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The Consolidated PBY Catalina, also known
as the Canso in Canadian service, was an American flying boat, and later
an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated
Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II.
Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the
air forces and navies of many other nations.
During World War II, PBYs were used in
anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue
missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most
numerous aircraft of its kind and the last active military PBYs were not
retired from service until the 1980s. In 2014, nearly 80 years after its first
flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial
firefighting operations all over the world.
