40 |FLIGHTPATH
ble. As a side note, the nose had a siren in-
stalledtowarngroundfirecrewswhenthe
aircraft was coming in for a fire retardant
drop, but that was removed once Ramey
started the restoration.
AnoperationalMartin250CEtopturret
wasinstalledalongwithtwo0.50incalibre
machine guns. Ramey has located, bought,
horse-traded, ‘ebayed’, or been donated,
partsthatwerenecessarytorestorethein-
side crew stations all the way down to the
wiring harnesses and fasteners. A number of
bracketsandrackshadtobefabricatedto
original specifications to install items such
as the APS-3 search radar, receivers and
transmitters. The equipment installed is
functional and not just for show.
InSeptember2012,’062waspainted
with Sherwin Williams commercial paint
(MIL-PRF-85285Dtype1,classH)that
perfectly matches the colour and flatness
thisHarpoonworewhenitcameoutofthe
LockheedfactoryinBurbank,California.
The nose was also painted white with the
numbers ‘062’, part of the aircraft’s serial
number, as seen on period images of other
PV-2DHarpoons.Itmadeitsfirstnew-
paint debut later that week at the Reno Air
Races,Nevada,aspartoftheRolls-Royce
Heritage Trophy display.
InAugust2013,theHarpoonmadethe
round trip to the Experimental Aircraft As-TOP:TaighRameyandRickyClausenlying
theHarpoontoaW.W.IIdinner-danceatthe
historic Eagle Field in Los Banos, California.
ThecockpitsurvivedtheJohnsonRanchvery
wellastheairstripwasaconsiderable
distance from the highway and its
souvenir hunters!
TOP RIGHT:The Bombardier’s station looks
forward out over the right wing.
ABOVE:TheMartinturretisittedwithalow
proiledomeuntilatallonecanbemoulded.
ABOVE RIGHT:Theive-inchHVARrockets
were built for the Harpoon and include some
authentic components.
OPPOSITE PAGE:A group of early PV-2
Harpoons, with three guns mounted in their
noses, during a squadron ceremony.
[via Taigh Ramey]
BOTTOM:The Harpoon departs the Reno Air
RacesinNevadawhereithadbeen on display
for a good part of the week.