PBY: The Catalina Flying Boat (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The greatest of all flying boats, the PBY Catalina, was one of the most versatile aircraft ever built. This definitive study, first published in 1985, pulls together in a single volume all of the aircraft's fascinating facts. The author carefully analyzes the PBY's dual use in the war as a plane of mercy and as a bomber, and he chronicles the flying boat's contributions in peacetime.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 351 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (January 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870215264
• ISBN-13: 978-0870215261
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,153 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, January 16, 2007

By	Robert Spear (Sarasota, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a retired PBY pilot. The account of the role of the Catalina during WW2 was well done. The narrative made me proud to have been a small part of it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable book on a remarkable airplane, January 6, 2008

By	Eric M. Wolf (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent book, very well researched and clearly and concisely written. If you are interested in PBYs and flying boats specificly or World War II military aircraft generally, I strongly recommend this book. Great for history of the development and use of the plane as well as great stories about the men who flew her and her various missions and roles, both in combat and in civilian use after the war.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, July 9, 2007

By	G. Beresford "NorthWriter" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this because my great-uncle flew these with the Canadians during WW2, and he died long before I became interested in my relatives' contributions to the war effort. Not only does it pay great tribute to the aircrew that flew the PBY variants during the war, but it also gives some fascinating history on early aviation, particularly the evolution of the flying boat.