Re: Catalina calls on the RNLI for a tow.
PostPosted:Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:13 am
Someone on this thread suggested reading 'The Sky Beyond', by Sir Gordon Taylor.
I have found it to be a fascinating read for many reasons. It is poetically written, and is, amongst other things, a love affair with the Cat and flying.
Last evening's perusal revealed the author solving the issue of taking the Catalina off from rough seas with a FULL fuel load.
So, @Moose, here is the solution he tried in the early 1950's....
[We got] "some J A T O rockets in Australia. With the aid of Sir Thomas White we secured these, attached them to the sides of the hull, and had some really effective extra thrust for takeoff. We did a practice rocket takeoff before departure, my first experience in handling an aircraft in these circumstances. The result was impressive, as the Cat was projected into the air like a fighter."
(from "The Sky Beyond" by Gordon Taylor)
Start reading it for free: https://amzn.eu/a62EzkR
I have found it to be a fascinating read for many reasons. It is poetically written, and is, amongst other things, a love affair with the Cat and flying.
Last evening's perusal revealed the author solving the issue of taking the Catalina off from rough seas with a FULL fuel load.
So, @Moose, here is the solution he tried in the early 1950's....
[We got] "some J A T O rockets in Australia. With the aid of Sir Thomas White we secured these, attached them to the sides of the hull, and had some really effective extra thrust for takeoff. We did a practice rocket takeoff before departure, my first experience in handling an aircraft in these circumstances. The result was impressive, as the Cat was projected into the air like a fighter."
(from "The Sky Beyond" by Gordon Taylor)
Start reading it for free: https://amzn.eu/a62EzkR
