U.S. Navy Sonar Technician James Stutheit is our volunteer in the spotlight this quarter. He brings special skills to the project of restoring the PBY 5A Catalina as his experience is unique. “I was a restorations expert in San Diego before I joined the Navy. I did a lot of the older cars; Duesenberg, Delahey, Pontiacs, Cadillacs. If it was old and rare, I tried my best to restore it to make it a show car.”
On the PBY Restoration Team since March of 2014, Stutheit’s philosophy is simple: “ I want to get the plane in working order. She may never fly again but I want to get her to a point in the future where she could if we really wanted her to. So any task that I have any knowledge of, that I can help with before that can happen, would be awesome.” Stutheit is a native of Boise, ID and has been in the Navy for nearly five years.
