The American Heritage Museum’s recently restored Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, Bureau Number 2459, received one of the warbird community’s highest honors when it was named World War II Grand Champion at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026. The award was presented on Saturday, July 25, during the 73rd edition of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. American Aero Services of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, which completed the aircraft’s remarkable seven-year restoration, also received the Snap-on Golden Wrench Award in recognition of the team’s exceptional workmanship and dedication to historical accuracy. The honors came less than three weeks after the Catalina completed its first post-restoration flight on July 6, 2026. As Vintage Aviation News previously reported, the 30-minute flight was conducted from New Smyrna Beach by Rob Collings and Joe Scheil, who confirmed that the aircraft’s systems and flying characteristics performed as expected.
(Image credit: American Heritage Museum/Rob Collings)
Following additional testing, the PBY made its first major public appearance since restoration at AirVenture, where it quickly became one of the most admired and photographed warbirds of the week. The Catalina was initially displayed in Warbirds Alley and was also featured during a Warbirds in Review presentation. On Wednesday evening, thousands of spectators had the opportunity to watch the historic amphibian fly during the AirVenture air show. Later in the week, the aircraft was moved to Boeing Plaza, placing it at the center of the AirVenture grounds and allowing visitors to examine the extraordinary level of detail incorporated into the restoration.
(Image credit: American Heritage Museum)
Members of the Vintage Aviation News staff were at AirVenture and had the opportunity to see the Catalina in person. Photographs simply cannot capture the aircraft’s beauty or the extraordinary workmanship evident throughout the restoration. Without a doubt, BuNo 2459 represents one of the finest and most historically significant warbird restorations ever accomplished. Led by project manager Casey Littrell, the team at American Aero Services worked to return the aircraft to an accurate representation of its 1942 wartime configuration. Decades of civilian service had resulted in the removal or modification of much of its original military equipment. Consequently, nearly every aspect of the Catalina’s military interior had to be located, restored, rebuilt, or recreated.
(Image credit: American Heritage Museum)
Using original factory drawings, wartime technical manuals, period photographs, and surviving components, the team reconstructed the Catalina’s crew stations, turrets, radio and radar equipment, military interiors, markings, and mission-specific fittings. The result is believed to be the most accurate flying restoration of an early PBY-5A completed to date. The significance of the restoration extends far beyond its craftsmanship. Built during the opening weeks of the United States’ involvement in WWII, BuNo 2459 was among the first five amphibious PBY-5As produced and the fourth accepted by the U.S. Navy. The aircraft was delivered on December 22, 1941, and assigned to Patrol Squadron 73 for operations from Iceland during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Over the course of its 19-month deployment, the Catalina completed 195 combat missions and accumulated more than 1,675 combat hours. Its crews sighted 13 German U-boats and attacked 10 of them. BuNo 2459 was credited with sinking U-464, U-582, and U-194. It also badly damaged U-528, which was subsequently destroyed. This extraordinary record established BuNo 2459 as the highest-scoring anti-submarine aircraft in history. It was also the first Catalina credited with sinking a German U-boat, giving the aircraft a particularly important place in the history of Allied maritime patrol operations. The American Heritage Museum recognized the work of Littrell and the entire American Aero Services team, whose technical expertise, perseverance, and extensive historical research returned the Catalina to flight in its authentic military configuration. The museum also thanked the donors whose support made the aircraft’s acquisition, preservation, and restoration possible.
(Image credit: American Heritage Museum)
(Image credit: American Heritage Museum)
Following its award-winning appearance at AirVenture, BuNo 2459 will remain at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh until AirVenture 2027. The Catalina will continue serving as a flying ambassador for the American Heritage Museum and as a living tribute to the aircrews, maintainers, and support personnel who confronted the German U-boat threat during WWII. For more information, visit the American Heritage Museum.
(Image credit: EAA/Nick Moore)
A great choice. One of my favorite WWIi planes.
Will rides for the public be available?
Rides for the public will not be available.
My Dad had a PBY squadron in WWII. Stationed in Funafuti Tuvalu. No huge heroics, just reconnaissance over thousands of square miles of the Pacific.
An Aircraft that just looks… Right.
And a creditable Service History; with results that followed many hours of long, and often fruitless, Patrols.
The unglamorous side to War; Patrols over a Wide, Cold, Ocean.
Where engine failure might mean a Sea Landing, with Death as a companion, in constant Attendance.