Consolidated PBY Canso

One of the most successful Canadian Aircraft built under license, the Canso patrolled Canada's coastline in an anti-submarine role during the Second World War and was often successful against German U-Boats. F/L David Hornell received the Victoria Cross for his actions after engaging a German U-Boat in the North Sea with one of these Aircraft.
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Canso 9771 was one of 224 on strength with the RCAF from 25 August, 1941 to 26 April, 1962, although '771 was struck off strength on 21 December, 1944, well in advance of the retirement of the fleet. '771 served with 160 Bomber Reconnaisance Squadron which was formed on Sea Island, British Columbia and the moved to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and from there to Torbay, Newfoundland. Originally constructed by the Convair plant at San Diego, Califonia, before production ceased, four more plants were turning out the flying boats, two of them in Canada (Boeing at Vancouver, British Columbia and Canadian Vickers at Montreal, Quebec), making the grand total of Catalina variants built almost 4,000 - believed to be the largest total for any flying boat design in the world.
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Early during the Second World War 14 amphibian versions of the Consolidated Catalina flying boat, known to the RAF as Catalina IAs, but dubbed the Canso in RCAF service, were purchased direct from the USA, while arrangements were made both for the PBY-5 flying boat and the -5A amphibian to be built by Boeing of Canada and Canadian Vickers. All 30 Catalinas on strength with RCAF were struck off strength in 1946 while the fleet of 242 Cansos was not similarly retired until 1962. JATO (jet assisted take-off) trials in the RCAF originally took place in the early '50s in an attempt to determine the feasabilty for various Aircraft of shortening take-off space requirements by attaching jets to the airframe of the Aircraft.
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After the RAF, the RCAF was the next biggest user of the PBY Catalina, operating thirteen squadrons; five on the west coast, six on the east coast, and two overseas. Later Catalinas ordered by the RCAF and built to RCAF specifications were called Cansos, and during early 1942 Canadian Vickers began delivery of its first batch of Canso flying boats for the RCAF. When production ceased on 19 May, 1945, Canadian Vickers had built 369 Aircraft of this type, of which the RCAF had received 139. After the war, all of the Catalinas and most of the Cansos were struck off strength, only about 40 Cansos remaining on active service mostly on Search and Rescue flights and on survey transport duties.
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