Corgi AA36113 Aviation Archive

Corgi Aviation Archive series AA36113 is a 1/72 scale diecast model of the Consolidated OA-10A (OA: Observation/Amphibian) Catalina, USAAF designation for the PBY-5A, named “Miss Pick Up”, serial number 44-33915 of the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron (5th ERS), United States Army Air Force (USAAF), Europe, Circa 1945.

5th ERS, USAAF

Established in May 1944 as Detachment “B” of the 65th Fighter Wing, 8th Air Force, the unit was later redesignated as the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron when it moved to Halesworth to accommodate its newly assigned Catalinas. The squadron operated P-47 Thunderbolts, OA-10 Catalinas, and B-17 Fortresses, all equipped with lifeboats for air-sea rescue operations.

Consolidated PBY Catalina

The Consolidated PBY Catalina is an American twin-engine flying boat and amphibious aircraft. It was designed for the US Navy as a maritime patrol and bomber, making its first flight on March 28, 1935, and entering service in 1936 with VP-6 and VP-11 squadrons. Known as the OA-10 in US Air Force service, the British Commonwealth called it the Catalina, and Canadians called it the Canso.

The US military withdrew the flying boat variants from service after WWII, but the amphibious variants remained in service until the 1980s. Over 3,000 airframes were built, with production ending in 1945, including models manufactured under license in Canada and the USSR.

The flight crew typically consists of two pilots, a flight engineer, a radio operator, a navigator, a radar operator, and four gunners. The flight engineer’s station is in the wing pylon between the engines.

The PBY-5 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, with one engine mounted on each wing, driving three-bladed constant-speed propellers. Its armament includes five machine guns: two in the nose turret, one in a ventral hatch in the tail, and one in each waist blister. Additionally, underwing racks can carry up to 1,814 kg (4,000 lb) of stores.