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Tomorrow, Wednesday, 27 September, Noel Phelan will join us at the Club to talk about the wonderful and peculiar history of flying boats. There a still a few spots left so don't miss out on this excellent talk. 

Noel has spoken at the Club a number of times, inspiring great interest from our Members. His presentation on Japanese Midget Submarines in Sydney Harbour in WW2 was a sell-out event. 

During WWI flying boats demonstrated their value for reconnaissance and anti-submarine work. All they needed to operate was some flat water instead of an airfield. During WWII flying boats in particular the Catalinas changed the course of battles. A Catalina found a Japanese submarine off Pearl Harbour before the attack and also found the BISMARCK battleship for the British Navy.



Many of the Japanese invasion fleets in the Pacific were found by a Catalina. They were extensively used for sea rescue and mining harbours to stop supplies reaching Japan. To avoid U boats sinking convoys Howard Hughes convinced the American Government to fund the construction of “THE SPRUCE GOOSE”. It could carry 750 troops.



In the 50’s and 60’s you could travel by flying boat from Sydney to London. We had our own International Flying Boat base at Rose Bay. This was very expensive and had lots of luxurious amenities including beds and mini golf. However, the golden years of flying boats ended with the advent of the jet plane. 



Join us for dinner in the CCA after the event to try our freshly revamped Menu for Spring. Book using the RSYS Dining Module here. 

This event is free of charge. 

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