The Stockton Field Aviation Museum's Lockheed PV-2D Harpoon Restoration
Before and After Photos
These shots show what the volunteers at the museum under the guidance of Vintage Aircraft have accomplished on the Harpoon project in a short period of time
Cockpit
Pilot Side, Cockpit
Navigator Station
Radio Rack
Navigator Station, Rear
Rear Fuselage, Top
Radio Operator Station
Fuselage, Middle
Toilet and Tool Box
Rear Fuselage
July 23rd, 2010
This is 062 when we first walked up to her. She had been sitting for 16 years and was scheduled to be cut up for scrap by the new land owners.
November 3rd, 2010
About 3 months later, we flew her home to start her renovation
February 12th, 2012
We took her to her first air show. The Centennial of Naval Aviation celebration at NAS North Island in San Diego, California.
After we painted her back in her factory colors, non specular sea blue
On our way to Oshkosh 2013
For a complete photo documentation account of the resurrection of 84062 from the start to today check out the Warbird Information Exchange forum thread here: Warbird Information Exchange
History
Our PV-2D Harpoon, 84062 or just 062, was built for the invasion of Japan but thankfully the war ended before that invasion could take place. Since she was no longer needed she pretty much went from the factory that built her in Burbank, California to the bone yard at Litchfield Park in Arizona. When she was sold as surplus in 1958 she had only 7 hours flying time.
062 then began a new life as an air tanker who fought fires for another 800 flying hours as tanker 101. In 1994 she was retired and flew to her new owner in northern California where she sat for 16 years untouched. She looked pretty sad as she had sunk down in the ground so far she was resting on her belly tank. Ground squirrels used her as a high rise apartment building.
When the land where 062 had been sitting for so long had been sold the new owners wanted that junky old airplane off of their new property. Since no one else wanted her the scrappers were on their way to cut 062 up and melt her down.
The Stockton Field Aviation Museum was given the opportunity to save the Harpoon from certain death so they packed up their tools and flew to the dirt strip where 062 sat for so long. On October 3, 2010 after working on her for only 11 days 062 flew out of that strip and began her journey to return to her former military glory.
Steadily she is being restored with all of her crew positions and equipment, just as she had when she left the Lockheed factory, as a tribute to those of our Greatest Generation who designed, built, flew and maintained her. She has come a long ways from that dirt strip where she was waiting to die but now she has a new mission in life, to teach history.
To teach that history we need to get her out to as many air shows as we can for several reasons. First we want her to get out and meet the people who designed, built, flew and maintained her. Sadly those from our greatest generation are passing at rate estimated at over 600 per day so time is critical. Of all of the Naval Aviators in WWII only a handful flew the all but forgotten PV-1�s and PV-2�s. Of these not many are still with us. We have found a few but we are looking for as many others as we can find before they are all gone.
The other part of her history teaching mission is aimed at the offspring of the Greatest Generation. We want the kids, grandkids and their children�s children to be able to see 062 and to crawl inside so they can see what it was like for Grandpa and Grandma to build, work on and fly this old Navy Patrol Bomber. Seeing, touching, hearing and watching 062 fly teaches so much more about the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation than would ever be possible if she were to just sit quietly in a museum somewhere.
We need to get her out to the public while we still can to meet her old friends and to make new ones and 062 needs your help to accomplish this mission. It is expensive to keep her running and to fly her across the country so our museum relies on donations to make this happen. Your donations of time and or funds to help us keep her going are greatly appreciated.
This is what we need:
Don�t ever hesitate to thank veteran for their service! Thank you in advance for your support.