The Canso A (Canadian variant of the Amercian PBY Catalina) G-PBYA exited of the Catierville (Quebec) Canadian Vickers factories in 1943 with the c/n CV-283 and was delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force on October 27th 1943 which gave it the serial 11005 before to affect it to the n°9 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron RCAF which was operating on the British Columbia coast, between Vancouver and Prince Rupert. Even if they were amphibious, the Cansos of the no.9 sqn were mostly operating from water and were used for day and night patrols for the anti-submarine warfare. By mid-1944, with the threat of a Japanese invasion of Western Canada which was receding, Bella Bella station was closed and 9 Squadron was disbanded and its Cansos were sent in the Queen Charlotte Islands for join the no.7 (BR) Squadron RCAF based at Alliford Bay where the 11005 remained in before July 25th 1945, when the 7 Squadron was disbanded. During this period of October 1943 to July 1945, the 11005 was flying with an all white livery.

As the war was over, the RCAF didn't need anymore of a all the anti-submarine warfare aircrafts that were in service during those dark years, 11005 was stored from 1945 to 1948 where it was converted in a freighter and then served in the no.413 survey (Transport) Squadron and did several mission of photo-reconnaisances over Arctic region, Search and Rescue missions and flood relief supply fights. On April 1949, the squadron was re-designated no.413 (T) Squadron RCAF and then was dibanded on October 1950. 11005 was then affected to the no.121 (Search and Rescue) Squadron RCAF based on Sea Island at Vancouver where it had the hull number QT-005 before to be mothballed from military duty on 25 May 1961, it was then stored at Vulcan, Alberta, before to be disposed of the Crown Assets Disposal Corps to the commercial company Frontier Air Transport based near Calgary. It would also have been converted in water bomber by the CANSPEC before to get its new civilian registration CF-NJF, it later was converted for carry internal tanks by Field Aviation which then sold it to the French Sécurité Civile which get it based at Marseille, it then was called "Pélican Bleu" as it has the rear part of the hull painted in blue, he did a lot of fire-fighting missions during the late 60s, while it was in France. He flew in France with the both registration F-ZBAY and F-ZBBD and always found back its Canadian markings when it was back to its home country.

In 1974, it joined the fire-fighting company Norcanair based at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and was painted with a bare metal fuselage with a white rear hull and two band of a vivifiant orange paint and had the number "14" painted of the same colour on the nose. Later, its former and then, after it came back in its home country, current Canadian registration CF-NJF was changed to C-FNJF. In the 80s, it changed of painting as it was fully painted of yellow with some black lines and had the number "7" painted on the tailfin.

In the 90s, the Saskatchewan Cansos had been disposed and C-FNJF and another Canso were stored at St Thomas, Ontario, before to be send to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island where they were owned by Catalina Aero Services which wanted to convert them in passengers aircrafts for flying tours for tourists in Zimbabwe but this never has been accomplished even if the convertion has been made, which permitted them to be sold to the Plane Sailing Air Display. It then had 12 829 flight hours.

In March 2004, C-FNJF began to cross the whole Canada for then cross the Atlantic and then join the UK where it would be based since then, during its crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, it crossed some very bad weather which forced it to come back at St John, New Foundland and Labrador, during an attempt to go to Santa Maria in the Azores. It finally reched the Azores one week later and then flew to Shannon in Republic of Ireland on 30th March 2004 and then arrived later at its new home base of Duxford in England. It also performed its first water landing since many years during the Biscarosse airshow 2004. On November 2004, it received its new and current registration G-PBYA. In 2005, it received its current livery of the wartime USAF OA-10A Catalina 44-33915 of the 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron of the 8th Air Force based at Halesworth, Suffolk.