Airworthy Avengers

[Pat Carry]

Since my airworthy P-40 post yielded so much great information, I though I would try another. Where are all the airworthy Grumman/General Motors Avengers at these days?

[TAdan]

Just off the top of my head I can think of several in my area.

Mid Atlantic Air Museum
CAF Capital Squadron
American Airpower Museum
NAS Wildwood (Privately owned, in Firebomber configuration)

[Warbird Kid]

Added to your list: Edit and add to it as you see fit.

TBM-3R Avenger - Warbird Experience
TBM-3E Avenger - Texas Flying Legends Museum
TBM-3E Avenger - Cavanaugh Flight Museum
TBM-3E Avenger - Tennessee Museum of Aviation
TBM-3 Avenger - Commemorative Air Force - Missouri Wing
TBM-3 Avenger - Commemorative Air Force - Rocky Mountain Wing
TBM-3E Avenger - Commemorative Air Force - National Capital Squadron
TBM-3E Avenger - Dave Tinker
TBM-3E Avenger - Planes of Fame Air Museum
TBM-3E Avenger - Charlie Cartledge
TBM-3 Avenger - Military Aviation Museum
TBM-3 Avenger - Mid Atlantic Air Museum
TBM-3E Avenger - American Airpower Museum
TBM-3E Avenger - NAS Wildwood (Privately owned, in Firebomber configuration)
TBM-3 Avenger - Erickson Aircraft Collection
TBM-3 Avenger - Charles Lynch
TBM-3 Avenger - Thomas Buck

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Grumman_TBF_Avengers

[SaxMan]

While the registry probably needs to be updated (for instance 91426 is the CAF NCS bird that is now airworthy), it shows that there are about 35 airworthy Avengers out there:

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/avengerr ... istry.html

That's pretty consistent with what I thought was the number of them flying.

[ErrolC]

91110 is back in NZ, and back in NZ2518 'Plonky' colours.
ZK-TBE, based at RNZAF Ohakea with Brendon Deere

Last edited by ErrolC on Wed Sep 03, 2014 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Warbirdnerd]

You can add Brad Deckert's Bu 85632.
A USMC Combat vet and one of the most fully restored Avengers on the scene.

Gerry Beck's Bu 53829 has been sold to a new owner in North Dakota and is airworthy once again....

And Mr. Slattery's Bu 85938 too...

[Chappie]

Don't know how detailed ya'll want to get but Charlie Lynch's aircraft was a TBM-3E that was converted to a -3S.


Chappie

[kalamazookid]

I don't think Tennessee Museum of Aviation has a TBM. Chris Johnson used to display his Avenger there, but I don't think it has been in Tennessee for several years now. I've seen photos of that one at the National Museum of WWII Aviation recently, so it may be based there now.

Tri-State Warbird Museum also has a TBM based at their home in Batavia, Ohio. There was also an airworthy TBM for sale on Barnstormers awhile back that I had never seen photos of before. It was dark blue and had nose art. Anyone know which airframe that is?

[Scooby]

Reynolds Alberta Museum has a recently restored ( last three years) Avenger in RCN colors.

It rarely see's the light of day, I last saw it during retraction tests. It was suppose to be out and flying this year for a local fly-in.

When Stan Reynolds past away us family let his collection collect dust,

[Iclo]

At least two flying examples in Europe : one in France (Melun, south of Paris) and one in Switzerland)

[K5DH]

Is the restored Avenger at NAS Wildwood a flyer or static? It's a real beauty, and I believe it actually served at NAS Wildwood during the war.

[TAdan]

Is the restored Avenger at NAS Wildwood a flyer or static? It's a real beauty, and I believe it actually served at NAS Wildwood during the war.

There are two Avengers at NAS Wildwood. One restored example in the museum (static) and one flyer (privately owned) in it's Fire Bomber configuration. I have some pics from a visit a few years back, I'll have to dig them out.

Here they are:






And a thread about the Flyer.

[Sasquatch]

Missoula's Museum of Mountain Flying has C-GLEL in their collection. It was flown in, in firebomber configuration, and recently got a new engine.

http://www.flightjournal.com/blog/2013/ ... m-avenger/

-Tom

[Courier Sportster]

the firebomber is so much more interesting to me than another navy blue one. just sayin'. glad it is in that paint, hopefully permanently.

[SaxMan]

Fire bomber TBM is a flyer, although it took years for the FAA to approve it as such. For some reason, the FAA really had a bug up their behind about approving this particular TBM's airworthiness certificate. I do like that this TBM is preserved in fire bomber configuration, because without that role, we would not have nearly as many Avengers as we get to enjoy today.

The owner of this particular Avenger let Jack Kosko and his group borrow the radioman's seat from the plane so they could use it as a pattern and reverse engineer a new seat for the NCS CAF's Avenger, which was missing. Kind of funny that fire bomber operators tended to strip from the planes anything that was non-essential for the fire fighting role, but they left the radioman's seat in this bird.