Catalina flyer

LAND CATA
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The New Zealand
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December 2013
Catalina flyer
NEWSLETTER OF THE NZ CATALINA PRESERVATION SOCIETY INC *
PO Box 163 Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland 1840, New Zealand
Phone +64 9 372-8906 • Fax +64 9 238-4335
* Comprising the New Zealand Catalina Preservation Society Inc and the Friends of the Catalina
PBY touches down on Lake Wanaka.
Dear Readers
T
his cover picture of PBY playing
around on Lake Wanaka years
ago has never been printed here
in colour. It is a foretaste of things to
come but it is especially for Oliver Evans
who paid a surprise visit to our AGM at
New Plymouth on 13th October last.
Looking at him in the audience
it puzzled me—where had I met him
before? The penny soon dropped. He
was the young Canadian co-pilot on
C-FJCV who, with the piano-playing
pilot Steve from Spokane, took part in
the film The Last African Flying Boat, a
BBC documentary that I watched time
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and time and time again. No wonder I
recognised him.
I had a couple of years earlier, seen
a television programme featuring this
same aircraft and its owner, Pierre
Jaunet. Not too long after this, I asked
a Pukekohe travel agent to get me the
itinerary and costs for this new holiday
venture and immediately started up a
special account so that I could be along
on one of these aerial safaris either up
the Nile or around some of the islands
in the Indian Ocean. Very pricey these
were, even in the early ’90s, and it was
that money that started me off in the
then Catalina syndicate. Little did I
think that, later, registered Z-CAT, it
would be landing on Taranaki soil in
October 1994.
It was wonderful listening and
talking with Oliver as we scrambled
up the flights of scaffolding looking at
the work in progress inside the hangar.
Chris Snelson, our Auckland schairman
for the coming year, writes more about
AGM matters elsewhere in this issue.
Oliver is still flying out of Vancouver
British Columbia, and I think was
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further trained up by Bob Dyck to
whom we owe a great deal. Somehow
I do not think we have seen the last of
Oliver and his lovely wife.
I have frequently been asked why
I am such a flying boat enthusiast. I
blame it on Leroy Grumman and his
mates, followed closely by SeaBee Air.
Seeing my first Grumman Widgeon
trundling up out of the sea at Oneroa
beach on Waiheke Island in late 1967
got me hooked. It seemed such a tiny
thing, painted in the Tourist Air Travel
colours of red and white. But . . . it was
not until I leaped aboard the Grumman
Goose (front right-hand seat, of course)
and commuted to work several times a
week from 1978 to 1990 that I realised
that I wasn’t really flying to work, I was
working to fly. It was quite a comedown
to have to use various cessnas and later,
pipers, to get to school at Bombay.
When you’re accustomed to landing
on water, it feels quite daunting to have
the ground rushing towards you, but
now I have the best of both.
Lawrence Acket has a very topical
piece about the new Beaver operating
locally, elsewhere in this issue and you
will see him and his fellow passengers
wearing catalina tee shirts — hint, hint.
The Beaver, I may as well tell you, has
the distinction of being the only aircraft
that I’ve needed help to board. It was the
red one flown by the late David Clews
from New Plymouth to Ardmore, via
Raglan.
Please don’t forget about our very
worthy society. We do need your
support. Check out our new website too
at www.nzcatalina.org and keep safe
out there.
—Marlene
Report on New Zealand Catalina Preservation Society Inc.
AGM held at New Plymouth on Sunday 13th October 2013
T
wenty-two people braved the
weather (only Dee and Neil
flew in) to attend our AGM,
which was held in Peter Vause’s hangar
amongst yaks, cessnas, vampire and
L39 jets. The catalina, however, was
housed snuggly in Brett’s hangar with
doors closed to keep it and the workers
warm. Scaffolding surrounded the huge
airframe and one wing, while the other
wing rested quietly on a scaffolding
table awaiting some love and care in the
form of a complete refurbishment.
The team in New Plymouth have
done such a fantastic job in the last
few months that it was difficult to
concentrate on the agenda. I was sure
everyone present was dying to get
back over to Brett’s hangar to soak in
the sight of our Catalina undergoing a
facelift in aircraft terms! Mike Jackson
was present and his vast experience
together with Brett’s knowledge and
Peter’s overseeing are working to put
our Cat back in the air by October next
year for our next AGM. It will look like
a ‘bought one’ according to the team,
with a new coat of paint and some nonstructural panel work.
So far the work has included
refurbishing and painting the floats,
leading edges, fabric surfaces together
with buffing off areas for repair and
repainting. This is a huge job when
you consider the upper wing surface
to be some 1400 square feet—the floor
area of a reasonable house! Any areas
of corrosion are dealt with as required
and the work all certified back to
airworthiness condition.
The motors are resting quietly, filled
with inhibitor and waiting to roar into
life and haul the Old Girl through the
skies once more. (She is old you know—
turning 70 next year!) Pity some of the
pilots couldn’t be refurbished to the
same condition!
Sorry, I digress slightly from the
subject, but the AGM went well with, of
course, the main focus being on raising
more money for the project to continue.
Some $170,000 has been donated/
loaned by members, and applications
are being prepared by the Auckland
team for further funds. (As I write the
Whitehouse Tavern Trust has donated
$30,000 which is a great start.)
The formalities of the AGM over
there was a mass exodus back to the
‘Cat in the hangar’—sounds like a Dr
Seuss story book!
But I would like to thank sincerely
all those people that attended and
those who apologised, as well as the
New Plymouth Team for their amazing
fortitude and dedication to the cause.
Volunteers on a per week basis are
most welcome to participate according
to Peter if they have the time, and it is
much cheaper than going to the gym!!!
Cheers
—Chris Snelson
Note from the editor: to those unfamiliar with the catalina personnel, Dee is one of our original members and the first lady pilot
we had. Her story featured in our June 2010 issue. Neil, who performs cabin crew duties, is her partner and together they have
successfully restored the old Tuakau Tavern, which dates back to 1875.
Peter Vause, owner of the impressively clean hangar, is our project manager and his mobile number is 0274 465 080 in case you
wish to help.
Brett Emeny, as most readers should know, is both chief pilot and engineering officer, whose flying prowess is legendary.
Dr Seuss was a prolific writer of books for young children. Remembering my teaching days, The Cat in the Hat, first published in
1957, was one of his earliest and remains popular today.
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www.nzcatalina.org.nz
December 2013
PHOTOGRAPHS: Chris Snelson
December 2013
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Aquatic Aviation returns to Auckland
A
TEAL’s inaugural Auckland-to-Sydney
services on 30 April 1940 with a Short
S.30 Empire-class flying-boat.
Chris Sattler, Auckland Seaplanes’
Chief Executive, has spent the last
two years working with authorities
and the boating community to get all
the necessary approvals and licences
for his operation, and has now begun
commercial flights from a temporary
jetty near Silo Park, part of the newly
developed Wynyard Quarter. Chris
hopes to establish a permanent office and
operation from the Maritime Museum.
The Beaver, built in 1961 with
only 4000 hours on the airframe, was
sourced in Canada where it had been
privately owned and infrequently used
for commuting to fishing lodges. The
aircraft was originally delivered to the
Republic of Ghana Air Force. It later
operated in Australia as a top-dresser
before conversion to floatplane status,
flying tourists in the Whitsunday
Islands near the Great Barrier Reef. It
returned to its home country Canada in
ABOVE, L–R: Chief
Pilot Steve Newland,
passengers Iain Miller,
Laura and Lawrence Acket,
Harry and Sarah Follas,
Auckland Seaplanes’ Chief
Executive Chris Sattler
testing the buoyancy of
the port float.
LEFT: Waiheke’s Palm
Beach seen from Auckland
Seaplanes’ DHC-2 beaver
Aotearoa II.
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December 2013
PHOTO COURTESY OF Auckland Seaplanes
PHOTO: Lawrence Acket
fter nearly a quarter of a
century’s absence of seaplane
operations in downtown ‘City
of Sails’ a new operator has, once
again, introduced aquatic aviation to
Auckland.
Appropriately named ‘Auckland
Seaplanes’, the company has established
an operation using a low timed and
immaculately furbished DHC-2 Beaver
ZK-AMA Aotearoa II on floats. The
registration and name are in honour of
the original Aotearoa which conducted
1990 where it remained until its arrival
here earlier in the year.
It seemed fitting that Auckland
Seaplanes’ first commercial flight was
with a group from the New Zealand
Catalina Preservation Society as a
few of us took the opportunity for a
local flight over Auckland Harbour
and Waiheke Island on a fine midNovember morning. We were treated
to some ‘splash-and-go’s’ on the
relatively calm waters near Waiheke.
The sight and sound of an aircraft take
off powering through the water has
not been heard or seen regularly since
the last days of Sea Bee Air in the late
1980s.
(Marlene could recount some
stories of her commuting in the
Grummans in a future edition.)
Other than the appearance of
the Russian Beriev AN-40 Albatros
amphibian in 1992 for the Auckland
International Airshow, and the
historical touch-and-go of ZK-PBY
on 31 March 1995, the waters of the
Waitemata have rarely been the runway
of aquatic aviation in recent modern
times. Waterborne aviation first started
nearly a century ago when the Walsh
brothers established a flying school on
the shores of Mission Bay.
Want to experience a floatplane
flight on home turf . . . or should that be
home tide? It is highly recommended.
The team at Auckland Seaplanes are,
like us, very enthusiastic about their
aircraft and operation. There is still
something magical about departing
the city and landing at a distant beach
and leaving the stresses behind as you
step off the float onto a sandy bay. The
dream is now possible.
The drought has been broken and
long may aircraft floats skim by the
masts and mainsails on and above
Auckland’s Waitemata and outer
islands allowing many the experience
of aquatic aviation.
—Lawrence Acket
PHOTO: Lawrence Acket
Retired water bomber gets the nod
In world Catalina news Bob Dyck,
one of our members from Canada
who obtained a retired water
bomber from Buffalo Airways, has
recently received approval of the
maintenance schedule allowing
him to operate the aircraft, the
maintenance program being a
requirement for privately owned
December 2013
aircraft over 12,500lbs (5670kg).
Bob is now sourcing a
replacement engine and overhauling
an existing unit to ensure reliability. It
is hoped the aircraft will be attending
local airshows in the 2014 season.
It is intended that stored original
blisters will be fitted in due course
while the water tanks and drop doors
ABOVE: Bob Dyck standing in front
of C-FUAW in July at Sidney Airport,
Vancouver Island, British Columbia,
Canada.
will remain for demonstration and
training purposes.
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The “Spit-Beer” Planes
From time to time I receive copies of The Norseman News and this is from one that came my way. I was forgiven
by readers for putting the spectacular photograph of the rebuilt mosquito on the cover of the December 2012 issue,
so thought I’d give the spitfire a bit of a write up via these pages. I’ve published in the past a tale or two of catalinas
carrying cases of beer, so thought you might enjoy reading this . . .So tally-ho chaps—
In the lighter moments of WWII,
the Spitfire was used in an
unorthodox role: bringing beer
kegs to the men in Normandy.
During the war, the Heneger
and Constable brewery donated
free beer to the troops. After
D-Day, supplying the invasion
troops in Normandy with
vital supplies was already a
challenge. Obviously, there was
no room in the logistics chain
for such luxuries as beer or
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other types of refreshments.
Some men, often called
‘sourcers’, were able to get wine
or other niceties from the land,
or rather from the locals! RAF
Spitfire pilots came up with an
even better idea.
The Spitfire MK-IX was an
evolved version of the Spitfire,
with pylons under the wings
for bombs or tanks. It was
discovered that the bomb
pylons could also be modified
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to carry beer kegs. According
to pictures that can be found,
various sizes of kegs were used.
Whether the kegs could be
jettisoned in case of emergency
is unknown. If the Spitfire flew
high enough, the cold air at
altitude would even refresh
the beer, making it ready for
consumption upon arrival.
A variation of this was a
long range fuel tank modified to
carry beer instead of fuel. The
December 2013
modification even received the
official designation ‘Mod. XXX’.
Propaganda services were
quick to pick up on this, which
probably explains the official
designation.
As a result, Spitfires
equipped with ‘Mod. XXX’ or
keg-carrying pylons were often
sent back to Great Britain for
maintenance or liaison duties.
They would then return to
Normandy with full beer kegs
fitted under the wings.
Typically, the British
Ministry of Revenue and
Excise stepped in, notifying
the brewery that they were
in violation of the law by
exporting beer without
paying the relevant taxes. It
seems that ‘Mod. XXX’ was
terminated then, but various
squadrons found different ways
to refurbish their stocks. Most
often, this was done with the
unofficial approval of higher
echelons.
In his book, Dancing In
The Skies, Tony Jonsson,
the only Icelander pilot in
the RAF, recalled beer runs
while he was flying with 65
Squadron. Every week a pilot
was sent back to the UK to fill
some cleaned-up drop tanks
with beer and return to the
squadron. Jonsson hated the
beer runs as every man on the
squadron would be watching
you upon arrival. Anyone who
made a rough landing and
dropped the tanks would be
the most hated man on the
squadron for an entire week.
Cheers!
It’s Fall and the kids are back at school. Their first assignment asks ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’
Why I want to be a pilot
When I grow up I want to be a pilot because it’s a fun job and easy to do. That’s why there are so many pilots
flying around these days. Pilots don’t need much school; they just have to learn to read numbers so they can
read their instruments. I guess they should be able to read road maps too so they can find their way if they
get lost.
Pilots should be brave so they won’t get scared if it’s foggy and they can’t see, or if a wing or motor falls
off, they should stay calm so they’ll know what to do. Pilots have to have good eyes to see through clouds, and
they can’t be afraid of thunder or lightning because they are so much closer than we are.
The salary pilots make is another thing I like. They make more money than they know what to do with.
This is because most people think that plane flying is dangerous, except pilots don’t because they know how
easy it is. I hope I don’t get air-sick, because I get car-sick and if I get air-sick I couldn’t be a pilot and then I
would have to go to work.
— By Tommy Tyler, 5th grade, Jefferson School, Beaufort, South Carolina.
Here, here to all the pilots in the world!
December 2013
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PBY makes a graceful curve on Wanaka.
Subscription rates
Individual $45, Family & overseas $60. The renewal date is shown on the receipt.
Note: membership cards are no longer issued.
20% discount on saleables to current Friends!
Contact Lawrence & Laura Acket on 09 534-4583. The club’s fax number is 09 238-4335.
SALE ITEMS
The following items are available from Friends of the Catalina.
Minimum order for posting overseas is $10.
NEW DVD
Classic Cockpits. Flying the PBY $35, includes p&p.
Badges:
PBY in her RNZAF colours $10, plus p&p $1.
Patches:
Grey or Navy background $12, plus p&p $1.
Polo shirts:
Featuring Catalina in current colour scheme
embroidered on front left side. Navy, S/M/L/XL/
XXL $40 plus $7 p&p.
Caps:
Featuring the same embroidery as polo shirts.
Colour navy. One size fits all. Price $25.
Postage for one is $7.
Tee shirts:
White print on navy or khaki. Navy print on
silver grey or sand. NEW: white print on royal
blue. Stock is getting low, so please include a
second colour choice.
S/M/L/XL/XXL. $30 plus $7 p&p.
Book:
Marlene has at home
3 sweat tops—1 x small,
1 x medium, 1 x large.
The price is still $50 plus
postage $7 but remember,
the 20% discount offer if
you qualify. When these
are sold there will be no
more. They may become a
collector’s item!
Catalina Dreaming by Ross Ewing. Price $25 includes p&p in New Zealand.
Order from Friends of the Catalina, P0 Box 163, Oneroa, Waiheke Island 1840, New Zealand.
Ph: +649 372 8906. Cheques payable to Friends of the Catalina. Visa, Master or Bank­cards
welcome. Remember — all proceeds go to supporting ZK-PBY. All prices in NZ$.
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www.catalina.org.nz
Dumbo Diary Royal
New Zealand Air
Force No.6 (Flying
Boat) Squadron
1943–1945 (hb) is
available online at
www.lulu.com for
$USD 48.00 + post
(lulu offices are in Europe). NB: Stephen
Sharpe paid $41.37 NZ for his copy.
Dumbo Diary draws on the archival records of
RNZAF No.6 (Flying Boat) Squadron in private
and public collections, telling of long missions
over the south west Pacific patrolling for enemy
submarines and downed airmen. Hundreds left
home to live and work in the heat of the tropics,
servicing aircraft and providing all that was
necessary to operate an effective flying boat
squadron. This is their story, their words.
Cloth patch,
8cm across.
$20 + p&p
$2.00.
Post FREE
to financial
members.
Post your order to:
Herpa Catalina, 1 August
Place, Greenlane, Auckland
1061, NZ. For international
orders, please email us with your
requirements at [email protected].
$40 but be quick — very few remain.
December 2013