PBY-5a 9767 "Catalina" - Ride-along Water Takeoff and Landing

On August 5th, 2024, I had the opportunity to catch a ride on a 1943 PBY-5a, "Catalina" Flying Boat, for a water landing and takeoff near Eugene, Oregon.

This plane, PBY9767, was named the "Princess of the Stars" after doing duty as a movie set in Paris. But she flew in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1944 and was one of only a few to sink a submarine in combat, so perhaps she should have been dubbed the "Warrior Princess." In the 8+ decades since, she served in roles ranging from battling forest fires to hauling people and freight. Now, in the service of a nonprofit, The Soaring by the Sea Foundation, PBY9767 continues as a piece of extraordinary living history.

Meanwhile, come aboard for the best ride this side of Disneyland! :-) In the video, I mumble something to the effect that I don't enjoy jet travel much anymore - for business or pleasure. But this flight rekindled my love - not of being a passenger - but of FLYING.

For those in a hurry, the water landing segment starts around 8:06, and the water takeoff is around 11:00. The tarmac (runway) landing and takeoff, and numerous zen moments are found elsewhere.

You can learn all about the plane, the people, and the foundation at https://soaringbythesea.com. Annie Flodin, who was also aboard this flight, does a terrific job telling the backstory of the foundation, Boeing Aircraft's role in making PBYs, and PBY9767 itself in this article:
https://onfirstup.com/boeing/BNN/arti....

Enjoy!

PS: As a note, several people have commented that these are turboprops - including one fellow in the audience when I recorded the voice-over. They are not turboprops. They are original 14-cylinder Pratt and Whitney "Wasp" radial engines that put out 1200 hp each. The roar is not picked up by the mics; the whines are various electric motors, fuel pumps, and the like.

FYI: My interest in PBYs dates back to childhood - my dad flew aboard one during WW2 - which crashed in Greenland - and that part of his story was exciting enough to make it into Time Magazine in May 1943. You can read more about that in my book, "The CW Way of Life," - on Amazon, which tracks Morse code from its invention in 1837 to, well, today - where tens of thousands of ham radio operators around the world - myself included (NW6V) - keep this supposedly obsolete communication medium very much alive :-)