Return of the Catalina
1h 40m
In 1942, Singapore fell to the Japanese and with it, the vital air route that delivered top secret communications between Britain and Australia. It was of paramount importance that this air route be re-established, and a group of brave aviators from Australia proposed to do just that. By flying unarmed PBY Catalina flying boats for up to 32 hours across enemy territory. These crews also had to shed any excess weight from their aircraft in order to make the strenuous journey, and this included their guns. These top secret flights were called The Double Sunrise Flights, because the crews would see two sunrises on their flight. These few brave men achieved the impossible and reconnected an empire on the brink of collapse. Yet despite all this, the crews were never recognised for their brave efforts, and these unsung war heroes have since been forgotten to history.
But today one ambitious museum in Outback Australia hopes to change all of this. By restoring and flying a seventy year old Catalina flying boat half way across the world from Spain to Longreach. In order to preserve the memory of the Double Sunrise Flights. These modern day pilots and engineers are fighting to preserve the memory of their fallen heroes. Their journey is one of hardship and perseverance, as they travel on an epic adventure across 12 countries and fly some 18,000 kilometres. All in a 70 year old flying boat. Join us as we recover history, and fight to remember unsung heroes of World War Two. This is their story...