Place of Birth - "The Black Pelican"
"The "Black Pelican" is of course Catalina EC-FMC. She was manufactured at the Consolidated works at Lake Ponchartrain, New Orleans, in 1945. Here is a picture of the factory from the 1940s.
The U.S. Naval Air Station, 1948 (which would make way in the not too distant future for Louisiana State University at New Orleans, now the University of New Orleans) and, above it, Pontchartrain Beach. During World War II, the long factory building above Pontchartrain Beach at Franklin Avenue housed Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Co., which built seaplanes. By 1948 the facility had been converted to private industrial use. Today, the Levee Board occupies the property.
That was then, this is now...according to google earth.
Five intensive days in September
The goal for this trip was to get the tank hatches back on, and sealed and to have the
fabric covered surfaces made airworty again.
This was easily accoplished by this wonderful team of professional supporters that devoted their time.
By puttin in more than 10 hrs a day we got roughly 400hrs of work done.
Next trip will be 27/9-2/10, hopefully we will get the engines fitted by then and can start the engine runs within an mont or two.
On the picture above is the new hangar for the Swedish Airforce Museum beeing constructed as we pass by on our way home. It will be inagurated on the 12 of June 2010. Our goal is to have our aircrat ready until then.
Screws galore! All fitted before being torqued.
Stoffe adjusting a piece of Ceconite before fiting it.
Norm Mackay and David Short from OZ.
Thanks for passing by lads and good luck on your epic flight!
Mike neraing completion of the tanks
Everybody couldn´t fit in the tent
Fuel filter and water do not go well together
Tank hatches about ready to go back on
Preparing for a day in the heat
View rearward behind the pedals
Instrument panel behind the pilots.
Here Kim, Stoffe,Mike Me, Stone, Markus, Tobias, Roth Norm, Peter and Dave are seen posing.
The sister plane of EC-FMC, EC-EVK has been sold to The Quantas Foundation. The engineering crew on that aircraft paid us a visit for a "barbie" on sunday evening.
Mike is eager to go for a ride!
Roth and Tobias adjusting the Nitrogen pressure in the oleos
Michael Astrom is normally Technician / Engineer on an other Consollidated aircraft, the G4
but i think her prefers vaccuming the tanks on a cat when temperatures reches 50 degrees C
Markus Hoffer, busy cleaning tha tanks
One more additional person on this trip was Chris Soeteman who, when not busy as a captain
flying for a big duch company, flies the Dutch PH-PBY. We also go valuable help from Aneta from Poland that wanted ho give us a helping hand.
The day after our workforce was reinforced by no less than five fresh aircrafttechnicians
from ALG (See link) Here seen relaxing after a hard first day in the Spanish sun.
So, finally back after a lot of struggle to get everything ready for this trip.
Me, Chris, Mike, Markus havig dinner in the warm Spanish night undeer the wing of our Cat-
Shiny, shiny...
"Shiny" rudder, newly covered...
Micke Å looks at his work. The tanks are now in place. Well done!
The Cat-struggle goes on...
Keep the good work up, lads!
Working hard under the burning Spanish sun
Stoffe, Micke, Markus and Alexander are all working hard under the burning Spanish sun. The plan is to get the tanks, fabric and most of the hoses done this time.
I have been promised that the props and engines will be installed and ready to run by the end of the month.
