Twin Radials Make A Joyful Noise

"Mt. Comfort traffic, Lockheed 7265C departing runway 25." After almost two years of hard work, the American Military Heritage Foundation has managed to get back its PV-2 Harpoon back into the air.

ANN had previously reported the status of the Harpoon as it was being readied for flight. Several small issues have delayed the first flight, including paperwork issues, minor mechanical challenges, and crew scheduling issues. After two false starts on Friday,  the Harpoon left the runway at the Mount Comfort Airport on Saturday at 1307 CDT and climbed for the sky.

As the roar of the engines began to fade into the distance, and "Hot Stuff" took to the skies, there was only one thing for Janet Cross to say. "WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!"

This "Return to Flight" has been the result of a lot of sacrifice and hard work by AMHF members. Attempts Friday were aborted because of a leaking fuel gasket, but Saturday morning repairs were made to clear the aircraft for flight.

Now the crews have a bit of training to do and a lot of preparation work as they get ready for their trip to Oshkosh and the aircraft's return to the airshow circuit.The crew for this flight was Steve Hilligoss, Crew Chief, Steve Rider, PIC, and Martin Fall, SIC.

As ANN covers Oshkosh, watch for an update on this aircraft and others. Warbirds are literally flying museums, sharing our history with the public.

FMI: www.amhf.org