“What is that?”
My student and I were on downwind to Runway 16 at Pierce County/Thun Field (KPLU) in Puyallup, Wash., when he uttered this phrase. “It looks like something out of World War II!” he exclaimed as we saw the high-wing boat-hulled aircraft make its final approach.
And he is right. The “that” in question is a 1945 PBY, an amphibious Patrol Bomber (the PB) built by Consolidated Aircraft. During their military service, many of the PBYs were used for patrol and to rescue sailors and aviators from the ocean. Many were kept in the military until the 1980s, then released to become water bombers for fire fighting.
This particular PBY belongs to Bud Rude of Spanaway, Wash., and it’s set to star in a movie with Nicolas Cage about the rescue of sailors from the USS Indianapolis during World War II.
The USS Indianapolis was the ship that delivered the atomic bomb to the island of Tinian. It was on the way home between Guam and Leyte Gulf when it was torpedoed in the dead of night by a Japanese submarine and sunk. Approximately 900 of the 1,196 men aboard went into the sea. Very few life rafts were launched, but most of the survivors had lifejackets.
Because the delivery of the bomb had been a top secret mission, the location of the ship was not readily available — even to the Navy — so rescue was delayed. The men became easy prey for sharks.
The survivors were spotted by accident by Lt. Wilbur C. Gwinn, who was flying a PV-1 Ventura bomber on routine patrol and reported seeing many men in the water. A PBY under the command of Lieutenant Adrian Marks was dispatched to lend assistance and report.
When Marks’ crew dropped life rafts and supplies to the men in the water, they saw the sharks attacking the men. Marks decided to violate the standing order not to put down at sea. He landed the large seaplane and began bringing survivors aboard. Those who couldn’t fit into the hull he had strapped to the wings with parachute chord. Marks’ PBY remained on the surface of the water until a ship, the USS Cecil Doyle, came to pick them up. A total of 56 men were saved. Marks was very nearly court-martialed for violating the standing order.
The sinking of the Indianapolis and the rescue were lost in the pages of history until 1975, when Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster movie “Jaws” came out. The shark hunter in the movie, a man named Quint, was a survivor of the USS Indianapolis. In the movie, he explains his hatred of sharks stems from that experience.
That experience will soon be captured in a major motion picture, “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage,” which will begin shooting soon in South Carolina. Cage has been cast as Capt. Charles Butler McVay, captain of the Indianapolis. The movie, directed by Mario Van Peebles, is set for release on Memorial Day 2016.
The PBY that will star in the film is being readied for its trip across the country by father-son team John and Kevin Schell. The airplane is undergoing annual inspection.
John Schell notes that this particular PBY came out later in the war, at the end of the production run.
“I imagine it kicked around the country for awhile before they turned it into a water bomber and that was 20 some years ago,” he said. “The airplane is still certified as a water bomber.”
Schell, who has been involved in aviation since the early 1950s, holds several pilot certificates including type ratings. “I also have an A&E certificate. When I went to school, you got an A&E certificate, now they call them A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) certificates.” He also has an IA, so he can sign off the work.
He’s worked with his son on several large aircraft annuals and restoration projects over the years, but this is the first PBY they have worked on — and it appears to be the first one that many people have seen in person, judging by the amount of attention it has been getting since arriving at the airport, which is located about 20 miles south of Seattle.
“We should be charging admission of 25 cents! We’d be millionaires by now,” says the elder Schell.
While the size is the most attention-grabbing aspect of the project, Schell says that doesn’t intimidate him or his son.
“I had a DC-3 that I resurrected some years ago,” he recalled. “That project was similar to this one. They are just airplanes, although they may seem gigantic. You just have more of it than you do the smaller ones!”
Kevin Schell noted that most of the restoration to battle-ready status, such as the addition of gun turrets, will likely be done by Hollywood.
“I am sure they are going to use Computer Graphic Imagery or CGI for that,” he said.
For the project, the Schells have the help of a small group of students from the Airframe and Powerplant program at Clover Park Technical College, which is located directly across the runway from the Schell hangar.
“We did not go looking for help,” John Schell notes. “Some of the kids came over here and asked if they could volunteer to work on it and I said no, I am going to pay you. They are under contact to me.”
Five students are working on the project, doing everything from stripping paint and degreasing the airframe to finishing floorboards.
“I plan to make my living doing aircraft restoration, so this is an incredible opportunity for me,” explains Josh Kaiser, a second-year student in the A&P program. “We work on it outside of class time.”
“I’m very excited to be working in this,” said David Major as he masked off the instrument panel for painting. “It’s very satisfying to know I worked on something this old. I’m looking forward to seeing it in the movie.”
The Schells are happy to have the young helpers working with them, because not only does it get the job done quicker, but it’s also a way to reach the next generation.
“Most of these kids’ parents weren’t even born when World War II was going on and these kids don’t even know what these airplanes were,” John Schell explains.
The plan is to have the airplane’s annual finished by May.
“We are working six days a week,” Kevin Schell said. “We will be burning the midnight oil.”
“It is airworthy now,” the elder Schell notes. “We’re now working on the cosmetic aspect of it.”
When the airplane is finished, it will leave Washington state to be repainted in the colors of Marks’ PBY, then it heads to South Carolina for filming.
Hello Craig and Fred.
Great to see N85U last sunday.
She looks ready to go!!
Greetings, Heijo
Hats off to John and Kevin. The Cat has always been a favorite of mine. I remember one at Oakland many years ago it was a flying yaught. Best of luck to all working with this bird.
Wonderful article about the PBY being in the USS Indianapolis movie. A couple of clarifications for you. The Indianapolis was delivering components for the atomic bomb. Not the entire bomb. Other key bomb pieces were flown there. The Indianapolis was not returning home after dropping off the bomb components. After the Indianapolis delivered the components, it was ordered to join a fleet exercise off the coast of Japan for a possible invasion. Regardless, the secrecy of the mission and the failure of the orders to be received by the fleet, among other errors, no one knew whereabouts of the Indianapolis. The PBY was not airworthy after the rescue. It had to be sent to the bottom of the Pacific.
Meg, please tell the operator that the C of A needs to be changed from Restricted Category: ‘Fire Fighting’ to “Experimental Exhibition’, with all the WWII wares installed, as the current purpose will be invalid for Restricted certificate.
Contact Seattle FSDO or the MIDO. Here in SoCal when you use an aircraft without benefit of the correct certificate it can be grounded early in the program and the owner/operators will lose out.
CJ , Thanks for your advice, however like most of what you read on the internet it is unfounded and opinionated from people misinformed.This is how rumors get started and at least this coward could sign HIS Name. This comment comes from an ignorant source that assumes that we have no idea what we are doing, This is not my first rodeo. This person that has assumed the position of Certificate Police does not know just a few things, just for the record
Exemption No. 10407
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20591
In the matter of the petition of
FLYING FIREMAN, INC. Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2011-1032
Shape for an exemption from § 91.313(a) and (e) of Title 14, Code of
Federal Regulations
GRANT OF EXEMPTION
By letter dated September 19, 2011, Mr. Noel Rude, President, Flying Fireman, Inc. (FF),
26117 34th Avenue East, Spanaway, Washington 98387 petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on behalf of FF for an exemption from § 91.313(a) and(e) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). The proposed exemption, if granted, would allow operation of a restricted category aircraft in airshows or publicly recognized and
Government/industry-sponsored events. Additionally, the proposed exemption, if granted, would allow FF to reposition N85U to and from airshows or publicly recognized and Government/industry-sponsored events over densely populated areas, in a congested airway, or near busy airports where passenger transport operations are conducted.
The petitioner requests relief from the following regulations:
Section 91.313(a) prescribes, in pertinent part, that (a) No person may operate a restricted category civil aircraft – (1) for other than the special purpose for which it is certificated; or (2) in an operation other than one necessary to accomplish the work activity directly associated with that special purpose.
Section 91.313(e) prescribes, in pertinent part, that (e) Except when operating in accordance with the terms and conditions of a certificate of waiver or special operating limitations issued by the Administrator, no person may operate a restricted category civil aircraft within the United States— (1) Over a densely populated area; (2) In a congested airway; or (3) Near a busy airport where passenger transport operations are conducted.
This PBY has been given status of “living History of Flight”
And no it wasn’t just knocking around after the war, I have pictures from 1959 Rosenbalm Aviation, Medford Oregon This PBY actively bombed fires for over 50yrs.
So there in California micro manage your own stuff, ? The right stuff,The wrong stuff and No stuff apparently This CJ has no Stuff .
Cheeers
Craig Haws
Hello Craig Haws,
We are in the planning stages of a PBY event in 2017 and would like to see you there. Here is our website:
http://2017catalinameet.org/
Please send us some contact details so we can talk.
Best regards
Kai Hansen
Great article, as far as it goes. But, sadly, not a word about Fred Owen & Craig Hawes. These men have maintained & flown this particular PBY for over a decade. Fred is a high-time pilot, with over 40,000 logged hours. Craig is an ex- navy flyer, also with thousands of hours. These two men have logged many hundreds of hours
in this very plane, fighting fires and attending
historic aircraft events. Fred will ferry the plane cross-country, and fly it in the movie.
These two gentlemen also successfully spearheaded historical and technical research, when certain misguided FAA bureaucrats tried to permanently ground all PBY’s.
Let’s give accolades where they are due.
Were it not for these men, this PBY, and all others in the U.S., would not be flying today.
Do you know where I can contact Fred Owen & Craig Hawes? Thank you
Great article, Meg! Thanks for giving us something to look forward to! Always ready for a good WWII movie. The crew of the U.S.S. Indianapolis really deserve our respect for their service and sacrifice.
Ray
There is an excellent book about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis: “In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Tale of Its Survivors” by Doug Stanton.
This airplane was parked near my hangar at Arlington for several years. I sure it comes back when they are finished movieing with it.
Hello,
Could you supply me with some contact information about the owner of this aircraft. We would like them to attend our 2017 event.
Thank you
Kai Hansen