PBY-6A plane joins Liberty Aviation Museum collection
PORT CLINTON – On March 24, 1945, a newly-built PBY-6A Catalina airplane was delivered to Floyd Bennett Field, a U.S. Naval Station in Brooklyn, New York, where it began service in World War II. Almost exactly 77 years later, on March 29, 2022, it arrived at Liberty Aviation Museum, the newest aircraft to join the museum’s extensive collection.
The PBY is a unique addition to the museum. It is an amphibious aircraft that stands over 21-feet high at the tail and boasts a wingspan that stretches 104 feet. It was used primarily for coastal patrol and rescue efforts, but it had offensive capabilities as well, including torpedoes, depth chargers and bombs.
“It was amphibious, and it was used for transport, as a bomber, for surveillance, and for rescue,” said Liberty Aviation Museum CEO Ed Patrick. “If a downed flyer was floating in the water, this could land in the water.”
The PBY-6A had a cruising speed of 125 mph and a max speed of 196 mph. Its range was 2,520 miles, but stripped down, it could travel much further before refueling. Of the 3,308 originally built in the U.S., Patrick estimates that about 40 remain.
“There are about 17 that can still fly and less than 10 that are regular flyers,” he said. “This one will be a regular flyer.”
The museum’s PBY was in service primarily along the East Coast of the U.S., where German U-boats targeted ships traveling between the U.S. and England.
“The Germans didn’t try to find them out in the water. They knew the ships had to get close to harbor,” Patrick said. “Many ships were bombed within sight of the Statue of Liberty.”
The museum’s PBY was used so extensively in the war effort that it was sent to Puerto Rico for reconditioning in October, 1945, just seven months after its initial arrival at Floyd Bennett.
“That means it had been flying quite a bit,” Patrick said.
The Navy sold the PBY to a private owner in 1957, and in recent years, it remained in storage. Liberty Aviation Museum purchased the aircraft in November from Mid America Flight Museum in Texas. The plane underwent initial mechanical work in Texas, and then museum staff had to wait for favorable weather to bring it home. It arrived in Port Clinton on March 29.
“When it became available in Texas, we sent some fellas down there to look at it, and they concluded it was a good project for us. It was close to flying condition,” said Liberty Aviation Museum Director of Operations Bob Fujita.
The aircraft’s amphibious design fit in well with the Port Clinton museum.
“In this area, there is so much water, and everything is driven by the lake and boating,” Patrick said.
The plane’s ample window space allows for panoramic views, and eventually, museum visitors will have the opportunity to take rides and view “the islands, the inlets and the lighthouse,” Patrick said. For now, restoration continues on the plane.
“It’s in good operating condition,” Patrick said. “We’re going to clean it up, go through all the electrical systems, and install new radios.”
In the future, the interior and exterior will be restored to original military condition. One of the obstacles to full restoration is the availability of parts, although many of the spare parts that arrived with the plane came originally from an unexpected source – the Cousteau Society.
The society, founded by famous diver Jacques Cousteau, owned and operated a PBY until Jacques’ son Philippe Cousteau was killed when his PBY crashed in the Tagus River in Lisbon in 1979. The parts the museum obtained came packaged in wooden crafts stamped with the Cousteau name.
The PBY-6A Catalina airplane can be viewed at Liberty Aviation Museum, which is open on Thursdays through Sundays. Summer hours will begin in May. The museum is at 3515 East State Road. For more information, visit libertyaviationmuseum.org.
Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.