Catalina

One of the most iconic objects in the Powerhouse collection, the Catalina flying boat Frigate Bird II will be presented in a new exhibition that tells its story launching on 6 October. A new perspective will be presented which will highlight the scale of the aircraft, and allow its impressive engineering to be examined up close.

The exhibition will include new acquisitions from the Taylor family, including a thermos flask that Taylor used to transfer oil to the failing engine on the doomed 1935 flight, a selection of photographic images from the flight, a navigation instrument set, a handcrafted photograph album presented to the crew in Chile, flags flown by the Catalina in Australia and Chile, and the remnants of a uniform cap destroyed by the aircraft’s propeller during wild conditions departing Easter Island on the outward journey.