FLIGHTPATH|37the Johnson Ranch. The engines were never
removed by Everts.
Eventually the Johnson Ranch was put
upforsaleanditlookedlikethePV-2D,
whichhadalsobeenforsaleandhadyetto
findabuyer,wouldprobablymeetthe
scrapper. Several mechanics had looked at
theaircraftanddecidedthatitwasnot
worth saving. Fellow warbird restorer
ChrisPrevost,ofVintageAircraftCompa-
ny at Schellville in Sonoma County, tipped
off Taigh Ramey that the Harpoon was
most likely going to be scrapped, so Ramey
contacted Marty Hall at Everts Air Fuel.
Hall said he’d prefer to donate the Harpoon
ratherthanseeitcut-upforscrap.
ForRamey,theonlywaytosavetheair-
craftwasifhecouldflyitout.Disassembly
androadtransportwasnotfeasibledueto
boththecostandtheremotelocation.In-
specting the engines was the first part of
thebusiness.Thescreenswerepulled,
checkedformetalandwerefoundtobe
clean inside. An oil analysis followed and
thisagaincheckedoutwell.Thiswasn’ta
projectthatcouldsitattheranchforyears
astherewasa9October2010deadlinefor
theaircraft’sremovalifthepropertysale
wastogothrough.Startingaroundmid-
August 2009, when Taigh acquired owner-
ship of the PV-2, the Ramey crew made
about eight flights to the ranch in one of
hisBeechC-45scarryingsuppliesand
parts. The Harpoon only had around 800
hoursontheairframe,accordingtothe
logbooks, and the engines were factory
new.Ithadalotofpromise.
AsRameyandhiscrewstillhadaBeech
18restorationbusiness(VintageAircraft)
torun,theirvisitsweremostlydoneon
weekends from sunrise until sunset, just
barelygettingofftheunlitdirtstripeach
evening. The Lockheed was in very good
MAIN:The Harpoons were built with the intended invasion of Japan in mind.
Consequently, they had a lot of forward irepower.[All images Roger Cain unless stated]TOP:Running up the R-2800s just prior to departure from the 5000-foot dirt strip.ABOVE:Jerry Anderson waits in Ramey’s Beech 18 while the Harpoon is fuelled and
topped of with oil prior to the ferry light to its new home.