Now that Neptune Aviation’s fleet of P2Vs have retired from active firefighting, the aircraft destined for museums have all flown for the last time and arrived at their final resting places.
Kevin Condit, the Marketing Manager at Neptune, updated us on their locations, along with links to news stories with more information.
In addition to Tanker 10, the gate guard at Missoula Airport, here are the other locations, last flight dates, and links:
Tanker 05
Location: Glendive, Montana (Glendive Airport)
Final flight: August 6, 2018
KXGN
Ranger Review
Tanker 07
Location: Paso Robles, California (Estrella Warbird Museum)
Final Flight: August 8, 2018
Estrella Warbirds Museum
Paso Robles Press
Tanker 45
Location: Belleville, Michigan (Yankee Air Museum)
Final Flight: September 5, 2018
Yankee Air Museum
Tanker 43
Location: San Diego, California (San Diego Air & Space Museum)
Final Flight: September 7, 2018
San Diego Air and Space Museum
Tanker 06
Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon (Tanker 61 Memorial)
Final Flight: September 9, 2018
Herald News
Herald News, second article
Mr. Condit said T-14 and T-44 are tucked away at Neptune’s hangar in New Mexico. Optimistically they might fly one of them in 2019 at one or more airshows but no details have been worked out yet.
Neptune plans on rebuilding the P2V version of Tanker 12 (as opposed to the current BAe-146 version) for a static display at the National Museum of Forest Service History near the Missoula International Airport. The aircraft has not flown for years after having been relegated to “boneyard” status, stripped of parts to keep the others flying. It will be rebuilt and restored to be a part of the outdoor exhibit at the museum. The timing for the rebuild is 2019-2020.
The two P2Vs that will be at or near the Missoula Airport, T-10 and T-12, will be only about a mile apart, but Mr. Condit said neither was airworthy, and Neptune preferred to see them preserved rather than scrapped. In 2012 Neptune discovered a 24-inch crack in a wing spar and skin on T-10, causing the FAA to issue an Emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring all P2V airplanes to be inspected within 24 hours of receiving the directive.