Tag Archives: sheet metal

CREATING THE PERFECT AIRPLANE

 pby-5_catalina

Soon I plan to deposit on this website the story of Isaac Machlin Laddon and his superb creation the
PBY Catalina flying boat.

In 1934 he obtained with this airplane form that was perfect­ly matched to function.
He was so happy with it (rightly so), that he patented its shape, like Coca Cola had done with its bottle. Especially pleasing to the eye was the mounting of the high parasol wing on the fish-like hull. An original supporting structure was used; its origin puzzled the experts.

 Roscoe Creed wrote:  “…Laddon’s choices were:
–  to use struts to mount the wing as before,
–  or resort to a deep hull with a shoulder-mounted wing,
–  or a less deep hull with a gull-wing,
–  or set the wing on a pylon…
Just how and when Laddon came up with the pylon idea nobody knows…”

The article that I will be posting shortly under ‘PBY CATALINA’ pretends to give the answer.

THE RORBACH ARCHIVES additions

300px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-12156,_Wasserflugzeug_mit_SegelnRoII

Since The Rohrbach Chronicles appeared on my site in May 2014, several hundred people have viewed them and I have received several very complimentary reactions. Among them from Europe and also a great many from the United States. Some respondents were so friendly as to send me additional material about the subjects that I covered.
I am very grateful for this show of cordiality.
From time to time I intend to use the material I received to complement my archive-on-site.

Today a new, short addition with a well-known but very special photograph.

See the page: ”THE ROHRBACH ARCHIVES – Additions I