Bob Hope & Catalina

[RB]

People that have travelled through PQQ previously may have noticed some mentions on Bob Hope and a flying mishap that he had while here. There is a local newspaper article re the 75th anniversary of the incident

75th anniversary of Bob Hope's crash landing in Laurieton | Wauchope Gazette

 

[FrankP]

Cool!
I’ll be through there in a few weeks, maybe the airport will have something interesting about it, given that they’re heavily renovating. Maybe it’ll make a quirky photo-distraction for them?

 

[cove]

My dad was a Catalina pilot so I have always been interested in that plane.

 

[RB]

Cool!
I’ll be through there in a few weeks, maybe the airport will have something interesting about it, given that they’re heavily renovating. Maybe it’ll make a quirky photo-distraction for them?

Think the display that used to be there was "enhanced". Don't recall anything when we were at PQQ in late May.

Bit more of a different report about the incident Forced landing of a Catalina in Camden Haven River, near Laurieton, New South Wales on 14 August 1944

 

[Antoallison]

My dad was a Catalina pilot so I have always been interested in that plane.

Cove - Was that at the US base on the Swan River ?

My Dad was in Coastal Command and flew in Sunderland Flying boats, crashed off Plymouth Sound.

 

[cove]

He was operating out of Townsville I believe mostly but did land on the Swan in Perth. They flew to New Guinea quite often. We do have his war journal somewhere downstairs....Mrscove would be able to find it I think as she will have it in some logical hidey hole from her logical librarian training.