Gruman Avenger TBM-3E

The Grumman Avenger was a US naval carrier based torpedo bomber or anti submarine aircraft and a major contributor to winning the sea battles of the Second World War. Produced in large numbers, it saw much action with both the US and Royal Navies in both the Pacific and Atlantic war zones. In 1950, Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) anti submarine Squadrons, VS 880 and 881 were equipped with modernized Avengers. The RCN retired the Avenger in 1956.

The Avenger performing at this year’s Aero Gatineau-Ottawa is owned by the Canadian War Plane Heritage Museum and is a TBM-3E built by General Motors, Eastern Aircraft Division in 1945. It flew with the US Navy until the early 1950s, when it was phased out. Later it was converted to a spray plane and operated in California and later New Brunswick. The Museum acquired the Avenger with the help of a generous donor in late 2009.