Frigate Bird II; An Extraordinary Wandering Cat.
Suspended from the ceiling of Sydney's Powerhouse Museum is Boeing PB2B-2 Catalina VH-ASA named Frigate Bird II; like the species of creature it's named after, this particular airborne wanderer made an extraordinarily lengthy aerial journey; across the Pacific Ocean between Australia and Chile in 1951. Built by Boeing Aircraft in Vancouver, Canada in 1945 as JX630 for the Royal Air Force, the Catalina was assigned to the Royal Australian Air Force as A24-385. After disposal from the RAAF, it was bought by Patrick Gordon Taylor in August 1950. Taylor began his Chilean flight in the almost stock ex-RAAF machine on 14 March 1951, stopping along the way at Noumea, New Caledonia, RNZAF Station Lauthala Bay at Suva, Fiji, Satapuala on Upolu Island, Samoa, Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Papeetee and Magareva in Tahiti, and Easter Islandand arriving at Valparaiso on the 27th March. A route proving flight, Captain Taylor and his crew of four, Capt George Henry ‘Harry’ Purvis, First Officer, Flying Officers Angus Allison as radio operator and bowman, Eugene Dennis ‘Blue’ L'Hullier, engineer and Jack Percival, Sydney Morning Herald journalist and Executive Officer, demonstrated exceptional navigation skills and endurance during the lengthy journey, departing Valparaiso on 6 April and arriving in Brisbane on the 20th via the same route. The pioneering flight was the first of its kind between the two countries. Withdrawn from use in 1954, in 1961, with a keen sense of his historic achievement, Taylor kindly donated the aircraft to the Museum of Applied Arts and Science. Occupying the derelict Ultimo power station in 1988, MAAS's flagship installation was named The Powerhouse Museum, which opened up display opportunities for the museum's larger items, such as the Catalina. Flying high above the heads of visitors in the old turbine hall, Frigate Bird II makes a dramatic impression, dominating the space within the hall. Click on the image to go to Frigate Bird II's walkaround page.
