Favorite World War II amphibious recon plane?

[taterguy]

PBY Catalina



Kingfisher

[arbusto_baboso]

1. Sorry, but gotta go with the British Sunderland on this one.

I mean, the friggin' thing had BUNKS and its own anchor fer chrissakes!

[TheMightyFavog]

2. Got to walk through a Sunderland at the RAF Museum

Had its own toilet!

[arbusto_baboso]

3. My father-in-law was in the Royal Navy in WWII.....

and served on destroyers. The Sunderlands brought out mail-call and beer for the sailors. He said they were the most welcome sight any "tar" ever saw.

[rockymountaindem]

18. That's my vote as well

They might as well have written "BEAST" on the side of them:

[TheMightyFavog]

4. Where's the Grumman JF Duck?

[Doc_Technical]

5. There are some great flying scenes featuring this plane

in the movie "Murphy's War"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067458/

[Captain Hilts]

8. That's a US submarine he's bombing!!!

[Brother Buzz]

14. 'Murphy's War' was filmed in Venezuela with the help of the Venezuelan navy

That was the original US sub Tilefish. She was decommissioned in 1960, sold to the Venezuelan government and renamed ARV Carite.

Carite served in the Venezuelan Navy into the 1970's. While in the service of Venezuela, during the filming of the movie "Murphy's War" in 1969 and 1970, the submarine played the part of a German U-boat hiding in the Amazon River. For the role, she was modified by the addition of a "cigarette deck" aft of her sail and was painted in a "dazzle" camouflage pattern.

[Captain Hilts]

19. Yeah, the cigarette deck looks funny tacked onto a fibreglass sail. Love the movie. nt

[old mark]

6. Curtis Helldiver, but I liked the old biplane version.

http://www.daveswarbirds.com/usplanes/aircraft/sbc.htm


mark

[Hangingon]

27. For a biplane recon bird - the Curtis SOC-3

http://www.tgplanes.com/planfile.asp?idplane=122

[Captain Hilts]

7. No contest. PBY. Don't know why they don't still make 'em. I sat in the cockpit of one. nt

[XemaSab]

9. Here:

[Captain Hilts]

10. That's a BEAST of a plane!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Even better - that beast, built around 1946, was putting out fires just a couple of months ago

in California: http://boingboing.net/2009/09/01/big-ass-flying-boats.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a53eeb38970b-pi

Mount Wilson Observatory survived.

[Captain Hilts]

23. It reminds me of the Martin Mars

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. It is the Martin Mars

the picture title is 'Martin_Mars .jpg'.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Is the Kingfisher photograph from the NORTH CAROLINA?

[taterguy]

17. Yes, that's why it says 55 on the nose

I think

[pokerfan]

12. Grumman Goose

During World War II, the Goose became an effective transport for the US military (including the Coast Guard), as well as serving with many other air forces. During hostilities, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles.

In Jimmy Buffett's first novel, Where is Joe Merchant?, protagonist Frank Bama owned and operated a rebuilt Grumman Goose dubbed the Hemisphere Dancer. (The actual Hemisphere Dancer is a Grumman Albatross that belongs to Buffett and is now the centerpiece for his Margaritaville Cafe restaurant in Orlando, FL).

A Goose named "Cutter's Goose" is prominent on the 1980s series, "Tales of the Gold Monkey," a TV series starring Stephen Collins, inspired by the movie Only Angels Have Wings.

A Goose plays central part in Larry Nivens novel Dream Park.

[Captain Hilts]

20. If I'm going that small, I'd rather have a DeHavilland. nt

[KansDem]

13. I've always been partial to the Catalina, for two reasons...

1) I grew up in Long Beach, CA, and have fond memories of seeing Catalina Island many, many times (I know, I know..."name recognition"). Even went there once...

2) A Catalina found the German battleship Bismarck which led to her sinking by the allies during WWII.

[Deep13]

16. I think a Catalina crew found the Japanese during Midway too. nt

[taterguy]

22. No wonder the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. They were pissed at us for sinking their battleship

[Deep13]

15. Short Sunderland

Known to the Germans as "the flying porcupine" because of its armament and armor plating.

[krispos42]

24. Catalina

I'm over the FRIGGIN' OCEAN!!! TWO ENGINES, please. Yanno... a SPARE in case something goes horribly, horribly wrong???

Besides, it has a certain grace about it...

[Captain Hilts]

26. A friend of mine flew a Beaufighter. He said single engine planes never wanted to follow you over

water.

[old mark]

31. The BeauFighter and Beaufort were really superb airplanes - the

fighter version was used over water a lot to attack shipping.

mark

[BreweryYardRat]

28. PBY Catalina.

"Black Cats" mission from CoD: World at War, anyone?

[jrandom421]

29. Gotta go with the Cat...

Especially when "Mad" Jack Cram slung a couple of torpedoes under the wings. Was good enough for him to be awarded the Navy Cross.

[taterguy]

30. I am appalled by the lack of luv shown to the Kingfisher in this poll

What the fuck is wrong with you people?