Consolidated PBY Catalina PDF eBook & Aircraft Flight Manuals

General Characteristics

• Crew: 10 – pilot, co-pilot, bow turret gunner, flight engineer, radio operator, navigator, radar operator, two waist gunners, ventral gunner
• Length: 63 ft 10 7/16 in (19.46 m)
• Wingspan: 104 ft 0 in (31.70 m)
• Height: 21 ft 1 in (6.15 m)
• Wing area: 1,400 ft² (130 m²)
• Empty weight: 20,910 lb (9,485 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 35,420 lb (16,066 kg)
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0309
• Drag area: 43.26 ft² (4.02 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 7.73
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 196 mph (314 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 125 mph (201 km/h)
• Range: 2,520 mi (4,030 km)
• Service ceiling: 15,800 ft (4,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
• Wing loading: 25.3 lb/ft² (123.6 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.034 hp/lb (0.056 kW/kg)
• Lift-to-drag ratio: 11.9

Armament

• 3 .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns (two in nose turret, one in ventral hatch at tail)
• 2 .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns (one in each waist blister)
• 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) of bombs or depth charges; torpedo racks were also available

US Navy

XP3Y-1

Prototype Model 28 flying boat later re-designated XPBY-1, one built (USN Bureau No. 9459). Later fitted with a 48-foot-diameter (15 m) ring to sweep magnetic sea mines. A 550 hp Ranger engine drove a generator to produce a magnetic field.

XPBY-1

Prototype version of the Model 28 for the United States Navy, a re-engined XP3Y-1 with two 900 hp R-1830-64 engines, one built.

PBY-1 (Model 28-1)

Initial production variant with two 900 hp R-1830-64 engines, 60 built.

PBY-2 (Model 28-2)

Equipment changes and improved performance, 50 built.

PBY-3 (Model 28-3)

Powered by two 1,000 hp R-1830-66 engines, 66 built.

PBY-4 (Model 28-4)

Powered by two 1,050 hp R-1830-72 engines, 33 built (including one initial as a XPBY-4 which later became the XPBY-5A).

PBY-5 (Model 28-5)

Either two 1,200 hp R-1830-82 or ?92 engines and provision for extra fuel tanks (with partial self-sealing protection). 683 built (plus one built at New Orleans), some aircraft to the RAF as the Catalina IVA and one to the United States Coast Guard. The PBY-5 was also built in the Soviet Union as the GST.

XPBY-5A

One PBY-4 converted into an amphibian and first flown in November 1939.

PBY-5A (Model 28-5A)

Amphibious version of the PBY-5 with two 1,200 hp R-1830-92 engines, first batch (of 124) had one 0.3in bow gun, the remainder had two bow guns; 803 built including diversions to the United States Army Air Forces, the RAF (as the Catalina IIIA) and one to the United States Coast Guard.

PBY-6A

Amphibious version with two 1,200 hp R-1830-92 engines and a taller fin and rudder. Radar scanner fitted above cockpit and two 0.5 in nose guns; 175 built including 21 transferred to the Soviet Navy.

PBY-6AG

One PBY-6A used by the United States Coast Guard as a staff transport.

PB2B-1

Boeing Canada built PBY-5 for the RAF and RCAF from 1942. 240 built.

PB2B-2

Boeing Canada built version of the PBY-5 but with the taller fin of the PBN-1. 67 built. Most supplied to the RAF as the Catalina VI.

PBN-1 Nomad

Naval Aircraft Factory built version of the PBY-5 with major modification including a 2ft bow extension, modified hull lines with a modified step, re-designed wingtip floats and tail surfaces and a revised electrical system. A total of 155 were built for delivery to the RAF as the Catalina V although 138 were Lend-Leased to the Soviet Navy as the KM-1

PBV-1A

Canadian Vickers built version of the PBY-5A, 380 built including 150 to the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Canso-A and the rest to the USAAF as the OA-10A.

USAAF

OA-10

United States Army Air Forces designation for PBY-5A, 105 built; 58 aircraft survivors re-designated A-10 in 1948.

OA-10A

USAAF designation of Canadian Vickers-built version of the PBV-1A, 230 built. Survivors re-designated A-10A in 1948. Three additional aircraft from Navy in 1949 as A-10As.

OA-10B

USAAF designation of PBY-6A, 75 built. Re-designated A-10B in 1948.

RAF

Catalina I

Direct purchase aircraft for the Royal Air Force, same as the PBY-5 with six 0.303 in guns (one in bow, four in waist blisters and one aft of the hull step) and powered by two 1,200 hp R-1830-S1C3-G engines, 109 built.

Catalina IA

Operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Canso, 14 built.

Catalina IB

Lend-lease PBY-5Bs for the RAF, 225 aircraft built.

Catalina II

Equipment changes, six built.

Catalina IIA

Vickers-Canada built Catalina II for the RAF, 50 built.

Catalina IIIA

Former U.S. Navy PBY-5As used by the RAF on the North Atlantic Ferry Service, 12 aircraft. These were the only amphibians that saw RAF service.

Catalina IVA

Lend-lease PBY-5s for the RAF, 93 aircraft.

Catalina IVB

Lend-lease PB2B-1s for the RAF, some to the Royal Australian Air Force.

Catalina VI

Lend-lease PB2B-2s for the RAF, some to the RAAF.

RCAF

Canso-A

RCAF designation for PBV-1A

Other Users

GST

Soviet built version of the PBY-5 (“Gydro Samoliot Transportnyi”).

Steward-Davis Super Catalina (“Super Cat”)

Catalina converted to use 1,700 hp Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engines, with enlarged rudder and other changes.

Avalon Turbo Canso

Proposed turboprop conversion of Canso water bombers, powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart engines.

Status Codes: D = Display / A = Airworthy / S = Stored / R = Under restoration