What type of plane is a Catalina?

flying boat
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s….Consolidated PBY Catalina.

PBY Catalina
Produced 1936–1945
Number built 3,308 (2,661 U.S.-built, 620 Canadian-built, 27 Soviet-built)
Variants Bird Innovator

What was the PBY Catalina used for?

The amphibious Consolidated PBY Catalina was a versatile, highly-effective military aircraft before, during and after WWII. They were used in anti-submarine warfare, bombing missions, convoy escort duties, search-and-rescue missions, and cargo transport.

What kind of plane is a PBY?

PBY stands for Patrol Bomber, the “Y” simply denotes the manufacturer which was Consolidated Aircraft Co. The PBY was an incredibly versatile airplane that could land on both water and land runways. They could drop torpedoes, depth charges, and bombs, while defending themselves with multiple high-caliber machine guns.

Are there any PBY Catalina still flying?

Capable of excellent endurance over the hostile North Atlantic, PBY Catalina aircraft began to protect convoys before aircraft carriers and the evolution of surface ship technology was able to assist them. It is also the oldest surviving PBY Catalina and has survived as a flying aircraft since the end of the war.

What was the range of the PBY Catalina?

4,030 km
Consolidated PBY Catalina/Range

How long could a PBY stay in the air?

The longest nonstop flight recorded by a PBY was more than 32 hours, and 15-hour patrols were standard in the Pacific.

What was the range of a Catalina flying boat?

Why did flying boats stop?

The end of the flying boat was largely due to the island-hopping campaign of World War II. The United States military built a lot of airbases throughout the course of that war, many of which had long runways. This allowed long-range, land-based planes, like the Consolidated PB4Y Liberator/Privateer to operate.

What company built the PBY Catalina?

Consolidated Aircraft Co.
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was a twin-engined American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s, designed by Consolidated Aircraft Co. Several variants were built at five US and Canadian manufacturing plants.

What was the PB Catalina in World War 2?

PBY Catalina was an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. PB stands for Patrol Bomber, with Y being Consolidated Aircraft’s manufacturer identification. It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and .50 caliber machine guns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II.

What kind of plane was the Consolidated PBY Catalina?

Consolidated PBY Catalina. The Consolidated PBY Catalina, also known as the Canso in Canadian service, is an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft.

What was the role of the Catalina flying boat?

Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escort, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport.

What kind of guns did the PBY Catalina have?

It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and .50 caliber machine guns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. The PBY Catalina was the most successful flying boat ever produced.