Greetings,
As you know I have been involved in a project for several years with others to secure a P2V-5 Neptune to be converted as a possible replica of a VO-67 OP-2E. VAH-21, Project Trim, was able to save one of their aircraft and it is now on display at the Pima Air Museum in Arizona.
The Army's Crazy Cats also have a bird on display at the Rucker Army Museum in Alabama. Why not VO-67? All our remaining aircraft were scraped soon after our return so displaying one of them was impossible.
Our intent was to display a replica, in honor of our twenty KIA shipmates, and to bring to light the unique service of the special sailors of Observation Squadron Sixty-Seven. VO-67 is the only P-2 aircraft squadron to ever receive the "Presidential Unit Citation ".
Several times over the years it was thought that an aircraft had been secured. A while back it was thought that a bird from a Fire Bomber Company had come through with an unused P-2V5 that could be modified and placed at the Heritage Air Park in Palmdale, California. This did not work out.
As of now the replica project is on permanent hold. Perhaps someday someone will come forward with a good plan on how this dream could be realized before all the scarce P2V-5 models have been cut up for scrap. What a shame that would be.
I apologize for any false hope that I may have posted in the past.
Bob Reynolds
VO-67 Crew-5 Roadrunner
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