“The PBY Catalina wasn’t fast, and it wasn’t sleek—but to the men stranded at sea, it was the most beautiful aircraft in the world.” In this heartfelt moment from The Ready Room Podcast, Lieutenant Commander Clyde “Cash” Barber describes what the PBY meant to those it rescued across the vast Pacific. Often operating in hostile waters, the Catalina flew long hours with dedicated crews who brought wounded airmen and sailors back to safety. For those clinging to life in life rafts, the sight of a C

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina | Military Aviation Museum