Yolo float plane - Early 80's

[Kiwi55 0]

Does any one remember a large float plane out at Yolo in the early 80's.
It was there being worked on for several years. The only time I saw it fly in landed on the runway with the gear up.

My memory tells me it was 4 engined but I could be wrong (may have been a Catalina).
Anyone know for sure what it was??

[377 21]

Didnt see the plane but your confusion about 4 or 2 engines and a Catalina brings this plane to mind:http://www.airbum.com/articles/ArticleBirdPBY.html

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[gjhdiver 0]

Quote

Does any one remember a large float plane out at Yolo in the early 80's.
It was there being worked on for several years. The only time I saw it fly in landed on the runway with the gear up.

My memory tells me it was 4 engined but I could be wrong (may have been a Catalina).
Anyone know for sure what it was??

It wasn't a Catalina. I was there that day when it landed on the grass beside the runway with the gear up. It was an Albatross if I remember correctly.

[Hammitt 0]

Yes indeed it was a four engine Catalina, not an Albatros. It's probably the same plane that 377 refers to in his link. I remember someone saying at the time that it was the only four engine Catalina in the world. I wasn't there the day it did it's gear up landing, but they hauled it out of there sometime shortly thereafter. This would have been in the late 70's I believe. At that time I was jumping mainly at Pope Valley. Since I was coming from Sacramento, I would sometimes stop at Yolo on the way and make a couple of jumps.

[hangdiver 1]

I am not sure what kind of airplane it was but I believe it was a modified Albatross, owned by the state of California to watch whales. I was there that day and remember it well. It was piloted by an FAA pilot to check it out after repairs. It lost one of it's four engines on take off to the north and flew a RH pattern through the dropzone trailing black smoke. On final someone pointed out the nose gear wasn't down. It touched down on the runway, the pilot held the nose gear off as long as he could. I'll never forget the trail of orange burning aluminum when the nose finally came down. It slid for awhile in a shower of sparks when I think the starboard main gear collapsed. More sparks. When it came to a stop I saw four people IIRC crawl out of different hatches and doors scratching their heads. By the way, it was after Pope closed. I jumped out of the DC-3 champagne flight at Pope Valley with the kitchen girls. Bill Dause told me no students that last weekend. I snagged a rental PC and hid it so I could jump that last weekend. I borrowed chest reserves and boots to jump. Jump #12 5-3-80 first two way and first pin. Jump #15 5-4-80 Last load at PV DC-3 formation for 40 way. After champagne did three way with Cherry Holmes and Ann Bell from 10,500. It was Norton who made the last jump at Pope Valley as they were leaving. FWIW

"Mans got to know his limitations"
Harry Callahan

[headoverheels 328]

Amphibian, not float plane.

Sounds like maybe there have been two. I was there the same day as Gareth, feels like about 10 years ago. That one had one main gear stuck down (IIRC), so it couldn't land on water (lake Berryessa) either. The piliot/owner had his 10 year old grandson with him.

I don't find a reference on the NTSB accident database.

[Hammitt 0]

I could be wrong about the date, but I will still lay you odds that is was a Catalina and not an Albatros.

[hangdiver 1]

You may be correct about it being a Catalina. After looking at the pictures that may well have been the aircraft. I don't know the exact date because I didn't make a jump due to the runway obstruction, so it doesn't show up in my log book. I will say with certainty it was the summer of 1980.

"Mans got to know his limitations"
Harry Callahan

[377 21]

Quote

Didnt see the plane but your confusion about 4 or 2 engines and a Catalina brings this plane to mind:http://www.airbum.com/articles/ArticleBirdPBY.html

In 1997 the latest owner restored the aircraft back to PBY-5A standard. No more four engined PBY CAT.

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[Kiwi55 0]

My memory tells me it looked just like the 4 engine cataline referenced above.

I was there that day and I remember the sparks flying as described.

I thought it had been at Yolo for several months at least before that flight.

I dont have my logbook with me but I'm pretty sure it was laster than 1979. I moved to the US in 79 and jumped at Pope for a few weeks and then at Livermore for nearly a year before moving on to Yolo (and later Lodi).
...Paul

[riggerrob 598]

If you want to be picky, Catalinas and Albatross are amphibious flying boats.

Amphibious because they can land (repeatedly) on water or land.

Flying boats because their primary flotation is a large boat-shaped fuselage.

On the other hand, most float planes were manufactured as land planes, then modified by bolting on two, after-market floats (aka. pontoons).