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Re: PV-1/PV-2

Posted by Steve T on Mon Nov 24, 2003 06:15:48 PM

In reply top PV-1/PV-2 posted by Chris Martin on Mon Nov 24, 2003 11:38:35 AM

Chris--

I was wondering why the PV-1/PV-2 never got the attention they deserved.

Certain designs, for various reasons not necessarily related to the design itself, become historical "also-rans". My own favourite, the Fury/Sea Fury series, have suffered this fate to some degree; of late I get the impression that very few of these would still be flying were it not for their potential as racers. (The flipside of this, though, is of course the fact that the Fury commands a much lower price on average than any other Warbird of comparable charisma; for me, it means I wouldn't need quite so big a lottery pot to acquire one...) :-)

Anyway, the PVs, though worthy types, haven't got the high profile cachet of the B-25 (Doolittle; 5th AF etc) or even the TBM (Battle of Midway etc), because they did not figure in any generally-famous events.

What if they had been four B-25's for sale?

Exactly. The '25 is not truly rare, but it's the most desirable of the big twins (except perhaps the Marauder, which IS truly rare).

Anybody have anything to say about the Ventura/Harpoon, opinions?

As a Canuck I have an automatic interest in the PV-1; the RCAF had a number of these on strength (some in the black-and-yellow diagonal TT stripes like CWH's Lysander--hey, picture those two on the line at Gennie, eh). But despite its rather sleek lines, the Ventura spent the war unglamorously in Canada and is little remembered here.

And if these aircraft aren't bought do you think they'd be scrapped?

I would very much hope not--but ultimately it would come down to the economics of keeping them. Say the owners decided to offer the PVs to museums gratis, for tax receipts; would that work? It'd depend on whether the museums in question could/would/cared to foot the bill for transporting the PVs. To some degree I suppose the outcome would also be influenced by where the PVs were stored: at an active airport where they're apt to become an unwelcome blot on the landscape, or at a remote site where having them around, even in weary shape, would be less likely to bother anyone...

S.

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