CATALINA ARRIVES AT OHAKEA

Chronicle (Levin), 18 April 1947, Page 3

CATALINA ARRIVES AT OHAKEA

fhtst visit or amphibious type to district Tho lirst innplnbious Catalina to ba sccii in the Mauauatu district landetl : at Ohakea air station at 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday at'ter a HLliour trip from Ualinnines, just north of Svdney, Australia. It was an aircraft of the lloval Australian Air Force and " earried (rroup Oaptain Dale, D.S.O., who has eome to New Zealand for liaison discussiou with New Zealand Air Foree authoviti.es. Although most New Zealanders are t'amiliar witii the "Cat, " as it is J affeetionately known to flving erews, j the amphibious type is rarely seeu. haviug only been used in the Pacitie and Ai'ctie regions, and usuaJlv by Ainerican erews. Many members of the R.N.Z.A.F. stationed at Ohakea were attaehed to non-amphibious Catalina units in the Pacifle and they showed great interest in tlie amphibious machiue when it landed. The P.N.Z.A.F. used Oataliuas maiuly 011 auti-subinarine patrol work and bases were establislred at Lauthala Bay (Fijii and the Segond Ohannel in the New Ilebrides. Feeder services were also •maintained to the Gilbert and Fllice Is hinds and a 'small unit was l'ater based at Funafiti i'n the Ellice group. New Zealand erews ferried Catalina aircraft .from San Diego, California, and other American west coast centres, to New Zealand. It was in a Catalina aircraft that Squadron Leader R. B. L MacGregor, the hrst commanding offi.ee v of.the £rst

R.N.Z.A.F. Catalina Squadron. won his D.F.C. for an outstanding rescue mission in the open sea near Tonga aftcr an American ship had been torpedoed by a submarine. It was also in a Catalina aircraft that Squadron Leader MacGregor lost his life while on a routine flight to New Zealand from Fiji. Despite an original plan iinally to convert its Catalina squadrons to the amphibious type of machines, the Air Department uever did make the ehange. .Certain advantages of the straight-out flying boat design such as greater range, a slightly higher critisiiig speed, and more room inside the fnselage coupled with less weight, made the nonamphibious Catalina more suited to

the purpose for whieli it was assigned in the R.N.Z.A.F. field of operatious. The aircraft is to leavo Ohakea 011 the return journey on Sunday. - — » ' 1