ISSUE No 83 - SUMMER 2015 Thirty years ago this year, Plane Sailing Air Displays Ltd started operations with its first Catalina. Here she is over the Kent coast on February 20th 1985 at the end of the ferry flight from South Africa and inbound to RAF Manston. Soon afterwards she had been repainted in RAF colours and was flying all over Europe (see inside front cover) Arthur Gibson £1.75 (free to members) PHOTOPAGE Plane Sailing Air Displays Ltd operated its Wright Cyclone-powered 'Super Cat' between 1985 and 1998. This photograph was taken by a Royal Navy photographer in the vicinity of RNAS Portland in Dorset during an event there and before the aircraft had blister turrets placed back on the rear hull. It was painted to represent the RAF Catalina JV928/Y of 210 Squadron as flown by Flt Lt John Cruickshank when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Later, it was repainted in RCAF colours as 9754/P to represent the other Catalina VC holder David Hornell, its Captain. Whilst with Plane Sailing', this Catalina was registered as G-BLSC and then VR-BPS and VP-BPS RNAS Portland 2 ISSUE No 83 - SUMMER 2015 EDITORIAL ADDRESSES Editor Membership & Subs Production Advisor David Legg Trevor Birch Russell Mason 4 Squires Close The Catalina Society 6 Lower Village Road Crawley Down Duxford Airfield Sunninghill Crawley Cambs Ascot West Sussex CB22 4QR Berkshire RHI0 4JQ ENGLAND SL5 7AU ENGLAND ENGLAND Editor:
[email protected] Web Site: www.catalina.org.uk Webmaster: Mike Pinder Operations Web Site: www.catalinabookings.org The Catalina News is published twice a year by the Catalina Society and is for private circulation only within the membership of the Society and interested parties, copyright of The Catalina Society with all rights reserved.