Black Cats

Black Cat Squadrons
and the Double Sunrise Service

Both the Black Cat Squadrons and those involved in “The secret order of the Double Sunrise Service” operated one of the most famous planes in aviation history, the Catalina. Starting in 1943 and ending the operation of the route in 1945, QANTAS crews flew the Double Sunrise Service using the Catalina. The Black Cat Squadrons flew the Catalinas in WW2 on various missions throughout the war.

The Double Sunrise Service, introduced in June 1943, was a QANTAS service operating between Perth and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The trip took an average of 28 hours to complete, therefore the crew came across two sunrises, here lying the reason behind the name. Spanning 5,652km each way, the service was the longest non-stop regular passenger flight ever attempted in the world. To maximise their range and endurance, the aircraft were stripped of all non-essential equipment, and auxiliary fuel tanks were installed. The weight of lar...