Very unusual aircraft

Clan Line

Hero Member

Posts: 1064

Very unusual aircraft

« on: September 10, 2025, 16:25:37 »

I was sitting having a coffee at Southampton Airport yesterday, when this suddenly appeared - flying low and slow along the runway. I grabbed my camera and managed to get a couple of reasonable shots of it.

It didn't appear on FlightRadar24, so resorted to a web search - found it eventually. Never knew that this aircraft existed in the UK^▸ .

https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/catalina-flying-boat-gpbya-history-miss-pick-up


	Logged

TonyK

Global Moderator
Hero Member

Posts: 6699

The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!

Re: Very unusual aircraft

« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2025, 20:13:13 »

Lovely photo, and a fascinating story in that link.

I was given an Airfix kit of a Catalina when I was about 8, which I've almost finished, and developed a fascination for the type. I've never seen one in the flesh, although I have been to Catalina Island, a very nice place. I see that particular aircraft is now in Jersey, where it did four 9-minute flights after arrival from Duxford yesterday afternoon. Alas, I have prior appointments.


	Logged

Now, please!

Clan Line

Hero Member

Posts: 1064

Re: Very unusual aircraft

« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2025, 21:53:54 »

I lived in Eastleigh many moons ago, the controllers at that time were dab hands at getting unusual aircraft in the vicinity to do a fly by at the airport, it seems to current crew are following in that path ................


	Logged

CyclingSid

Data Manager
Hero Member

Posts: 2219

Hockley viaduct

Re: Very unusual aircraft

« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2025, 05:55:29 »

Might be connected to the recent death of the last WWII^▸ VC recipient https://www.forcesnews.com/heritage/wwii/last-surviving-ww2-vc-recipient-dies-aged-105-81-years-after-being-wounded-72-times

VC awarded for attacking and sinking a U-boat in the Norwegian Sea.


	Logged

TonyK

Global Moderator
Hero Member

Posts: 6699

The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!

Re: Very unusual aircraft

« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2025, 20:13:35 »

Either way, it's a very logical route for an aircraft that wasn't built for extremes of altitude or speed. Flightradar24 shows

[/url]

which avoids London airspace, keeps over land as much as possible, and staggering to the dizzying altitude of 2,200 feet for the bit over sea, to give as much room for handling emergencies as possible. Ironic really, given what it did in the Atlantic during WW2. I would guess that the circuit around Earley, near Reading, was because one of the crew has family there. There's a Squirrels Way inside that loop. Possibly similar near Warsash.


	Logged

Now, please!

Chris from Nailsea

Administrator
Hero Member

Posts: 20568

Re: Very unusual aircraft

« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2025, 22:39:54 »

Picking up on the "one of the crew has family there" ...

One of my cousins, 'J', was in the British Army, flying military helicopters out of a base in Cornwall. On one occasion, apparently, he landed the helicopter on a headland on the north Cornwall coast very near to where my uncle has a cottage, and he and his crew then strolled over to enjoy an afternoon tea with him - quite unannounced.

I probably shouldn't post this in public, but 'J' isn't in the Army now - he's a Captain on passenger airline flights in the far east.

CfN. Grin


« Last Edit: September 12, 2025, 22:52:15 by Chris from Nailsea »	Logged

William Huskisson MP^▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.

Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

Pages: [1]

« previous next »