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Consolidated PBY Catalina

The most famous flying boat of WWII. The Catalina carried its big wing on a pylon on top of the fuselage. The PBY had a long range and was very reliable. Its disadvantage was slowness, which made it vulnerable. The PBY-5A and PBY-6A were amphibian versions; all other Catalinas were flying boats. The PBY was also built in the USSR and Canada. Its users included Britain, France, the USSR, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, and Denmark.

General characteristics PBY-5A
Primary function	Reconaissance
Power plant	Two Pratt&Whitney R-1830-92 engines
Thrust	2x 1,200 HP		2x 895 kW
Wingspan	104 ft		31.70 m
Length	63.9 ft		19.47 m
Height	20.2 ft		6.15 m
Wingarea	1,400 sq ft		130.06 sq m
Weight	empty	21,705 lb	9,845 kg
	max.	35,420 lb	16,066 kg
Speed	179 mph		288 km/h
Ceiling	14,700 ft		4,480 m
Range	2,545 miles		4,096 km
Armament	2x 12.7mm machine gun, 3x 7.62mm machine gun; 1,814 kg weapons.
Crew	Seven
Date deployed	1939

Jirka Wagner