Single engine Catalina (humour)

[pbfoot]

I just finished reading Don McVicar's personal recollections of being a Ferry Command pilot
He is sitting having a few drinks getting ready to cross the Atlantic from Florida to Gibraltar his check out was fairly brief and he meets a well qualified Cat pilot so he wants to pick his brain
"You want to know all about Cats " He swished his drink around "Well since your both nice guys I'll tell you" Wilson and I both leaned forward . This is what he told us . he concentrated on single engine emergency.
"If your gross weight is below 28000lbs, and
If you got the bad engine feathered OK, and
if you aren't carrying any ice and
if you have no external stores like torpedos or depth charges and
ifyou got no fancy radar antennas hanging on the wing and
if the wing tip floats are retracted and
if you can get Maximum Except take Off Powerfrom the good engine and
if the air isn't to turbulent you just might be able to maintain 2000ft above sea level indicating a weak 85 knots
if the good engine keeps going it'll burn 134 gal per hour and
if your navigator happens to know where you really are and if you can get down somewhere close by , why then you haven't got a thing in the world to worry about".
He knocked off his drink .
Finally Wilson spoke up ""you know skipper we won't be down to 28000lbs til we're 15 hours out"
McVicar made over 40 deliveries Hudsons, B25's 17's 24's 26's Baltimores A20's Venturas Mosquitos and returned several times in Hampdens. Much of his early work was opening up the Great Circle route through the Arctic

[vikingBerserker]

Nice

[Vic Balshaw]

Good one.

[Airframes]

Good tale.

[Gnomey]

Good one