RE: PBM
I was looking through some old 1985 Scale RC Modelers and came across a picure of John Nicolaci's PBM with a JATO takeoff. At that time he had been flying the model for ten years. The big Martin had twin Super Tigre .75's, on-board starters, five parachutists, five quart fuel capacity, and JATO assist. At one time he tried to fly across Buzzards Bay from New Bedford, MA to Martha's Vineyard (about 27 miles). The battery drain was a bit more than expected and it spiraled in from 300'. Some local lobstermen saw the crash from a distance and, thinking it was a full sized aircraft, called the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard helicopter was on the scene by the time John was retrieving the pieces into his Boston Whaler. It was rebuilt and eventually made the crossing successfully.