After the formation of the Minnesota Wing in 1971, the CAF has had an ongoing presence in the Upper Mid-West.  The Minnesota Wing was the first charter unit of the Commemorative Air Force and operated as a maintenance and support arm for the CAF’s mission and ever-growing fleet of rare aircraft.

Among the fleet of rare aircraft, was the Minnesota Wing’s WWII PBY Catalina flying boat.  Disaster struck in 1998, when during a windstorm, gale-force winds flipped the Catalina on its back.  The magnitude of damage was severe. Soon after the damage was assessed, the Commemorative Air Force began the search to replace this significant type of warbird.

A replacement was found, with the CAF purchasing a replacement PBY-6A (Bureau 64092). To reduce the risk of future storm damage, the insurance company demanded the replacement aircraft be stored in a hangar. Since the Minnesota Wing’s hangar was too small to store PBYs, the only other nearby facility large enough to house a PBY with a 104-foot wingspan was an abandoned hangar in Duluth. A detachment from the Minnesota Wing was created in 2000 to store both PBYs at Hangar 101 in Duluth.

Among other things, the replacement PBY had been a search & rescue aircraft, a general cargo carrier, and finally a fire bomber. The PBY flew in its fire bomber configuration for several years, but significant fuselage corrosion eventually grounded her as well in 2002. Once it was determined that this PBY would never fly again, the Lake Superior Detachment reviewed the condition of the storm damaged PBY-6A (Bureau No. 64097) and determined it could be restored to airworthy condition.

In 2007-2008 the Commemorative Air Force chartered Lake Superior Squadron as a free-standing organization with the CAF, separating it from the Minnesota Wing.

Today, the Squadron is doing something radical, and probably never before attempted outside of the military. They are rebuilding the damaged, but relatively corrosion-free fuselage of Bureau 64097 (known as the Blue Plane) and replacing the crumpled wing with that from their other former red fire bomber, Bureau No. 64092 (now known locally as the Black Cat). In addition, the engines from the red PBY are planned to be remounted on the existing blue fuselage which along with the red wing to marry the two aircraft together.

It is a massive undertaking, but the team has made remarkable progress since the project began in 2009. They have already grafted the two aircraft together and are well on the way to forming one airworthy airframe. Since the fuselage came from Bureau No. 64097, that will be the identity of the aircraft once the restoration is complete.

The PBY Catalina played a crucial role in World War II, both in long-range reconnaissance and U-boat suppression, not to mention air sea rescue missions and other vital activities.

In addition to our 2 PBY-6A’s, we are also working on restoring a Marine OY-2 to flying condition.

The OY-2 was the Marine version of the L-5E sentinel scout plane that was also equipped to carry a litter for Medivac missions.

In 2018 the Squadron moved from its long term home at Hangar 101 in Duluth, Minnesota to a new location at the Richard I. Bong Airport in Superior, Wisconsin.