Return a Flying Legend to a World War II Veteran
Donation protected
The Back Story:
Dick Girocco is a 98-year-old WWII Veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor still living on the island of Oʻahu. On the morning of Pearl Harbor, he and his friends first heard the sound of dive bombers and assumed it was the Army Air Corps playing tricks on them. They ran outside their hangar just in time to see the first bombs of the Pearl Harbor attack drop onto the next hangar, engulfing it in fire.
(Seaman Second Class Dick Girocco (back row, 2nd from left) standing with his PBY Squadron prior to Dec. 7, 1941. Dick served as a member of the beaching crew and later as a flight engineer.)
(The hangar in the foreground was where Dick and his friends were standing when the first bomb dropped.)
The Mission:
Our mission is to fully restore a 1940’s Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina and return it to the Pacific Theater to honor the legacy of the aircraft and the men who served alongside her.
The Goal:
We want to bring the PBY Catalina home to Oʻahu, Hawaii in time for the 75th anniversary of the war ending - September 2, 2020, and present it to Dick as a celebration of the enduring legacy of all those who fought.
We've been working to restore this PBY Catalina (currently located in Ocaña, Spain) since 2016. The plane is mechanically sound and expected to be fully restored, but to ensure the safety of our crew and give the aircraft as long a future as possible, we are looking to replace both engines. The repairs have been fully self-funded up to this point, but in order to reach the finish line, we are looking for help.
All funds raised will go toward the purchase of these two new engines.
Your support for returning this aircraft will mean the world to the Sterling family (three generations of mechanics and historians) who are running the restoration, the Hawaiʻi military communities, and to Dick Girocco.
If you'd like to learn more, you can watch Dick's account of the attack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1JncA03-pk
Or see part of the restoration process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avqxQeRX1xA&feature=youtu.be
(The airplane in its current state in Ocaña, Spain where it was sold to be used for firefighting after its use in the U.S. Navy. We intend to repaint it to its original WWII paint scheme.)
(An American flying boat, the PBY was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. The PBY would serve in every major sea battle of the World War II, including playing a major role in the battle for Midway. It's unknown exactly how many remain, but there are fewer than 20 airworthy Catalinas in the world today.)
Goal: $10,000
This will cover the down payment for the engines.
Stretch Goal #1: $33,000
This would cover the purchase of one engine.
Stretch Goal: $65,595
This would cover the total cost of both the engines.
Dick Girocco is a 98-year-old WWII Veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor still living on the island of Oʻahu. On the morning of Pearl Harbor, he and his friends first heard the sound of dive bombers and assumed it was the Army Air Corps playing tricks on them. They ran outside their hangar just in time to see the first bombs of the Pearl Harbor attack drop onto the next hangar, engulfing it in fire.
(Seaman Second Class Dick Girocco (back row, 2nd from left) standing with his PBY Squadron prior to Dec. 7, 1941. Dick served as a member of the beaching crew and later as a flight engineer.)(The hangar in the foreground was where Dick and his friends were standing when the first bomb dropped.)The Mission:
Our mission is to fully restore a 1940’s Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina and return it to the Pacific Theater to honor the legacy of the aircraft and the men who served alongside her.
The Goal:
We want to bring the PBY Catalina home to Oʻahu, Hawaii in time for the 75th anniversary of the war ending - September 2, 2020, and present it to Dick as a celebration of the enduring legacy of all those who fought.
We've been working to restore this PBY Catalina (currently located in Ocaña, Spain) since 2016. The plane is mechanically sound and expected to be fully restored, but to ensure the safety of our crew and give the aircraft as long a future as possible, we are looking to replace both engines. The repairs have been fully self-funded up to this point, but in order to reach the finish line, we are looking for help.
All funds raised will go toward the purchase of these two new engines.
Your support for returning this aircraft will mean the world to the Sterling family (three generations of mechanics and historians) who are running the restoration, the Hawaiʻi military communities, and to Dick Girocco.
If you'd like to learn more, you can watch Dick's account of the attack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1JncA03-pk
Or see part of the restoration process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avqxQeRX1xA&feature=youtu.be
(The airplane in its current state in Ocaña, Spain where it was sold to be used for firefighting after its use in the U.S. Navy. We intend to repaint it to its original WWII paint scheme.)(An American flying boat, the PBY was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. The PBY would serve in every major sea battle of the World War II, including playing a major role in the battle for Midway. It's unknown exactly how many remain, but there are fewer than 20 airworthy Catalinas in the world today.)Goal: $10,000
This will cover the down payment for the engines.
Stretch Goal #1: $33,000
This would cover the purchase of one engine.
Stretch Goal: $65,595
This would cover the total cost of both the engines.
Organizer
Allen Sterling
Organizer
Pearl City, HI