Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS)
Suite 22/3-9 Terminus Street, Castle Hill NSW 2154 Australia
Telephone +61 2 9894 5818 Facsimile +61 2 9894 6630
Preserving aviation history

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HARS has purchased an airworthy Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina for its collection. A worldwide search of possible aircraft took place and one of three Catalinas in Portugal was selected. The purchase price was $700,000 excluding repairs and the cost of flying the aircraft home to Australia (estimated at $250,000).

Once the Cat arrives in Australia HARS volunteers will paint the aircraft black and install the blue roundels used by the RAAF during WWII. It will then look the part of an RAAF Black Cat and be a living memorial to the crews who lost their lives in WWII Black Cats.

Once the aircraft arrives on Australian soil it will be fully reconditioned to ensure its airworthiness and serviceability. The Catalina will require ongoing funding to keep it in the air for all Australians to enjoy at future airshows and aviation events.

Catalinas have a strong link to Australia's aviation history. The RAAF operated 168 between 1941 and 1950, flown by four front line squadrons, two communications units and three air-sea rescue flights during World War II. The famous Black Cats were used on covert night operations minelaying just about every enemy port in the South West Pacific Area, operations extending as far as the Chinese coast.

An immediate post war task for the RAAF's Catalinas was the repatriation of Australian prisoners of war from Singapore. After the war the remaining Catalinas were mainly used for courier and search and rescue duties. The last two were retired in April 1950. (Reference Stewart Wilson's book Catalina, Neptune and Orion In Australian Service 1991, out of print.)

HARS needs funds for this project - can you help? All donations to HARS are fully tax deductible in Australia.

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HARS Catalina On Way To Australia (arrived Darwin 21 September 2003)

After a long and sometimes frustrating process, a World War II Catalina amphibious patrol bomber is now on its way to Australia from Europe to add to the growing list of significant heritage aircraft operated by the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS).

The Catalina project is now being entirely managed by HARS after initially being a joint effort between it Catalina Association and Seaplane Pilots' Association. It is now recognised that HARS is the appropriate organisation to operate the Catalina due to its depth of experience and corporate knowledge of flying and maintaining complex historic aircraft.

In recognition of the Seaplane Pilots' Association vision and instigation of the events which led to the acquisition of the Catalina, its president, Phil Dulhunty, has been appointed Patron to the project.

A HARS team was sent to France to inspect the Catalina following damage sustained in June 2002. A repair scheme was designed and subsequently approved, this giving the aircraft a 'life' of 300 flying hours before further major overhaul work needs to be performed. These hours are sufficient to fly the aircraft to Australia and appear at many air shows and events.

The Catalina is being painted overall black to represent the legendary Royal Australian Air Force "Black Cats' which flew largely unsung but vitally important covert night missions over enemy territory to Australia's north during World War II.

HARS chief engineer John Skidmore and his team returned to France on 15 August this year to complete the repairs and have the necessary inspections performed. The Catalina was deemed ready for flight on 6 September.

While the engineering work was being performed, Captain Bruce Simpson - who also flies the HARS Super Constellation and DC-3 - travelled to New Zealand to become type rated on the Catalina, including water operations. The chief pilot of the NZ Catalina operation accompanied Bruce to France on 2 September to complete his rating and convert him to the HARS Catalina before bringing it to Australia.

The Catalina is scheduled to arrive in Darwin on 23 September, where it will be painted in a temporary overall black colour scheme. The aircraft will then fly to Cairns to begin a celebration flight down Australia's east coast to the HARS base at Illawarra Regional Airport at Albion Park near Wollongong.(26 August 2003)

Information on flight from France to Australia

22/9/03 Changed plans for Catalina which arrived in Darwin, Australia at 8:20pm EST (7:50 pm CST) Sunday 21 September 2003. HARS has decided to fly the aircraft to Coffs Harbour to take part in the celebrations fvor the 75th anniversary of the Coffs Harbour Aero Club (27-28 September). It will then fly directly to HARS base at Albion Park.
5/10/03 Catalina safely home at Albion Park. A delay caused by a carburettor problem delayed the home flight from Coffs Harbour by one week. A crew of specialists flew to Coffs Harbour to repair the Catalina and make sure she was ready for the flight home. A disappointed crowd of expectant enthusiasts was waiting at Albion Park on Sunday 28 September for the arrival of the Catalina. Many were back the following week for her actual arrival. Ever increasing numbers have visited HARS facility to see the Catalina.
13/10/03 The Catalina is BLACK. A team of HARS enthusiasts spent many hours painting the Catalina black to create a World War II 'Black Cat' as promised. The Cat will be maintained in this paint scheme.
30/11/03 The decals were affixed to the Catalina so it would be an authentic Black Cat livery for the flypast at the Australian War Memorial on Saturday 6 December, 2003.
6/12/03 The Catalina in its Black Cat markings flew three passes along Anzac Parade from Lake Burley Griffin up towards the Australian War Memorial during the WWII flypast. There were cheers from the crowd when this aircraft appeared over the treetops on this special day. It looked wonderful in its new markings.
24/1/04 Cat seriously damaged in heavy hail storm at Albion Park. The engines were being run as the storm hit. The wing and other fabric areas have been torn and will require immediate repairs. John Skidmore expects the work to take two weeks.
14/5/04 Cat flew to Caboolture, Queensland to take part in the Caboolture Air Spectacular over the weekend of 15-16 May. It was a huge hit with the local crowd. Some 850 people were able to go through the Catalina during the show. It returned to Albion Park on the Monday morning in company at least part of the way with the de Havilland Drover (HARS).