My mom's dad started out working on these birds then went through flight school and flew the PV-1 and PV-2 bombers for the Navy. He has told me that they rarely flew missions over 100 feet and then it was only for transit to another area. I have been told that during flight training in Florida a routine flight was treetop level from near Orlando up to Memphis and back and never get over 50-100 feet AGL.
Specification of Lockheed PV-1 Ventura:
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-31 air-cooled radial engines rated at 2000 hp for takeoff, 1600 hp at 11,900 feet.
Performance: Maximum speed 322 mph at 13,800 feet, 296 mph at sea level. Cruising speed 170 mph. Landing speed 91 mph. Initial climb rate 2230 feet per minute. Service ceiling 26,300 feet.
Normal range 1360 miles with one torpedo, 1660 miles with six 325-lb depth charges.
Dimensions: Wingspan 65 feet 6 inches, length 51 feet 9 inches, height 11 feet 11 inches, wing area 551 square feet. Weights: 20,197 pounds empty, 31,077 pounds loaded, 34,000 pounds maximum.
Armament Two fixed forward-firing 0.50-in machine guns, twin 0.50-in guns in dorsal turret, and two flexible 0.30-inch machine guns in the ventral position. A pack containing three 0.50-inch machine guns could be added underneath the nose. 3000 pounds of bombs, six 325-lb depth charges, or one torpedo could be carried in the internal bomb bay.
