80 years, a tribute to the PBY Catalina

I had high hopes for this book giving more insight into my father's experiences in WWII as a PBY pilot and instructor. I was not disappointed. Hans did an excellent job fleshing out the uses of the bird during WWII with multiple air forces around the world, as well as how and why the PBY came to be built. After that section, he went into great detail about the many operators of the PBY post-war. The stories of the Catalina Odyssey, where the plane was used to carry passengers along and across the Atlantic Ocean, put me in the cabin more than any other PBY book or story ever has. The last section of the book goes into great detail as to the whereabouts and usability of the airframes still in existence worldwide. It is a marvelous book with over 400 photos, an absolute must for the airboat aficionado's library, let alone a PBY Catalina junkie.

I was so excited to order this book, even after a years delay in publication. There is a lot of information in this book, but I wanted more... More stories, more wreck to restoration stories, more where are they now stories, more wartime interior shots. While I am thankful for the hard work producing this book, I expected a book twice to four times as large, a true coffee table book. I still want to purchase the companion book on DC-3s.

The book was a 'must have' for me. My father-in-law was stationed at Kaneohe Bay where he commanded a squadron of PBYs. On December 7, 1941 each of his PBYs were either damaged or destroyed in the Japanese raid. The action packed picture of the damaged PBY on p.27 is undoubtedly one of his. The book is an excellent read for anyone with an interest in PBY history.

Wiesman's tribute to the PBY Catalina is a must-have for anyone interested in the military and civilian history of these planes. The photos are beautiful, the stories deeply researched and fascinating, and the overall presentation excellent.

An excellent book. Great stories and many interesting historical facts along with hundreds of photos. A must read for PBY lovers !!😉😉😊😊

As an active sponsor of the Dutch Catalina Association and son of a former Catalina pilot I particularly appreciated this book for its many divers illustrations.

The book is packed with pictures, relevant narrative and has a truly around-the -world perspective from the beginning of the plane's history to the present. Hans tells the complete story of the iconic PBY. Exceptionally well done and complete!The Best!

The book was advertised as an all-color tribute to the PBY Catalina. The first half of the book was good, with plenty of pictures. However, the emphasis seems to be on the post-war use of the PBY, mostly after military service. However, the last half of the book was a "travelogue-" type treatment of ONE PBY on a round the world trip. Again, nice pictures, but I thought too much emphasis on this one airplane's "travel". If you want a (very) general book on the PBY, this might be OK, but for the price, I wish I would have passed.I would have given this book 2-1/2 stars, had it been allowed. 3 stars too high and 2 stars too low.

A magnificent tribute to the Catalina in peace and war. Superb photographs throughout, with interesting and relevant captions. Quite an expensive publication, but nevertheless excellent value for money

This book is really stunning. as It just came in, I have not fully read it yet but looking through it, the beautiful quality of both print and photos immediately stands out. The photos give an outstanding overview of all facets of aviation the Catalina has been involved in. Looking forward to read the accompanying stories. Highly recommended!

Book is good and as expected, however it was poorly packaged by Amazon. Book was loose in box and lucky not to be damaged.

Not many left who flew them but families with a Catalina history would love this book that has been lovingly created

I loved the entire book. I bought it for myself as the Catalina is one of my favourite plane and I met my partner at a Catalina meeting, so it has personal meaning to me. The book is a good mix of modern and old images of the plane with clear descriptions and historical notes, which add depth to the information.