|
Description
| Manufacturer: | Consolidated |
| |
| Base model: | PB2Y | ||
| Designation: | PB2Y | ||
| Version: | -3 | ||
| Nickname: | Coronado | ||
| Designation System: | U.S. Navy / Marines | ||
| Designation Period: | 1935-1962 | ||
| Basic role: | Patrol Bomber | ||
| Crew: | 10 |
Specifications
| Length: | 79' 3" | 24.1 m | |
| Height: | 27' 6" | 8.3 m | |
| Wingspan: | 115' | 35.0 m | |
| Wingarea: | 1,780.0 sq ft | 165.3 sq m | |
| Empty Weight: | 40,935 lb | 18,564 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 68,000 lb | 30,839 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 4 | ||
| Powerplant: | Pratt & Whitney R-1830-88 | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 1200 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 1,490 miles | 2,399 km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 141 mph | 227 km/h | 122 kt |
| Max Speed: | 213 mph | 342 km/h | 184 kt |
| Ceiling: | 20,100 ft | 6,126 m | |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Gordon Johnston Taos, NM | My dad was a pilot and flew the PB2Y configured as a hospital plane. He always said that if they went down that all of the patients would drown since they were all in head to toe body casts.Since they were marked with red crosses they did not have any offensive armament.
He actually flew my uncle, also named George johnston, who was a marine that was wounded on Saipan (I think, maybe Iwo Jima), back to the states. He had no idea that his cousin was on the plane until he was watching them off loading the patients, and a body cast called his name. He also test piloted the JATO exhibition that was pictured in Life magazine at the end of the war. His co-pilot was Al Leslie of Washington State. Dad was from Staten Island, NY. At the end of the war everyone was hanging around waiting to be discharged, but he still had to have flight time. He loaded up his ground crew and all of their girlfriends (illegally)and went out for a joyride from Alameda.They spotted Lake Tahoe and he decided to land so that they could get some beer. All was great, until they tried to take off, and couldn't. He forgot about the altitude. Apparantly he went from one end of Tahoe to the other three times before they could take off. He says that it was the perspiration that he lost that lightened the load, although it was probably the fuel that he burned off. My mom was in the WAVES as an Aviation Storekeeper when they met at Alameda. They were married there at the end of the war. My Dad passed away about 8 years ago. 02/10/2008 @ 09:47 [ref: 19633] |
| Luanne Erial, NJ | My dad flew as a co-pilot and flight engineer during 1942-1946. he still has some of his journal with the names of the pilots he flew with. I am looking for these people to put together some sort of honor to them all especially my father. They are:
BR Smith R Britt Wl Sparks OL Smith Carroll Randell Ledyard Conchar Franetovich kuesseff Chiquilin My father also worked on the production of the counter to the zero right now i forget the name. Dad's name is Richard "Dick" Mackiewicz Thank you! 12/03/2007 @ 05:43 [ref: 18771] |
| Charles Jennings Lodi, CA | My dad was assigned to VR-2 from 1942-1945. He didn't talk much about what he did during the war, other than to say that he worked on aircraft ignition systems as AMM1/c. He said that he spent all of the war at NAS Alameda and served as flight engineer on training missions for new pilots out of Pensacola. He's no longer with us and I'm trying to find out more about what he did and the aircraft flown by VR-2. He spent the remainder of his life in the SF Bay Area and passed away in 1998. I haven't been able to find any photos of VR-2 aircraft or activities. I'd love to hear from you if you have any information to share. 04/02/2007 @ 00:17 [ref: 16070] |
| robert premil jr portage, IN | dear ref. 5450,
i was reading all the great info one the coronado when i saw your note.....my dad was in vr-2. he flew cornados and mariners. he is alive and well. im sure he would be interested in hearing from someone from vr-2. Bob Premil Jr. 03/21/2007 @ 04:52 [ref: 15983] |
| James Bliss Layton, UT | My father, Elton Gooding Bliss, flew Tail Gunner in a PB2Y-3 from 1942 to 1945. He was also an engine mechanic on the aircraft. He passed away in 2002, but told us lots of stories about his experiences over his lifetime. One of his best friends was a PBY pilot named Johnny Pollak.
Dad said that bouncing around in the tail would make him so motion sick that he threw up a lot. Elton did his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training in Chicago and then went to San Diego for specialized training. He got very good at hitting tow-targets, and trying to shoot close enough to the tow-plane to sever the trailing target. One time they shot a whale, but he wasn't very proud of that. He spent a lot of time at Kaneohe Bay on Oahu, and flew a lot of missions in the Pacific theater. Thanks for the nice website. It's fascinating to learn more about WWII and our nation's heroes. James Bliss 11/20/2006 @ 20:47 [ref: 14798] |
| Rich Michaud Dover, NH | My dad flew the PB2Y in WWII as well. He passed on over 10 years ago so I do not have a lot of information about the missions he flew but I do remember him telling me about how hard it was to get it off the water and that he had to rock it back and forth to break it free.
I am into RC airplanes and plan on building one in the future. Right now I am doing research on it to get as much details I can. If any knows where I can get a set of plans that would be great. I second everyone's comment, this is a cool site. Rich 02/02/2005 @ 15:36 [ref: 9341] |
| Tim and Meg Forsberg las vegas, NV | Douglas Twells, my father-inlaw was a pilot on Coronado Patrol Bombers, serving in the Pacific theater during World War II. He gave me some pictures and told me about some of his experiences. He talked about how this airplane could be a handfull to take-off on anything but the smoothest waters. You had to get the craft up to speed, then start "rocking" it back and forth to break its seal to the water. He flew combat patrols during the early years, dodging flak and zero fighters, and his one-and-only crash occurred while attempting to land in rough waters-- The tail broke off. The pictures he gave me reveal PB2Y Coronados in the typical dark blue and gray colors of the period. I've not found any pictures like those he gave me in any books. He is getting on in the years, and I'm wondering if there are any other Coronado aircrew/maintenance people out there. 12/11/2004 @ 23:06 [ref: 8844] |
| William J.\"Bill\" Bonville Grants Pass, OR | This aviation site took me back to WWII, when I was a flight engineer on the PB2Y, flying the -3 with VP-1 and, during the waning months of the war, the -5 with VP-4. Earlier I had flown the PBY-5 with VP-2.
Both were great airplanes! 11/10/2004 @ 23:58 [ref: 8600] |
| John , IL | Good site. I flew as a navigator in 2 by 3's and 5's from Alameda westward during WWII. Good ship. Range is shown as
1490. Route from Alameda to Honolulu was 2104 miles so we must have been pushing it somewhat. Intereted in hearing from shipmates at VR-2. 08/09/2002 @ 10:01 [ref: 5450] |
| unknown unknown, PA | Hi, this is a cool site, I've just been buzzin around lookin for facts on the PBYs "Specificly the PB2Y-3 Coronado. Looks like I found it. My Grandfather use to fly in the PB2-3 Coronado. I'm interview on WWII in English, I find it interesting. Well, gotta run, take some notes, I'm out!
Bye 01/08/2002 @ 22:34 [ref: 4024] |
Recent photos uploaded by our visitors
