. Broke adrift from moorings at 7.15pm local time during high winds and drifted on to rocks at the shore line. Captain L. W. Clarke and crew were ashore at the time. |
| Stripped of engines and parts, towed out to sea and scuttled |
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44228 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX618: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-303 | |
| 4.1.45 | Received 2FBRD Rathmines ex USA |
| Issued to 20 Sqn, 3OTU: Received 2FBRD Rathmines 27.2.46 for storage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 31.1.47 | A24-303 & -305 sold through CDC for £1,000 to Mr. R. P. Carr, Ingham Qld. Not collected by purchaser. Sale cancelled by CDC 11.47 |
| 30.1.48 | Resold through CDC for £185 to Asian Airlines Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW (Airframe logbook quotes sale date 22.2.48) |
| 20.7.48 | Collected by purchaser. No civil conversion |
| .48 | Sold to Engineers Laboratories Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW This company manufactured airline seats and other aircraft cabin fittings for airlines. |
| 12.48 | Sold to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW |
| 13.12.48 | QEA Engineering records: Taken over by Qantas from Engineers Laboratories |
| 24.12.48 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW Application quoted ids 44228, JX618, A24-303 |
| 9.9.49 | Registered VH-EBA |
| The identity puzzle | Conflicting identities were quoted by QEA for VH-EBA & EBB:
correspondence from DCA to Qantas Engineering confuses the matter
further. In December 1949 a DCA aircraft inspector was instructed to check the plates
inside each aircraft. He reported the plates as: VH-EBA A24-305 and 44231 VH-EBB A24-303 and 44228 Accepted PB2B-2 production/identity links are: c/n 61134 to Bu44228, JX618, A24-303 c/n 61137 to Bu44231, JX621, A24-305 However RAAF Aircraft Record Cards show: A24-303 identity 44231. with a hand-written "JX618" A24-305 identity 44228, with a hand-written "JX621" VH-EBA registration application by QEA quoted: 44228, JX618, A24-303 Qantas Engineering records quote VH-EBA as: A29-303. VH-EBA airframe logbook quotes: Bu44231, JX621 and A29-303. |
| 8.50 | VH-EBA under command of Captain Hugh Birch made a survey flight from Sydney to Tahiti stopping outbound at Suva and Tonga. |
| 25.5.51 | Departed
Rose Bay on a Government charter to Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean,
commanded by Captain Len Grey. Carried DCA and RAAF airfield
construction officers to determine the work required to upgrade the
abandoned wartime airfield for use by Qantas Super Constellations on a
proposed Australia-South Africa service. A sealed runway was to be
constructed plus facilities for
refuelling and passenger-handling. The wartime tunway was considered unserviceable for a landplane. Because no aviation fuel was available at Cocos, the Catalina routed Sydney-Brisbane-Darwin-Djakarta -Cocos-Djakarta-Darwin-Sydney to allow sufficient fuel to be taken on at Djakarta for the flight to Cocos and return. VH-EBA remained at Cocos 30 May-12 June while the airfield survey was carried out. |
| 29.7.53 | Struck-off Register as withdrawn from service |
| 3.54 | Broken-up for scrap at Rose Bay |
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44231 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX621: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-305 | |
| 4.1.45 | Received 2FBRD Rathmines ex USA |
| Issued to 20 Sqn, 3OTU. Received 2FBRD Rathmines 27.2.46 ex 3OTU for storage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 31.1.47 | Sold through CDC for £1,000 to Mr. R. P. Carr, Ingham Qld. Sale cancelled by CDC |
| 30.1.48 | Re-sold through CDC for £185 to Asian Airlines Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW |
| 20.2.48 | Collected by purchaser (date quoted in A24-305 airframe logbook) |
| .48 | Sold to Engineers Laboratories Pty Ltd, Sydney NSW |
| 12.48 | Sold to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW |
| 7.12.48 | QEA Engineering records: Taken over by Qantas from Engineers Laboratories |
| 24.12.48 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW Qantas request VH-EBB Application quoted ids 44231, JX621, A24-305 |
| The identity puzzle | Conflicting identities were quoted by QEA for VH-EBA & EBB:
correspondence from DCA to Qantas Engineering confuses the matter
further. In December 1949 a DCA aircraft inspector was instructed to check the plates
inside each aircraft. He reported his physical insoection of the plates as: VH-EBA A24-305 and 44231 VH-EBB A24-303 and 44228 Accepted PB2B-2 production/identity sequences are: c/n 61134 to Bu44228, JX618, A24-303 c/n 61137 to Bu44231, JX621, A24-305 However RAAF Aircraft Record Cards show: A24-303 identity 44231. with a hand-written "JX618" A24-305 identity 44228, with a hand-written "JX621" VH-EBB registration application by QEA quoted: 44231, JX621, A24-305 QEA Engineering records quote VH-EBB as A24-305 |
| 21.3.49 | QEA apply for issue of CofA. Not issued |
| VH-EBB Not taken up | |
| 49 | Reportedly used for crew training at Rose Bay |
| 2.51 | Broken up for spare parts at Rose Bay. Then sold as scrap |
| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44259 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX641: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF as A24-371 | |
| 6.6.45 | Received 2FBRD Rathmines ex USA |
| Issued to 42 Sqn, 20 Sqn, 43 Sqn. Received 2FBRD Rathmines 14.2.46 for sttorage | |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 29.7.46 | Selected for Postwar use, to be stored Category C |
| 7.49 | Issued on loan to Qantas Empire Airways (In 6.53 QEA paid $700 to Department of Supply for A24-371 |
| 12.7.49 | QEA Engineering records: Taken over by Qantas from RAAF. airframe time 614 hrs |
| 5.8.49 | Registration application: Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW Application quoted ids 44259, JX641, A24-371 |
| 16.12.49 | Registered VH-EBD. Named Island Patrol |
| 24.4.51 | CofA issued at Rose Bay |
| 22.5.51 | Arrived
at Port Moresby from Sydney. To be based in Papua New Guinea operating
coastal routes for Qantas New Guinea Internal division |
| 30.5.51 | Commenced
PNG service. Departed Fairfax Harbour at Port Moresby on first trip
to Abau-Samarai-De Boyne-Nimoa-De
Boyne-Samarai-Esa'Ala-Losula-Woodlark- Samarai-Abau-Port Moresby.
Captain Fred Fox, flight engineer Tom Mitchell |
| 23-24.8.52 | Flew two medical emergency flights to West Papua, Captain Phil Oakley |
| 1-2.9.52 | Flew two emergency flights: Abau-Samarai then Kieta-Rabaul, Captain Phil Oakley |
| 9-12.9.52 | Air-dropped 5,500 lbs of cargo each day to Tari |
| 11.52 | CofA renewal overhaul by QEA at Rose Bay, Sydney. VH-EBC maintained the QEA New Guinea servces |
| 24.7.58 | Operated
the final New
Guinea Catalina revenue flight, Bougainville to Port Morersby, Captain
Ken Montague. Airframe log book records "withdrawn from service
24.7.58" |
| 27.8.58 | VH-EBD flew last Qantas Catalina flight, ferried from Port Moresby to Lae by QEA Captain Ken Montague, who had 4,000 hours Catalina flying time. Landed at 9.16am on the sea adjacent to Lae Airport |
| 8.58 | Towed up seaplane ramp on to Lae Aerodrome, where it would be scrapped |
| 11.58 | Qantas Management Memorandum D952 authorised VH-EBC and VH-EBD to be broken up and scrapped |
| 11.58 | Broken-up for scrap at Lae VH-EBD airframe Log Book: "Broken up and scrapped under authority of Management of QEA Ltd, reference memorandum D952 dated 11 November 1958" |
| 1.7.59 | Struck-off Register |
Photo: Ed Coates Collection
VH-EBD in final Qantas white and red colour scheme, at the Port Moresby base on Fairfax Harbour c1956.
This base with a wide slipway was built for RAAF seaplanes during WWII. Photo: Allan Bovelt collection| Built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada, Vancouver BC as a PB2B-2 to US Navy order | |
| US Navy as PB2B-2 Bu44248 | |
| Allocated to Britain under Lend Lease, to RAF as JX630: not delivered | |
| Diverted direct to Australia, to RAAF A24-385 | |
| 3.9.45 | Received 1FBRD Lake Boga ex USA |
| Issued to 43 Sqn. Received 2FBRD Rathmines 26.2.46 ex 43 Sqn for storage | |
| 28.3.46 | Allotted
112ASRF as standby in search for missing Qantas Lancastrian in Indian
Ocean, but A24-385 had u/s propeller, replaced by A24-300. (G-AGLX missing enroute Ceylon to Cocos Island 23.2.46: 5 crew, 5 pax, never found) |
| 23.4.46 | Damaged by hailstones in severe storm |
| 16.5.46 | Allotted ASR Sqn for use by New Guinea Adminsitration |
| 8.8.46 | Received Rathmines Maintenance Squadron ex ASR Sqn |
| 28.11.46 | Received 111ASRF ex Rathmines |
| 13.1.47 | Allotted RAAF Port Moresby ex 111ASRF due disbandment of 111ASRF |
| 22.7.47 | Received Rathmines Maintenance Sqan ex RAAF Poert Moresby. Diverted enroute to Coffs Harbour NSW due oil leak |
| 28.7.47 | Allotted RAAF Port Moresby: allotment cancelled, replaced by A24-383 |
| 2.9.47 | Allotted ASR Sqn ex Maintenance Sqn Rathmines, as replacement for A24-381 |
| 18.12.47 | Beaching gear collapsed, aircraft fell on to port hull and float. Damage repaired. |
| 1.7.48 | No.11 Sqn reformed at Rathmines absorbing ASR Sqn |
| 9.6.49 | Issued 11 Sqn Darwin Detachment ex 11 Sqn. Received back at 11 Sqn 23.9.49 |
| 5.5.50 | Free Issue to Mr. P. G.Taylor, Sydney |
| 22.8.50 | Issued to Taylor ex 11 Sqn Rathmines. |
| Free
issue to Captain P. G. "Bill" Taylor approved by the Australian Government, to allow
him to operate a Government-financed survey flight to South America and return. Taylor had lobbied senior politicians on the importance of opening air routes to Chile and Argentina. | |
| Civil CofA overhaul at Sydney | |
| 23.1.51 | Registration application: Patrick Gordon Taylor, Sydney NSW Application quoted id. 44248 only |
| 1.51 | DCA allocate registration VH-AGB. Taylor wrote requesting instead VH-ASA to indicate Australia-South America. DCA agreed. |
| 9.3.51 | Registered VH-ASA. Named Frigate Bird II |
| 12.3.51 | CofA
issued. Granted on Experimental Flight basis: Maximum All Up Weight
increased to 33,000 lbs to allow extra fuel to be carried. MAUW will
reduce to 28,000 lbs when the aircraft returns from South America |
| 14.3.51 | Departed Rose Bay on route proving flight to Chile. This was the first air crossing of the southern Pacific Ocean from Australia to South America. Crew: Captain P.G. Taylor, Captain Harry Purvis, Radio Operator Angus Allison, Flight Engineer H.L. Huillier, Executive Officer/Press representative Jack Percival. The outbound route was: Sydney-Noumea-Fiji-Tonga-Cook Islands-Tahiti-Mangareva- Valparaiso, Chile. JATO rockets were used for takeoff in high seas at Christmas Island. The flight is described in detail in P. G. Taylor's book Frigate Bird. Taylor's choice for copilot, Harry Purvis describes the flight from his perspective in his book Outback Airman |
| 21.4.51 | Returned to Rose Bay where Captain Taylor was welcomed by the Prime Minister R. G. Menzies before a large crowd. |
| .51 | In
recognition of this and previous pioneering flights, the Australian
Government granted VH-ASA to Captain P.G.Taylor for his personal use |
| 52-59 | Stored at RAAF Rathmines under an arrangement between Taylor and Rathmines CO |
| 17.4.52 | Aircaft inspection report at RAAF Rathmines by DCA surveyor. Good condition, areas of corrosion need attention, only flying occasionally |
| 4.53 | Inspected, approved for ferry flight RAAF Rathmines to Rose Bay, Sydney |
| 5.53 | Correspondence between
Taylor and DCA regarding a new CofA for VH-ASA in the Private Category.
Aircraft has been stored under cover at RAAF Rathmines for the past 15
months. |
| 5.6.53 | P. G. Taylor advises DCA
he plans to fly VH-ASA to Honolulu, where it will go on to the US Civil
Register because it will operate in US territory for some time.
He will fly it on survey flights betwen Honolulu and Tahiti for a new
company South Pacific Airways, Honolulu. SPA are in the process of
purchasing the two Solents owned by Trans Oceanic Airways, Sydney which
has ceased operations. Nothing further came of this. South Pacific Airways had been founded by Australian Bryan Monkton ex Trans Oceanic Airlines, Sydney and the US Dollar Shipping Line. Planned Honolulu-Tahiti service with ex TOA Short Solent flying boats suffered long US certification delays and when ready to commence, at the last moment were refused landing rights at the essential refuelling stop at Christmas Island, because of Pacific Ocean British H Bomb tests in the area. |
| 28.6.54 | Struck-off Register |
| 7.7.59 | Towed on a barge from Rathmines to Rose Bay, where stored dismantled in the rear of the Ansett Flying Boat Services hangar |
| .61 | Taylor presented the aircraft to NSW Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney It remained stored dismantled in the hangar at Rose Bay because the museum had no facility to display the Catalina |
| 2.11.69 | Moved from Rose Bay to Power House building at Ultimo, Sydney where it was stored dismantled |
| 3.74 | Loaned to Camden Museum of Aviation, Camden Airport NSW |
| 16.3.74 | Wings moved from Ultimo to Camden Airport by road |
| 30.3.74 | Fuselage arrived Camden. The Catalina was assembled for display, fitted with engines acquired from RAAF |
| When
Camden Museum of Aviation was forced to vacate the hangar at Camden
Airport, the collection was moved to the nearby town of Narellan where
a large display hangar was erected. The Catalina was returned to NSW
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, who moved it to the Power House
buildng at Ultimo, Sydney | |
| .83-87 | Stored dismantled at Power House building, Ultimo while museum exhibition space prepared. Restored for static display. |
| .87 | VH-ASA unveiled complete, suspended from the rafters, in the renamed Power House Museum, Ultimo, Sydney |
| Current |
in VH-ASA for the survey flight to South America. Taylor's crew, wearing immaculate uniforms for the flight,
L-R Captain Harry Purvis, radio op Angus Allison, flight engineer H.L. Huillier, executive officer Jack Percival.
Those that did not become civil aircraft
Formed in 1946 by a syndicate headed by Captain P. G. Taylor, to fly scheduled airline services between Sydney (Rose Bay) and Lord Howe Island, with experienced flying boat pilot ex RAAF Group Captain Hugh M. Birch DFC as Chief Pilot. Two Catalinas were purchased by syndicate member Mr. A.C.M. Jackaman. The Catalinas were flown to the Cooks River adjacent to Mascot Aerodrome where a rough slipway had been constructed. In very difficult exposed conditions, work began on civil conversions for passenger use.
However Marinair was unable to commence operations because DCA Head Office policy in the immediate post-war years was to delay and obfiscate applications for airline licence from newly-formed companies, usually founded by wartime pilots. The DCA Director General's intention was that applicants would not have the financial backing to survive lengthy delay and the applications would lapse. Gordon Taylor wound up Marinair during 1947 when it became clear an airline licence would not be issued, instead negotiating the sale of 4 of the unconverted Catalinas to the Netherlands Navy (MLD) in Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia).
This table shows aircraft acquired by Marinair, the date sold by Commonwealth Disposals Commission and the purchaser's name.
All were PB2B-2 models.
| A24-350 | Rathmines | 23.10.46 | Cpt. P.G.Taylor | survey flight 28.12.46 Sydney-Lord Howe Island return by Birch and Taylor.
Then flown to Cooks River on boundary of Mascot Aerodrome, Sydney where
it was beached and work commenced on its civil conversion. To VH-ALN, later VH-EBC |
| A24-351 | Rathmines | 13.12.46 | Mr. A.Jackaman |
Sold by to Netherlands Navy (MLD) in Netherlands East Indies: to P-208, scuttled off Morokrembangan naval base Java 1952 |
| A24-358 | Rathmines | 23.10.46 | Cpt. P.G.Taylor | Ferried to Cooks River, Mascot by Hugh Birch. Sold by to Netherlands Navy (MLD) in Netherlands East Indies: to P-207, scuttled off Morokrembangan naval base Java 1952 |
| A24-366 | Rathmines | 11.10.46 | Mr. A. Jackaman |
Sold by to Netherlands Navy (MLD) in Netherlands East Indies: to P-210, scuttled off Morokrembangan naval base Java 1952 |
| A24-384 | Rathmines | 22.10.46 | Cpt. P.G.Taylor | Ferried to Cooks River, Mascot by Hugh Burch. Sold by to Netherlands Navy (MLD) in Netherlands East Indies: to P-209, scuttled off Morokrembangan naval base Java 1952 |
The company lost aircraft and assets during the Pacific Theatre of WWII , but was determined to rebuild in New Guinea after the war. Mandated Airlines was quickly restarted with a large fleet of DH84 Dragons then DC-3s.
Island Airways was a short-lived flying boat operation on the north coast of New Guinea set up as a WRC subsiiary. Because of operational difficulties encoutered by the first Catalina VH-ALN Island Chieftan, the second Catalina VH-BDQ Island Warrior was not delivered to New Guinea, but remained in Sydney after civil cionversion.
| A24-26 | Lake Boga | 10.46 | WRCarpenter Pty Ltd | Sold by 5.47 to Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne, to VH-BDP |
| A24-361 | Rathmines | 9.46 | Mr. Bridgewater, Sydney | Civil conversion to VH-BDQ Island Warrior, no CofA, sold to QEA 28.7.49 VH-EBU |
In addition to the Qantas civil Catalinas in the civil listing above, Qantas purchased another seven PB2B-2 models from the Commonwealth Disposals Commission between October-December 1946 at Rathmines. At least some were ferried to Rose Bay flying boat base in Sydney where they were parked in the open for future civil conversion, or used for parts.
A Qantas Engineering report dated 1.8.49 lists the 14 Catalinas purchased by the airline. The following were not converted to civil aircraft and are are shown as "reduced to spares":
A24-300, -306, -309, -354, -355, -357, -367, -379
A24-355 was among those stripped of engines and parts and left behind at Rathmines. At an auction of these stripped airframes, A24-355 was purchased by John Cain and with three others, towed across Lake Macquarie to his Stoney Creek Holiday Village (see below)
Established by C. Arthur Butler in 1934 at Cootamundra NSW with two DH.84 Dragons operating the Empire Air Mail route between Charleville Qld and Cootamundra NSW where the air mail was transferred to/from NSW Railways. The base moved to Sydney in 1938, and restricted civil services were maintained throughout WWII. After the war, BAT acquired more Dragons and three C-47s from USAAF disposals in Philippines, to expand the route network to many new towns in NSW. It is reported that the C-47s came without spare engines, so the Commonwealth Disposals Commission sales of Catalinas, fitted with the same P&W R-1830 Twin Wasp engines, would have been seen as a way to obtain spare engines, instruments and systems.
When a group of 27 late-delivery Catalinas with low hours were advertised by CDC at RAAF Rathmines in August 1946 at a set price of £1,000 each, BAT purchased three and engaged a former company ground engineer J. E.Wood to remove the engines and useful parts and arrange their transportation to Sydney.
A24-202, -362, -376.
At an subsequent auction of stripped Catalina airframes at Rathmines, A24-202,-362 and -376 were purchased by John Cain and with A24-3, towed across Lake Macquarie to his Stoney Creek Holiday Village (see below)
Sydney-based aircraft engineer who had been a senior Qantas ground engineer on the Indian Ocean Catalinas in Perth in 1944. In May 1945 he received harsh criticism from DCA over the standard of workmanship in replacing corroded hull sections of Catalina G-AGID at the Qantas Nedlands marine base. Wood was supervising the work while Qantas base engineer N.W.Roberts was away. His respone blamed lack of competent tradesmen after most QEA maintenance staff were transferred from Nedlands to Perth Airport for the Qantas Liberators.
By 1947 he had left his employment with Butler Air Transport at Sydney Airport to work freelance on Catalinas needing civil conversions. After working on Asian Airines' first Catalina at Rose Bay, Woods was paid by Butler Air Transport to remove and pack engines and parts from Catalinas the airline had purchased at Rathmines. With this experience, Woods gained employment at Lake Boga to carry out similar work for other Catalina purchasers, supervising a team of workers.
While at Lake Boga, Woods submitted his own tenders to Commonwealth Disposals Commission, and purchased four Catalinas which he stripped for engines and parts, for resale as DC-3 spares.
A24-21, -47, -66, -86
This established Sydney morning newspaper formed a subsidiary Herald Flying Services in 1947 to develop aerial delivery of morning newspapers to NSW country towns. Commencing with ex RAAF Hudsons, HFS Manager Captain Harry Purvis created a network of routes where bundles of newspapers were handed over to agents at country airfields, or dropped from low flying aircraft. Two RAF disposals Dakotas were purchased in Scotland and ferried back to Sydney to join the operation, which was based at Camden Aerodrome, just south of Sydney. The aircraft departed with their loads of newspapers from 2am onwards.
The Catalinas purchased by SMH were acquired only for their engines, systems and instruments, to become spares stock for HFS. Ground engineer J. E. Wood was engaged to do this work for the Lake Boga aircraft:
A24-59, -87 at Rathmines 24.3.47, £1,000 each
A24-95 at Lake Boga 5.11.47, £180
A24-37, -40, -103: all Lake Boga 15.10.46, £1,000 each
An aircraft aintenance and sales company established in 1945 by John T. Brown, who had been a senior Department of Aircraft Production military aircraft inspector during the war. He commenced by purchasing over 100 RAAF CAC Wackett Trainers from Commonwealth Disposals Commission, and specialised in civil conversion and modifications of ex-military aircraft. KSAS quickly became a successful operation and were the Australian agents for Auster Aircraft, selling over 300 new Austers in Australia. KSAS had a large spare parts division, and purchased the following Catalinas for engines and parts recovery, all located at Lake Boga for prices between £50 to £300 each. An inducation that KSAS was collecting spare airframe parts was that several of these were sold without engines. The stripped airframes were disposed of locally:
A24-4, -14, -19, -27, -28, -29, -30, -44, -56, -62, -68, -71, -80, -81, -83, -84, -88, -93.
- A24-19 went to a local farm, and the hull was last seen at Wallan Vic in 2001
- A24-30 went to farm, sections later used to rebuild a composite Catalina at Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum, displayed complete
as RAAF "A24-30"
- A24-88 fuselage became a houseboat on River Murray, to Australian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin Airport Vic in June 2003, where it is under restoration as RAAF "A24-88/RK-A"
Photo by Ian McDonell
Founded in October 1946 by partners Captain Stewart Middlemiss, an experienced RAAF Catalina pilot, and Chris Poulson at Heron Island to operate from Brisbane to Heron Island and other Great Barrier Reeef island holiday resorts.
Low hours PB2B-2 Catalinas A24-369 & -364 were purchased from Rathmines and registered VH-BRA & VH-BRB, the airline commencing service with just VH-BRA. VH-BRB completed its civil conversion two years later and entered service in July 1949. A third PB2B-2 A24-304 was purchased at Rathmines at the same time but Middlemiss says he resold it to the Netherlands Navy.
Five other earlier model RAAF Catalinas were acquired for engines and parts. These were located at Lake Boga and sold by CDC on 10 November 1947 to Mr.S.C.Middlemiss, Barrier Reef Airways, DCA Flying Boat Base, Hamilton, Brisbane. All were in poor condition, sale prices a low £150 to £250 each, but were made sufficiently airworthy at Lake Boga to be ferried to the airline's base at Colsmlie, Brisbane River. These five Catalinas were parked around the wartime US Navy open-fronted hangars at Colmslie for some few years, parts being removed as required.
A24-35, -58, -78, -82, -89
A24-31, -57
The company intended to carry freight to South East Asian destinations and to base aircraft in Singapore and Malaya. The Asian Airlines principles had no aviation experience and their affiliations with the Australian Communist Party, combined with inadequate financing, resulted in the operation folding after only a few flights with Catalina VH-BDQ.
Malayan authorities had refused their application to operate in Malaya, almost certainly because of concerns that they would be supporting communist backed uprisings in Malaya and neighbouring Indonesia.
9 Catalinas were purchased at Lake Boga on 12 November 1947 for £355 each, except for A24-97 which was £155.
The £355 priced aircraft were in reasonable condition and Asian Airlines' initial plans were to convert the best to civil aircraft. However in the event they were stripped of engines and parts and the airframes left at Lake Boga to be disposed of locally or as scrap.
Two later model PB2B-2 Catalinas were purchased at Rathmines 30 January 1948:
Lake Boga: A24-46, -55, -60, -61, -65, -77, -85, -97, -102
Rathmines A24-303, -305
- A24-46's fuselage ended up on a farm in the Lake Boga district and was salvaged in sections by Warbirds Aviation Museum at Mildura Vic in 1970. Refer Lake Boga Disposals in this series on this site.
- When Asian Airlines was unable to start its planned operations to SE Asia later that year, A24-303 & -305 were acquired by Engineers Laboratories Pty Ltd in Sydney, who at that time were manufacturing passenger seats and other aircraft components. One is tempted to think they may have been in lieu of payment for seating and cabin equipment supplied to Asian Airlines' only airworthy Catalina VH-BDY. Engineers Laboratories on-sold the pair to Qantas at Rose Bay, Sydney and they became VH-EBA and VH-EBB.
Shipbuilders and boat repair company J. Botterill & Co joined with fromer RAAF pilot John W. Fraser in a business venture to operate Catalinas to carry freshly caught seafood from fishing trawlers at Port Davey in Tasmania to seafood markets in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. A24-26 was purchased from W.R. Carpenter Pty Ltd, Sydney in early 1947, possibly already partly converted to civil standard, and entered service as VH-BDP in May 1947 on the Tasmania fish operation. Operations ceased early 1948, VH-BDP sold in May 1948.
Two additional Catalinas were purchased 8 December 1947 from CDC at Lake Boga for £400 each:
A24-2: no civil conversion, left at Lake Boga. Included in the sale of VH-BDP in May 1948. Resold c1.50 to contractor A.E.Taylor at Lake Boga to be broken up for parts.
A24-10: VH-BEF reserved, no civil conversion, left at Lake Boga with civil registration painted on airframe. Included in the sale of VH-BDP in May 1948. Resold c1.50 to contractor A.E.Taylor at Lake Boga to be broken up for parts.
Catalina A24-79 was purchased by Mr.A.W. Guthrie, East St Kilda on 26 November 1947 at Lake Boga. The Commonwealrth Disposals Commission sale price of £110 indicates the aircraft was in poor condition.
Mr. Taylor wrote to DCA on 4.9.49 requesting the owners of Catalinas VH-BEF and A24-2, abandoned at Lake Boga. He wishes to purchase them to break up for parts. "I am at present wrecking a number of Catalina aircraft here on behalf of a Sydney firm."
DCA replied advising VH-BEF was owned by Major Daniels in Singapore and A24-2 owned by Botterill & Fraser, Melbourne which is in liquidation. The letter helpfully suggested that he contact Mr.Botterill at a residential address in the Melbourne suburb of Hampton, who should be able to assist. Taylor wrote again 20.3.50 thanking DCA for their help and advising he now owns both Catalinas.
Mr. Carr successfully tendered for three PB2B-2 Catalinas, each complete with engines and in good condition:
- A24-356 purchased 28.10.46 at Rathmines for £1,000.
Not collected by purchaser for over a year until 6.11.47. Fate unknown.
- A24-303 & A24-305 purchased 23.1.47 at Rathmines for £1,000 each. Mr. Carr made no further contact with CDC regarding payment for, or collecting his two Catalinas. A blunt letter from CDC to Carr dated 24.11.47 stated that because he had failed to make payment, the aircraft will be re-sold and he will be required to pay for any loss incurred. The pair were were re-sold by CDC to Asian Airlines on 31.1.48 for a very low price of £185 each.
Richard P. Carr of Ingham Motors, Ingham Qld had plans to start a airfreight service from Queensland to New Guinea. He purchased Ryan STM VH-AGU on 15.11.46 from Ryan dealers Briwn & Dureau Ltd at Geelong Victoria. It was damaged only two weeks later during a forced landing on a road near Ingham on 1.12.46. The damaged Ryan was sent back to Brown & Dureau Ltd, Geelong for repair and resale. Carr immediately purchased Avro Anson VH-BAZ from Brown & Dureau on 19.1.47.
Richard Carr came to DCA's attention the following year when he flew the Anson after its CofA had expired. His response stated that he used the Anson for transport in remote country for the Fortuna Mining Syndicate, of which he was a member. He sold his car business in 1948 and by the following year, the Anson was abandoned at Marybough Qld after waiting to start a CofA overhaul. Further letters from DCA were returned as "location unknown".
A non-standard disposal in 1950 was a USAAF OA-10A Catalina 44-34054 which had been left at RAAF Rathmines. It was offered for sale on an Australian Treasury disposal tender list, rather than the usual Commonwealth Disposals Commission.
This aircraft had been based at Morotai, Borneo in July 1945 with USAAF 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron and appears to have been later transferred to RAAF although no Australian serial number was issued.
44-34054 was sold to Mr.Fitzgibbon on 7.3.45 for £850 and apparently scrapped.
On 29 September 1952, the final 23 Catalinas on RAAF strength were offered for sale by the Department of Supply. All were located at RAAF Rathmines where most had been in open storage for some time and were not in airworthy condition. 19 were sold "as is" to Airmotive Supply Co and struck-off RAAF charge in May 1953. It can be safely assumed they were acquired only for engines and parts, which were removed at or near Rathmines and shipped to USA. The stripped airframes were no doubt sold for scrap:
PBY-5A: A24-109, -114
PB2B-1: A24-200, -201
PB2B-2: A24-302, -307, -352, -359, -360, -363, -368, -373, -374, -375, -377, -380, -382, -383, -386
John ("Jack") Cain. He towed them behind a speedboat across Lake Macquarie to Toronto where he had built a holiday resort. The interiors of the Cats were fitted out as "floating bedrooms" as novel guest accommodation, moored at docks at the holiday village on the edge of the creek.
John Cairns' son, also named John, recalled the events in a recent story in the Newcastle Herald newspaper.
"I think it was Newcastle auctioneer Don McHattie who was working his way along the rows of planes and calling the auction from the back of a T-Model truck,’’ His father bought four Catalinas and turned them into floating accommodation on Stoney Creek, near Toronto.
"At the time he bought them, people said he’d never get them across the lake and under the old Fennell Bay bridge without taking the wings off, but he did it - with the help of a bloke from the Royal Motor Yacht Club who owned a speedboat. We used to play in the planes as kids. It was amazing what they left in them. They took out the engines and the armaments, but left flare pistols, smoke bombs, maps of the Coral Sea and tins of rations that I used to take to school and share with other kids.’’
John Cain Snr was a fiercely independent character who resented authorities. Bitter after the government confiscated the stock of his Newcastle tyre business during the war, he moved his family to a block of land on Stoney Creek. There he started work on what was to become a 23-cabin holiday park and a zoo. The cabins were all lit by electricity, supplied from army surplus equipment. Each had showers, toilets and iceboxes. They even had piped music and a PA system set up in every one, controlled from the front office. In the austere early post-war days, the holiday park also had ex-army Nissen huts and old buses where people could stay, and there was an outdoor movie projector, a hand-cranked 35mm machine that screened reels of Felix the Cat and other cartoon favourites.
The interior fittings of the Catalinas were stripped and souvenired by holiday-makers, and their use as overnight accomodation was soon abandoned because of anti-social behavour over night.
A flood tore through the holiday park around 1950, ruining everything and washing the three remaining Catalinas into the creek. Authorities complained that the wrecks were a hazard, and John and friends cut them up, selling the aluminium for scrap. One of the wing floats was turned into a canoe for John Jnr, and his dad wired up a converted starter motor to a six-volt battery, fitting a propeller so his son could motor around the creek. After the flood, the Cains moved over to Charlestown, shifting the zoo and animals but soon shut down. John Snr started a new tyre business at Islington which he ran on his own, becoming a recluse.
My thanks to Ray Fairall of Newcastle for the following photographs taken at the Stoney Creek Holiday Village:
Gates was the owner pf the Homesdale Guest House and Wentworth Cabaret. During 1946 he decided that a new attraction was needed to bring tourists back to the Blue Mountains after the war. He dammed Katoomba falls creek and had an ornamental lake and amusement park constructed offering "every facility for fun and food".
A24-202 was carefully dismantled and moved by road from Newcastle to Katoomba, the fuselage being towed on beaching gear, in an operation overseen by former RAAF aircraft engineer Walter Smeal who had been a Department of Aircraft Production airworthiness inspector during the war. At Katoomba it was reassembled and spray-painted all silver with mocked-up engine cowlings and propellers. Anchored to a concrete block in the middle of the lake, holiday-makers could pay a fee to be taken by boat to go on board the Catalina. Other attractions included speed boat rides, tea rooms, miniature train, Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, swimming pool and the "Giggle House" showing Charlie Chaplin films.
A later report said "Up to thirty visitors at a time paid two shillings to be taken out to the flying boat by punt where in the dark, stuffy interior, they viewed a Black & White film of a flight over the Sydney area, heard the story of the Catalina and tried out the controls. While the film was showing, an assistant would stand on the wing rocking the plane to simulate flight while the speed boat would circle the lake providing waves and engine noise. Fun seekers emerged from this surround-sound experience dizzy and gasping for air, many too ill to enjoy further amusements."
At its peak the Katoomba Lake holiday park operated as the region's swimming pool and provided a New Years Eve fireworks display and street parade. After a few years its popularity declined and it fell into disrepair and the lake water became polluted. Council purchased the land in 1952 with the plan to turn the area into a public park and treated-water swimming pool. In 1954 the Catalina, showing signs of age and wear, was pulled up onto the bank and left to the ravages of weather and souvenir hunters. In 1958 it was sold to Sheffield Welding & Engineering, Auburn NSW, dismantled and cut up for scrap.
Photo by John Savage via David Vincent collection
The overhauls took place over the next 18 months. A Sydney newspaper report on 27.6.54 stated that so far only one Catalina had been completed and flown to Biak and that the overhaul cost which was estimated to be £192,000 would be closer to £300,000.
Each aircraft was collected by Dutch crews and ferried to Biak, Netherland New Guinea. There they were only operated for several years before replaced by MLD Martin Mariners:
A24-92 to MLD 16-223, spares recovery only
A24-99 to MLD 16-224, scrapped at Biak 1.57
A24-104 to MLD 16-220, scrapped at Biak 11.56
A24-110 to MLD 16-221, delivered via Brisbane 20.7.54, scrapped at Biak 8.56
A24-111 to MLD 16-222, scrapped at Biak 4.58
A24-112 to MLD 16-225, scrapped at Biak 1.57
Photo: The Collection p1177-0131
The Collection p1177-0105
* * * * * * * * *
- Australian Civil Aircraft Register, Department of Civil Aviation and its successors
- National Archives of Australia - Department of Civil Aviation aircraft files
- RAAF Status Cards, RAAF Historical: Catalina A24- series
- British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Volume 2, A. J. Jackson, Putnam London 1973
- Aviation Historical Society of Australia Journal, monthly 1960-1975
- Flypast A Record of Aviation in Australia, T.W.Boughton and N.M.Parnell, Civil Aviation Authority 1988
- NSW Air Log, monthly, 1964
- Australian Air Log, monthly, 1965-1968
- Air Britain periodicals, 1950 onwards: movement reports, civil register and news
- Qantas Indian Ocean Service 1943-1946, Barry Pattison and Geoff Goodall, AHSA 1979
- Qantas At War, Hudson Fysh, Angus and Robertson, 1968
- Catalina Chronicle - A History of RAAF Operations, David Vincent, self-published c1982
- Consolidated PBY Catalina - The Peacetime Record, David Legg, Airlife England, 2001
- General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors, John Wegg, Putnam 1990
- US Navy Aircraft Since 1911, Gordon Swanborough & Peter M. Bowers, Putnam, 1990
- Wings of Gold - How the Aeroplane Developed New Guinea, James Sinclair
- Balus - The Aeroplane in Papua New Guinea, Volume 1, James Sinclair, Robert Brown & Assoc, 1986
- The British Air Commission and Lend Lease, K. J. Meekcoms, Air Britain 2000
- Lake Boga at War, Brett Freeman, Catalina Publications 1995
- Outback Airman, Harry Purvis with Joan Priest, Rigby 1979
- Syd's Pirates, the formation of Cathay Pacific Airways, Charles Eather, Durnmount, Sydney 1983
- The Historic Civil Register of Australia series VH-A, Tony Arbon & David Sparrow, AustAirData Publications
- The Katoomba Cat, David Vincent, Aviation Heritage quartly, AHSA June 2016
- British Aircraft Military Serials 1911-1979, Bruce Robertson, Patrick Stephens 1979
- US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, J. M. Andrade, Midland County Publications 1979
- The Two Gubas, Jack Meaden, Air Britain Digest, Spring 1991
- Alan Bovelt, Pacific Islands Aviation Society, owners and aircraft listings 1968-1973
- Australian Seaplanes - a listing by David C. Eyre, Sydney 2015
- The Truth, Identities of QEA Catalinas, David Vincent: paper based on airframe log books and QEA Engineering records
- Those Rottnest Catalinas, Arthur Jones, AHSA Aviation Heritage
- Arthur W. Jones, ex RAAF Catalina fitter: interview transcript 24.3.91 at Harvey WA
- Catalina Flying Memorial website: http://www.catalinaflying.org.au
- Keith Mattingley, Perth: information re Catalina Memorial Foundation's acquisition of N9502C
- Matt Cobb for sending his Great Uncle's BOAC pilot log book entry for G-AGBJ
- David Legg: continuing correspondence: detailed analysis, updates and amendments for this page. Thank you David.
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