The American Heritage Museum’s Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina will take center stage at EAA’s annual Wright Brothers Memorial Banquet on December 11, 2026, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Rob Collings, executive director and chief pilot of the Collings Foundation, will deliver the keynote presentation, exploring the aircraft’s wartime history and restoration.
The Catalina is currently displayed in the EAA Aviation Museum’s Eagle Hangar, where banquet guests will dine near the aircraft. Built in 1941 as one of the earliest PBY-5As, it flew anti-submarine patrols and air-sea rescue missions during WWII. Credited with 3.5 U-boat kills, the aircraft compiled a distinguished combat record and survives as a significant example of the Catalina’s contribution to the Allied war effort. It also received the Grand Champion WWII Lindy award at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026.
Collings has been involved with the Collings Foundation for more than 30 years and oversaw the Catalina’s restoration, along with several other aircraft in the foundation’s collection. Dedicated to preserving historic aircraft, automobiles, and artifacts through living history, the foundation maintains a collection of more than 60 aircraft, 65 historically significant automobiles, and 85 military vehicles.
(Image credit: EAA)
The annual banquet commemorates the Wright brothers’ first successful powered flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Collings’ presentation will follow immediately afterward. Tickets cost $85 for EAA members and $100 for nonmembers and are available at EAA.org/WrightBrothers. Based in Oshkosh, the Experimental Aircraft Association brings together aviation enthusiasts interested in flying, building, and restoring recreational aircraft. The organization has 300,000 members and 900 local chapters. For more information, visit EAA.org or call 800-564-6322.
