I have been contemplating selling a Howard GH-2 project I have. It is one of those old airplane in a barn stories that turned out to be true.
Built 11-29-1943 and has 500 flying time hours since it was new. It could have flown out of that barn. The wings were rebuilt but after deskinning they were perfect inside. They are ready for cover. All surfaces are nice as is the rest of the aircraft. The fuselage is untouched and bone stock as it came from the factory with a few exceptions. It was originally an ambulance aircraft so they took the two original single attendants seats and made them into one bench seat for three in the back. The original litter stowage and lifting brackets are still in place.
One of the things I like the most about this Howard is it still has all of its factory WWII radios in place namely the ATA/ARA command radio system which is the Navy forerunner to the ARC-5 and is basically compatible with the Army's SCR-274N set. Quite a collectors radio set today and yet this Howard has it all still installed from the factory. It even had the leather strap headphones and microphone hanging in the cockpit.
It does have one avionics upgrade that was a modification at some point. It has a SCR-269G radio compass installed on the floor in the rear compartment. This radio was used by the Navy in WWII (same in our Harpoon) but it would interfere with the lower litter so it wasn't factory but could have been later Navy install of from its brief civilian career. Even though it is a modification to the radio system it is still a WWII radio.
Other mods were that it has had the 1 1/2 minute flares and launch tubes removed but it still has the original flare control panel installed. It has also had the aft fuel tank removed but I have since found one from a GH-3 that is close and can be modified to the correct capacity.
The engine was replaced once and it has 300 hours since it was built new. Gotta be one of the lowest time original Pratt & Whitney 985's in existance. It is beautiful enough that it would probably start right up. Just add oil and fuel.
Some of us authenticity nerds love aircraft like this because it is full of factory original safety wire (even on the hose clamps), friction tape with waxed linen cord holding it in place and tons of other cool original items that mostly have been lost to time. The Navy blue leather seat covers on the pilots seats provide a perfect pattern for recreating a stitch for stitch replacement. It really ius a time capsule and it is almost wrong to restore it because it is so original and has been beautifully preserved in that barn for so long.
All of the log books and docs came with but sadly no military records except for the war assets administration sale sheet. One cool thing is according to the War Assets doc it was sold surplus out of Eagle Field in Dos Palos, California. Joe Davis and his son Ryan keep Eagle Field as a working WWII airbase today. Joe brought out a pile of documents that he found still stowed there and he found the copy of the same exact War Assets document that was in this Howards records. What are the odds that those two pages created at the same place and time are still in existence. Like I said it is the Warbird nerd in those of us who get all giddy over crap and minutia like this.
I have intended to fix her up someday and I will eventually but I have given thought recently to selling her to someone who would appreciate the aircraft for her original military history and not just want to change her into their personal custom Howard like so many others. As mentioned above most all of the Howards in existence today are ex military aircraft but only three or four have military markings on them.
When I first picked up this GH-2 I remember talking to a prominent Howard Club member who asked me what color I was going to paint it. When I responded with the original US Navy tri color scheme of Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue and white it was as though I had slapped her. She was aghast that I would even think of painting a Howard in such colors. She tried hard to convince me that Maroon was the most popular color but it fell on deaf ears. Quite the interesting reaction.
Anyway, this Howard certainly is special and she quietly awaits the day when she will return to her former glory. Hopefully with me but if not I will certainly find someone who will respect her history and original near factory condition.
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To donate to the PV-2D project via PayPal click here
http://www.twinbeech.com/84062restoration.htmWe brought her from:
to this in 3 months:
Help us get her all the way back
All donations are tax deductible as the Stockton Field Aviation Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Tell a friend as the Harpoon needs all the help she can get.
Thank you!
Taigh Ramey
Vintage Aircraft, Stockton, California
http://www.twinbeech.com'KEEP ‘EM FLYING…FOR HISTORY!'
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