PBY Catalina: My Grandfather at Age 26, WW2 over Tahiti

This is recently-discovered film of my grandfather flying in a PBY "Catalina" over Tahiti in 1942, when he was 26 years old. If you'd known him before he died at age 80 in 1996, you'd be pretty certain these were some of the happiest days of his life.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• grandfather
• WW2
• PBY
• Catalina
• airplane
• Tahiti
• 1942
• seaplane

[Sodiumreactor]

What is he wearing? 1942 was wartime. The PBY was a military aircraft. Whats up with that shirt? His hair looks long too for a military man. Any info on the mission he was on. Looks like maybe a camera hes running, as a civillian?

[spanishmackerel]

@Sodiumreactor Looks like some kind of t-shirt to me. I never asked him about it. There is also movie footage of him and his men diving naked from the wings of that plane at Bora Bora during the war. Hopefully soon I will post an article he wrote about that plane which has some info about his career and missions. I typed up the article for him when I was a kid and it was published in a magazine called Foundation in 1993. One of the many photos in the magazine shows Lt. Haber in full whites.

[PaleHearse]

God bless your grandfather. A wonderful tribute to a WWII aviator.

I hope you show the other footage as well one day. Seeing these wonderful birds in use always makes me smile.

[spanishmackerel]

@PaleHearse Hi, PaleHearse, thanks for your note, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I will release more footage eventually, plus an article he wrote a few years before he died about his love affair with this particular airplane.

[BurgerBoy405]

That is some great footage. My grandfather flew in PBYs over the Atlantic as a bombardier. How did you get the raw footage?

[spanishmackerel]

@BurgerBoy405 I guess he had the film reel tucked away in a drawer for about forty years, and then maybe around1990 he had it transferred to a VHS cassette. I don't know what happened to the original film. There is also footage on the cassette of he and the crew swimming nude during a stop at Bora Bora, where they dive off the wing into the sea.

[zack044042]

How great it is that you have this video to remember your grandfather! I lost my Father last year at 83 years old, he was a B 24 Pilot during WWII. I hope all those aviators who have left us get together up there and have great times! They truly are the greatest generation. Bless you

[EXAir113]

Even though that was such a short video and I've never met him, I feel like tearing up seeing how happy he is. Beautiful!

God Bless!

[JSKONEIII]

@Sodiumreactor I have several pics of my grandfather over there. My grandfather served in the pacific on a PBY too. They all had longer hair, and a casual look. Different times then.

[Code3forever]

I enjoyed this film as it reminded me of an old friend who was a Marine pilot in the Pacific during WW2. He flew Wildcats and later on, the Corsair. Like the DC 3, the Catalina was a tremendous asset during the war. The long endurance of the Catalina and the ability to carry cargo made it a valuable tool. Bearing in mind the Catalina would cruise around 160 mph or so, it was a target for Japanese fighters. Many Navy & Marine pilots owe their lives to the crews of the Catalina too.

[thomaswilmer]

You are blessed....the footage is like a time machine. How rare to see your grandfather in his prime!

[lst1195]

Cool. Thanks for sharing.

[waikikigun]

@dickwa Well, he was my grandpops, but yeah, I am very proud.

[dickwa]

Amazing video, thanks for sharing. It sometimes can be weird to think that old people were young at one time. Your pops was a brave man for America and you should be proud.