Grumman Goose PK-AKA en AKB

[g-1reaper]

Heeft iemand info over de beschildering van deze twee machines? Er staat een foto van de AKA in 40 jaar luchtvaart in Indie. Donkere romp, lichte draagvlakken, maar ik zou de kleuren graag willen weten. Lastig om dat te achterhalen, vrees ik...

[grasshopper]

In "Vleugels tegen tropisch blauw" staat de AKA in natural metal finish met wellicht een zwarte registratie. Ik meen wel eens gehoord te hebben dat hij later een blauwe romp had, maar ja, horen zeggen.

[Mindert]

Vo;gens sommige bronnen zijn ze vanwege de Japanse aanval khakigroen geverfd in 1942

[Mindert]

.

[Jos Heyman]

gentlemen

Be carful with the interpretation f photos regarding these four aircraft. Yes, there were two AKAs and two AKBs.
The BPM and NNGPM operated Grumman Goose aircraft before and after the war.
The pre-war fleet included PK-AKA and PK-AKB.
The first PK-AKA was acquired in July 1939. It was leased to the KNILM in November 1941 and was eventually destroyed at Andir on 8 March 1942. PK-AKB, which was acquired in August 1939, was written off at Dobu on 2 February 1942.
It seems these two aircraft had the dark colouring.

After the war two different aircraft were operated as PK-AKA and PK-AKB. Both aircraft were former US Navy aircraft (a JRF-4 and -5 respectively) and they continued service with the BPM until 17 October 1958. It seems these had a metal finish - at least for some time.
They subsequently served with the AURI. One of these was most likely PB-521 that is on display in Kalijati (where it has been incorrectly identified as a Grumman Albatross). As PK-AKA re-appeared on the civilian register in December 1977 as PK-RAM, with the registration PK-LEH also mentioned, it is likely that PB-521 was PK-AKB.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Jos

Interesting details!
I have never heard of any Goose in AURI service before.
PB-521 is quoted as an Albatross G-440 and stored in a Subang hangar in May 1992
Also PK-LEH is unknown to me, do you have more details on that one?

With regard to the colouring of Gooses I would have thought that the basic colour of USN during WW 2 was the dark blue one and that those PK-AKA/AKB would hence have had dark colour upon delivery out of surplus.

Cheers
Stig

[Jos Heyman]

The trouble is that Indonesia is good at 'inventing' aviation history and may be you are right.
The aircraft at Kalijati is, however, definitely a Goose even though they labelled it as an Albatross. I enclose a photo I took.
I will, however, pose the question to the NEI Aviation Yahoo group, even though we 'stop' at 1950.

Jos

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Jos

Yes indeed, the photo you post is most certainly a Goose and nothing else. Can you confirm it is marked as PB-521?

Cheers
Stig

[Jos Heyman]

This is the sign they have with the aircraft. Looking at the sign, it is even more screwed up with the suggestion that it is Canadian made.
From another photo (not to be published) I saw that the serial is on the vertical tail.

Marco Pennings, via the NEI Aviation Yahoo group, has advised that the two ex BPM aircraft were used by the 5 Skadron of the AURI.

BTW, my photos were made in June 2006, not 2008 as I stated earlier.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Jos

Yes Marco is usually quite reliable when it comes to Indonesian stuff

Cheers
Stig