Consolidated PBY Catalina

The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (United States Navy designation), is an American flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA-10 and in Canadian service as the Canso, and it later received the NATO reporting name Mop. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces as well as in the air forces and navies of many other nations.

The Catalina originated in 1933 through a United States Navy (USN) requirement for a patrol bomber seaplane capable of traversing substantial distances across open ocean to disrupt enemy supply lines. Consolidated responded with the Model 28, a prototype of which being ordered as the XP3Y-1. On 21 March 1935, the XP3Y-1 made its maiden flight; service trials commenced soon thereafter. It was rebuilt with more powerful engines and a new tail unit to become the XPBY-1. Production Catalinas were first delivered to the USN in October 1936; that same year, a first of several additional production orders was received. During the late 1930s, the type became a key element of the USN's long-distance logistics across the Pacific region. In 1939, production of the Catalina was restarted by Consolidated.