[Milsurplus] Doug Lacey Harpoon

[Hue Miller]

> Doug was hotrodding over the Clear Lake seaplane meet, doing low passes, zoom climbs and pushovers. On one pass he got too slow at the top of the zoom climb and stalled. The awful plunge into the lake was fully documented in news footage and is horrible to watch. All 8 persons aboard perished. I was so lucky to not have been among the dead.
> 
> I wonder if anyone else on this group saw the interior of Doug's Harpoon? It was a sight to behold. Radios galore, including vintage ECM gear that all worked. Doug confided to me that he proved it in a broadcast TV jamming episode over an urban area put on the for benefit of a few freinds who doubted that he could do it. As I recall him telling it he briefly wiped out the TV station for?over a pretty big area below him. I don't condone jamming of any kind, but better airborne vintage mil ECM gear than a dirty CB linear.
> 
> http://www.warbirdregistry.org/pv2harpoonregistry/pv2harpoon-84061.html
> 
> 73,
> AF6IM


I saw an article in, I believe, Air Classics showing views including internal, during

the restoration. I may still have that number somewhere. The interior photo, as

I recall, was reverse imaged! But I was amazed at the complexity of restoration.

What did Doug Lacey do, when he had free time to work to support the hobby?

Also: so this was a case of pilot error, he did the climb out of too low a pass?
Very, very sad.

Like in some Twilight Zone episode: your number was not up.

-Hue Miller