by Diana Trafford | Aug 4, 2021 | Consolidated Catalina, Flying boat, Gander, RAF Transport Command
The Royal Air Force Transport Command (RAFTC), formerly Ferry Command, faced one of its toughest jobs in the spring of 1944 – to diplomatically help Russian aircrews ferry four dozen PBN-1 Nomads from the eastern seaboard of the United States to Murmansk. There...
by Diana Trafford | Jul 29, 2021 | Consolidated Catalina, Flying boat, Gander, RAF Transport Command
Background In 1944, a total of 138 PBN-1 Nomads were made available to the U.S.S.R. by the United States under its Lend-Lease program. Of these, 48 were destined for Russia’s Northern Fleet (Bu numbers 02795 to 02856). An improved version of Consolidated...
by Diana Trafford | Mar 31, 2021 | Genealogy
Searching for a pub in Yorkshire is something like looking for a needle in a haystack. Would you believe there were 3,700 pubs in the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2019? [1] At least I had narrowed it down. I knew that I was looking for a pub in the...
by Diana Trafford | Mar 11, 2021 | 45 Group, Ferry Command, RAF Transport Command
In February 2021, one of the few remaining members of RAF Ferry Command passed away. Peter Maitland was 96. He joined the RCAF in 1942. In October 1943, he was assigned to 45 Group of RAF Transport Command, the successor to Ferry Command. At the age of 19, he was...
by Diana Trafford | Jan 29, 2021 | Howard Watt, Quebec aviation
It was Uncle Howard’s last flight. He loved every minute of it. Howard Watt had flown everything from Curtiss JN-4 Canadian “Jennies” to four-engine Liberator wartime transports during his three decades in commercial aviation and RAF Ferry Command. To fly in a...
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