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

[Redtracer]

I was worried about that. Some people just can't handle that much hottness!

[Taigh Ramey]

[cco23i]

All I can say is:

[billgaston]

I was worried about that. Some people just can't handle that much hottness!

So..........your saying you are "Hot to Go"!

[cco23i]

I guess you want us to bring the "Anti Mark"?

[Taigh Ramey]

I received this note from Roy who flew our Harpoon when she was an air tanker:

Taigh;
A friend recently sent me the article about your recovery flight of the PV-2 from Northern Cal. I found the article very interesting as I have some flight time in this PV-2, as well as her sister N6651D. In the early '60s I worked for Wenatchee Air Service, (WenAirCo) in Wenatchee Washington. They had the two PV-2s and one PB4Y-2. and two B-25s. which were used as fire bombers. I started on the B25 the first season that I was there (61) and in 62 flew on both the B25, and the PV-2s. I also flew on the 4Y getting it ready for fire approval by the Forest Service, but the fire season ended before we had a chance to fly it on fires. This was some pretty hairy flying as at that time we didn't know alot about this type of flying, and wound up overloaded most of the time.
In 65 I took a job in North Africa (Libya) flying C47s for a charter company in Tripoli (Lavco). I flew C47 charter flights in support of the Oil Companys' who were searching for oil. We also had two C45s that I upgraded to as light twin captain. I then flew one year as DC-3 captain, and then was hired by Oxy to fly A-26 On Mark. I flew the A-26 for several years in Libya then Beirut and Saudi Arabia.
Then I progressed up through jets including Lear, B720, Gulfstream and others until I retired from Exxon in 96.
Now I am back into small airplanes flying Funk which I restored and flew to Sun n Fun and Oshkosh several times, Maule which I fly into the back country camping in Wa and Idaho. And I have a RV-8 for fun, and a Champion Lancer as a hangar queen.
Sorry to ramble on so, but just wanted to say that I really have fond memories of the 'Old Iron' type of flying. I still fly and should be able to continue for a few more years. All the best in your "Twin Beech" work.
Roy

Thanks for the story Roy

Here are two shots, via Peter Marson, of N6657D/84062 early in her tanker career in Wenatchee markings. I think the second one was taken at Bill Dempsey's place in Kansas but I'm not sure.





That early tank was really something. Today she looks like she is a few months pregnant with the slightly bulging bomb bay doors but back then, watch out, she looks like she was getting close to being 10cm dilated!

[avenger2504]

Just been catching up on my reading as I realised I hadn't been getting email updates. I knew I was behind the ball when i saw she was blue!!
I see I aren't the only nutjob who likes to load up a trailer with aircraft bits.
I see your aircraft and raise you two aircraft!!(nearly three ha ha.

The wrecked J5F Auster(fuselage and wings) are to aid my project J5F Auster. The Tomahawk was just a bare frame which was owned by the trailer's owner.
Love the thread about your Harpoon. The RNZAF had the PV1 during WW2 one of which survives up in Auckalnd at the Museum of Transport and Technology so am always interested in types we have used (although not the PV2).
EDIT: Opps turns out we did have the Harpoon NZ4701 to NZ4704.Yeah four of them! Turns out deliveries halted after the fourth one arrived and they were returned to the US Navy. BU Numbers were: 15-1048 to 15-1051 for you number crunchers out there!

[mike furline]

Not sure if you have these pics or not?

http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&w=49 ... v-2&m=text

[GARY HILTON]

Mike, got any more old Poon pics like that? Thanks for posting.

Taigh, look at the 1st and 4th photos, those are what I call the bull-nose Harpoons, like what I found on the Branson Harpoon. I am hoping to get a good look at the logs Pooner has for this airframe to closer examine the mods that were applied to this particular airframe, and hopefully the noses. I am wondering, as a few of the PV-2s were used as radar trainers ( like Annie...PV-2T2), had the nose modification for this purpose???

Quite interesting also, is the fact that Pooner has the log books for the other PV-2 that is mounted in the mini golf course in Myrtle Beach, SC.

[Pogmusic]

Taigh, I missed out on the faux .50 cal conversation. Did you rule out epoxy replicas? I am in contact with the group that does them for the outside vehicles at the National Infantry Museum at Benning. I've seen their 1919 up close and it is spot on from about 1 yard away.

[N4073F]

Mr. Ramey,

T-101, as you know, was based out of the Glendive, Montana (GDV) airport back in the early to mid 1980's when it was operated by Bruce Kinney of Kinney Aviation.

I was just a little kid, but I can recall quite well the day Bruce's girlfriend rattle-canned that unusual looking black stripe-design towards the tail. My Dad and I were taxiing back towards the hangar in our 210 on that cool, overcast, August afternoon in 1985 and I'll never forget his words when he saw what she was doing, "That paint job will look good for as long as it will take for it to dry." When I saw the Warbirds Magazine photos of your airplane, I could see that black stripe-design had faded quite considerably, yet was still visible and exactly how I remembered it nonetheless.

Kinney had around 5 PV's parked at the GDV airport during this period and T-101 sticks in my mind the most because the old girl had the fanciest paint job, (there was also an A-26 and a DC-7B parked there, but all the airplanes were never there at the same time as the DC-7 was destroyed by fire one night on the ramp in 1982).

Around 1985 or 1986, T-101 left for Pennsylvania on a spraying contract for locusts(?) and I can't recall if the spray booms were fitted in GDV, or after she left. In any event, she never returned back to GDV.

I have a couple pictures of T-101 given to me by Bruce's senior A&P/IA named Guy "Rusty" Shoemaker who worked for Kinney from the time he located to the GDV airport until he shut it down and cleared out. Around 1980 or 1981, our local newspaper did a cover story on Kinney's operation and there is a rather large picture with Bruce standing in front of the A-26 with T-101 parked next to it. It's kind of a neat picture for a newspaper article.

There is also a gentleman living here in GDV, who worked for Kinney, got his type rating in the PV-2, and has T-101 time in his logbook. John and Connie Hirth also worked at the GDV airport during the mid 1980's and being the airport bum that I was, I got to know both of them quite well. John's old International pickup and Lockeed PV-2's went hand in hand with one another during this time, (we visited John and Connie a time or two after they relocated to Buffalo, Wyoming).

We have an old memento hanging on the wall in our hangar, an old 409 spray bottle, written over in thick black marker, it reads, "Connie's PV-2 Window Cleaner," indicating to all that the cleaner belonged to Connie and only Connie.

Best wishes to you, your crew and your beloved airplane.

Craig Stebbins

[Taigh Ramey]

Hello Craig,

Great stories indeed. Thanks for sharing them. That black trim she painted held up pretty well over the years considering it came out of a rattle can.




I would dearly love to see the photos and articles. Would it be possible to get hi resolution scans? I will gladly post them for everyone to enjoy.

I wonder if Mr. Kinney is still around as I would love to talk to him about Tanker 101. I would also like to talk to your friend who flew T-101 as I bet he has some good stories too.

Thanks again for posting here Craig!

Taigh, I missed out on the faux .50 cal conversation. Did you rule out epoxy replicas? I am in contact with the group that does them for the outside vehicles at the National Infantry Museum at Benning. I've seen their 1919 up close and it is spot on from about 1 yard away.

We bought a couple of resin 50's for a turret and they were molded as ground guns. They were okay but I need better guns, preferably steel, for the nose. This is an important one for me authenticity wise and I think I can get them for about the same price as the aluminum ones and the parkerized finish will be a lot better than paint.

Not much to report lately as I have been going nuts at work. Several projects for our Harpoon are cooking along with some kind folks who are helping to make some desperately needed parts. Hopefully we can come up with some visual progress to share with you all.

[GARY HILTON]

Taigh, I had heard that Bruce Kinney was killed in a mid-air crop dusting accident somewhere in Idaho.....Please correct me if I am mistaken...

G

[N4073F]

Bruce Kinney was flying a Bull Thrush and collided with an Ag-Cat near Burley Idaho in 1998. One was headed towards a field while the other was returning to reload. Both were fatalities.

Taigh, I have a phone number for you if you want to visit with the fella. I talked with him tonight. He has pictures. I will give your office a call and leave you his number.

CS

[Pogmusic]

Taigh,
Understand the issue forward for W/B. However, any of the other M-2s we can produce as the aircraft version if need be. I can send an image of one of the ones they've done (M-1919) to show you the level of detail.