PV-2D Harpoon 84062 (Tanker 101) comes back to life

the330thbg · **Joined:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:06 pm **Posts:** 2713

Awesome work guys!

Now we are talking!

Thank you so much for the updates

We shall keep cheering you on !

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:13 pm

Great update!

Tim

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:27 pm

Yes, great update and congratulations on those doors.

We had our airplane soda blasted several years ago and it is really a great way to strip paint, especially if you're not polishing afterward. The big bird looks pretty good underneath!

Scott

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:43 pm

After the soda blasting it was time to clean her up and get back to the engine and propeller work since we have an air show to go to. We have been working on push rod tube seals and other gaskets to reduce the oil leaks. The leaks have been pretty minor really especially for engines that have been setting for so long.

Here is Jimmy after the cleaning getting ready to start two Pratt & Whitney R2800's for his first time. He did a good job too with the threat that he had to buy beer for everyone for the week if he woofed or backfired the engine. Jimmy didn't have to procure any beer...this time :wink:

The best part about this whole project is the wonderful folks that come out to help get this old gal up and running. It was the paid folks here at Vintage Aircraft that got her out of the hole where she sat for 16+ years but it is these same folks that decided to change their work schedule to a 4 day 10 hour per day shift. They did this so we all could have Fridays off to volunteer on the Harpoon :shock:

Is that cool or what? What a great bunch of folks which make me so proud. I say that a lot but they keep amazing me.

After getting the engines and props all fixed up it was time to take her out and see what we could shake loose. This was also the training flight for the upcoming check ride for the type rating. We really worked her hard putting her through the paces. We did all of the usual procedures like the slow flight, stall series and shut down each engine. It is critically important to take good care of these engines so you really have to be careful just how you work through the training and testing. Everything from excessive cooling to reciprocal loading can harm the engines so careful hands in the cockpit is order of the day for this and all flights. This great old gal has survived this long in good shape and I certainly intend to keep that going.

It was sunny and nice all week and the day of the check ride the winds kicked up to 25 gusting to 35 and it was almost a direct crosswind! Now I love a good challenging crosswind but on a check ride? What better way to demonstrate your ability or lack of same? Bob Davis was our examiner and he is very thorough and extremely knowledgeable so after a good ground session off we went. Jimmy was a good guy to have in the right seat and we clicked well together despite an intercom that you simply wanted to hit with a hammer. The crosswinds were actually fun to play with as the Harpoon acts like a heavier and gentler Twin Beech. She is a grand old lady and a kick in the pants to fly. Bob was great and he is also well recommended by his peers and you can certainly add me to that list. Thanks Bob! Now I have an actual type rating instead of having to rely on the Letter of Authorization.

The FAA then came out to look the Harpoon over because we wanted to trade our Restricted airworthiness certificate in for a Limited airworthiness. That inspection went very smoothly so now we can carry passengers. All is set for heading off to CONA NI.

We really wanted to get the old gal painted and all dressed up for the air show but we had too many other things to do first. We couldn't go to the show looking all plain so Ken and I talked Cade into painting the star and bar onto the fuselage. He was worried about the layout and messing it up. I said I would gladly lay it out so all he had to do was to tape to the lines and he agreed much to our happiness.

The size was simple. Dave Hansen was kind enough to loan us his microfilm for reproducing and the markings are laid out in the drawings. Thanks Dave!

Check out the tolerance of the star and bar. Sorry about the lousy picture.

Here is Cade starting the taping, masking and the painting of the star and bar:

I can't wait to tear off those gawd awful antennas and get some real ones up there. AN104 ax handle, ADF football, IFF long wire...patience, first things first, all in good time...

It's quick and dirty but it is the start of getting her back into her military configuration

While Cade was working on the star and bar I wanted our crew/volunteers to have a place to look out of so I removed the plate and installed the astrodome. You can stand on the rear spar and have a great 360 degree view. Here is a shot with the new astrodome all lit up from inside:

I am in need of the stamped frame that holds the astrodome in place. If you happen to have one of these please let me know. I will gladly trade for one and our museum has some money to buy one but trades work better as we sure need our funds for the upcoming paint job and myriad of other expenses.

Here is the one at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Matt has been very helpful to us. If you know where we can find one of these astrodome mounting rings please let us know.

She's getting there slowly but surely...and stop calling me Shirley!

the330thbg · **Joined:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:06 pm **Posts:** 2713

crawl before you run, mate!

Brilliant job!

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:38 pm

Here is a video that Ken shot of the prep work done up until this point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkRkNF_ZBJE

Well with the bomb doors on and operating, engines fixed up, Props inspected, paint stripped, star and bar on the fuselage, Flight training all done, type rating secured, Limited airworthiness on board and whatever else of the hundreds if other things done that I am forgetting, I think its time to go to an air show. I can't think of a better first air show for this Navy PV-2 to go to than the Kick off event of the Centennial of Naval Aviation at NAS North Island in San Diego .

By now we all are bone tired from busting our butts on this great ol' Harpoon but we are still pretty excited to actually be going. It was real iffy that we would be able to get it all done in time but we did so we packed up the Harpoon and the Beech and headed off to NAS North Island.

By our conservative calculations it looked like we could make it to North Island with about 75 gallons of gas remaining :shock:

That's not much in an aircraft with two engines that really like gulping that 100LL at a prodigious rate so a fuel stop was in order. We chose Bakersfield Muni because of their runway length and more importantly their cheap fuel. Cheap is a relative term these days but every little bit helps.

Jerry Anderson was flying the Beech and Ken got some good air to air video from the right seat which he has posted on YouTube. I think he posted all 6 flight hours flying there and back so beware!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Redtracer1

San Diego is one of my favorite places because it is so beautiful and this trip was no exception. CAVU the whole way with the most amazing sunrises and sunsets. Flying into NAS North Island right over Lindbergh Field and hooking a U turn just before Mexico and heading up the coast to a straight in to runway 29 at NAS North Island was pretty darn cool. Then taxiing into the ramp with all of the other Warbirds especially those in the wonderful retro paint schemes was a real honor. Like i said earlier; we may not have been the prettiest bell at the ball but we all are proud of how 062 looks.

The Harpoon was well received by the crowd and we all had to answer the usual questions:

No this is not a B-25...

No this is not a B-24

Yes we did fly it here. Or what I prefer: No we didn't fly it here, we have a really big truck parked over there...I didn't actually say this but after a few too many decades of these questions its hard not to come up with some more creative responses

No this is not the aircraft that Amelia flew...

The best part was meeting the Harpoon vets. Oh the cool stories. Here is John Leep, on the left, who flew with VP-136 up in Adak:

Here is a video that Ken shot of Mr. Leep telling some great stories. This guy is real sharp and remembered the smallest details beautifully. Someone asked him what speed did you approach in the Harpoon. John looked down for a second and said 110 knots. I thought to myself, man right out of the book. Wow. He was full of great details like just what they wore on combat missions, describing St. Elmo's fire that turned the windshield emerald green and lots more. This is what it is all about for us. We were able to get this Veterans back together with the same type he flew. Too cool!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Redtracer1#p/u/2/CwXbXOzkZT8

The show was great and they treated us well. Although I never made it over there the gang said the hospitality tent had free beer. Now that's about the best way to please a crew who has been working hard to get the Harpoon to this show. Needless to say our gang was happy and enjoyed hanging out around the PV-2 talking to the nice people.

The best treat was to see Robert Kropp and Gary Hilton, two of the nicest Harpoon gurus you could meet. I just wish I had more time to chew the fat with them. Nice to see you two!

On the way out of the show we had planned to fly with Dave Hansen's Harpoon and the PB4Y-2 Privateer. Sadly Dave couldn't make it and we were not able to catch up with the Privateer. I could have with more power but since they were heading toward Phoenix and I needed to head more North it just didn't work out. Oh well maybe next time. Hopefully at Thunder over Michigan although they don't have much interest in having us come to the show there.

Below you will find some great photos taken by Jim Dunn and Roger Cain. These guys have been real supportive and have contributed photos and articles to several of the aviation mags about our project. Thanks guys. speaking of articles, Gary Hilton mentioned this one and I need to thank Rick Turner and Michael O'leary for an amazing article on our PV-2 in the latest Warbirds International. 8 pages with great photos :shock:

I hope i don't get in trouble over posting the image above but go out and buy lots of copies because the whole magazine is real good. Thanks again Rick and Michael O'leary for the nice words. Rick's Father owned PV-2D 84059 so he has a soft spot for the Harpoons.

Here are the shots by Roger and Jim. Once again thanks guys:

With the retardant tank installed she looked like she was 9 1/2 months pregnant. With the bomb bay doors she looks like she is only about 3 months along :lol:

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 6:07 pm

Now to bring this thread up to date I would like to give credit where credit is due. Here is the gang who made this happen:

From Left to right:

Jimmy, our intrepid copilot who spent two days washing the airframe and he single handedly cowled up both engines which is no easy task. Jimmy is an all around good guy-except for his unfortunate penchant to give people wet willies. For this he will die!

Vincent has been a cleaning machine especially the interior and has had a lifetime supply of vacuuming up baking soda. He also helps Cade with the engine work and he likes to shoot videos

Ken is one of those guys who always brightens you up no matter how bad a day you are having. We all like having him around without exception. As one of the board members of the museum he also has had great success getting donations and help with the project. Ken is the driving force in the museum and his sense of patriotism and honor for our countries veterans is unequaled.

Jerry is consummate pilot and is also a great guy to have around. He is always up for a good time. Jerry is about the only guy who has carte blanche with my Twin Beech's. I trust him implicitly and he never lets me down

Crystal is always there to support everyone including helping me to hang the bomb doors, soda blast and whatever else needs to be done. She likes to jump in the middle and get her hands dirty no matter what the job. She has put together some great T shirts and stickers and has been selling them to help raise funds. She is a whiz at finding donations and is certainly an invaluable volunteer. She and Cade are a cute couple and the Cade and Crystal show is always good for a laugh.

Cade is our go to engine guy and he also like to soda blast. His spirit is unquenchable and he has a great attitude. He is also our resident painter. He sure can make junk look good. Rock on Brother!

Ricky is our Old Faithful. He has been with me for 8 years and is also one who I can easily trust with anything that needs to be done. He is a good stick too and has fun flying and keeping me out of trouble in the right seat. He is our electronic god and is great at rebuilding pretty much anything. Always a steady person to lean on Rick is always there for you.

Not pictured but my daughter Maggie came up with the new Harpoon logo for T shirts and stickers. She is a whiz at graphics and is also doing all of our placards in the cockpit and other areas too. She has made a perfect Hamilton Standard prop decal for the Nash Kelvinator contract of props. Nash made many of the props for Hamilton Standard in WWII and her decal is awesome. There is nothing she can't do on the computer. You go girl!

Cathy, thanks for your magnanimous support. If it wasn't for you we might not have been able to go. You did a great job flying too: well done!

There are a lot of other people who have helped us to get the Harpoon up and running and to all of you I would like to extend my thanks. The Harpoon thanks you too for every contribution makes a real difference from aircraft ventilation equipment for soda blasting (Mark) to the donated oil, monitary donations, just plain moral support (WIX and many others) Thank you, thank you THANK YOU!

Now that I am all caught up, what's next?

Paint, aux tanks, nose guns, pylons, drop tanks, rocket rails and rockets, turret, radio, radar, bomb racks...I need a nap...

me109g4 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:56 pm

Thanks for the update, i was wondering if the harpoon had given you any maintenance/service issues from having sat so long, looks like it was pretty easy on you. I would love to have seen it at San Diego but the flu about drove me into the ground and i couldnt make the trip, shame as i found a great fare the night before, just couldnt bring myself to push the "buy" button. Hopefully i will make a West Coast airshow this yr. so i hope to see it, static and flying! JT

cco23i · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:42 pm

As usual, GREAT JOB to Taigh and the gang, and soon bomber camp!

Scott

corsair166b · **Posted:** Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:46 pm

What a great update....glad you guys are seeing some airshow action with her already....

I'm interested in getting a T shirt!

Mark

sabrenut · **Joined:** Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:45 am **Posts:** 1

For those interested here are her co-ordinates on Google Earth:

38.807107 -122.599270

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:12 pm

corsair166b wrote:

I'm interested in getting a T shirt!

Mark

Hey Mark,

Thanks for your interest!

Here are some shots of the T shirts with the Harpoon logo that my daughter Maggie designed. The Stockton Field logo is on the front left breast but the ones we are selling do not have the "CREW" on them. The Harpoon logo is full sized on the back of the shirt. The shirts are $20 which all goes toward keeping the Harpoon up and running. We are setting up a paypal account for the museum and Crystal should have it up and running soon.

We also have Harpoon and Nash Kelvinator/Hamilton Standard stickers for $5 each, photos below

Craig59 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:47 am

Quite an amazing transformation - WELL DONE! Thanks so much for the updates.

GARY HILTON · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:25 pm

Taigh and Crew...
First off, you guys really rock! I was only around you briefly on the Island, I could tell how close knit your crew is, and how fluid everyone works together....man it just dosen't get better than that! As with everbody here on WIX, I totally agree...all of you get a great big Atta-boy!

My wife got a kick about you saying Rob and I were Gurus....she has other names for both of us and they would have made all the Naval Aviators blush......Pooner and I are about due another adventure, we have been talking in the past about driving up to Nor. Cal., and now we have a great reason to head on up to Stockton....Might even try to bring along a WIX lurker..."Sunflower Greg"

Many thanks for the effort put out to get the videos posted...truely priceless. I was in Denver at the TA Truckstop killing some time in the restauraunt, where they have internet access. I was watching all the videos that you posted on your Harpoon...I had quite a crowd of truck drivers and a few waitresses watching with me....I felt so proud, cause I got to tell them "I know these guys!"

Of course the questions got to flying, and I was happy to go into the teacher mode spewing forth info on the Harpoons....More than once I was asked what her name was....I told them I have no clue....used to be known to some as Tanker 101....So I guess I'll have to ask you as well.....What do you call her? If y'all haven't named her yet, are you gonna have a contest to name her? All contestants pay x-amount per entry....

Keep it up....we are lovin it! By the way, if you ever need Ballast in the tail.....my services are ever available!!!!

G.

Tom Moungovan · **Posted:** Sun Feb 20, 2011 7:31 pm

After spending a week with you in 2008 while flying to and from Oshkosh, I would like to say that I am not at all surprised by what has been accomplished to date. Great work and keep it up.

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PV-2D Harpoon 84062 (Tanker 101) comes back to life

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