Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original U.S. WWII aircraft load adjuster produced for the Lockheed PV-2 and PV-2C Harpoon, complete with its leather hard case and suspension hanger. Manufactured by the Cox & Stevens Aircraft Corporation of Mineola, New York, the adjuster remains in excellent condition with its clear sliding cursor intact.

The Lockheed Ventura was a twin engine medium bomber and patrol aircraft that first entered combat with the Royal Air Force during late 1942. The U.S. Navy adopted a navalized version as the PV-1 Ventura, which entered combat in the Pacific during 1943. Lockheed subsequently developed the improved PV-2 Harpoon with a larger wing, increased fuel capacity, and other modifications intended to improve its performance as a maritime patrol and bombing aircraft.

The PV-2 and PV-2C load adjuster resembles a conventional slide rule but was designed to calculate aircraft loading and weight distribution. Using the adjustable scales and cursor, personnel could account for the locations and weights of crew, fuel, ammunition, bombs, and other equipment. This allowed the aircraft’s loaded center of gravity to be checked against its approved operating limits, an essential calculation for safe takeoff, flight, and landing.

The instrument is identified for use with:

PV-2 & PV-2C

It was manufactured by:

COX & STEVENS AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
MINEOLA, NEW YORK

The load adjuster remains in excellent condition and shows very little evidence of use. Its clear sliding cursor is intact and moves along the face of the instrument. The original leather hard case is also present, together with its leather suspension hanger.

The case is serial numbered 150178, while the load adjuster itself is serial numbered 126275, indicating that the two components were paired at some point rather than being an originally matching set. The wall mounting bracket is no longer present.

The complete assembly measures approximately 13" long while enclosed in its case.

An excellent example of specialized U.S. Navy aviation equipment produced for the Lockheed PV-2 and PV-2C Harpoon, complete with its maker marked load adjuster, sliding cursor, leather hard case, and suspension hanger.