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Re: Mystery Avenger

Posted by Steve T on Fri May 02, 2003 06:48:35 PM

In reply top Mystery Avenger posted by Scott WRG Editor on Fri May 02, 2003 04:56:09 PM

Scott--

Interesting pix. Wonder how long ago they were taken? I can't hazard a guess as to the ID of this TBM, but a few details in the pix may narrow things down a bit. First, two of the shots show that the control surfaces had been yellow; and the whole outer wing panel in the profile view appears to wear yellow also. Then there's the turret--or rather the gaping hole where the turret would normally be. The cutouts look to me like a match, not for the familiar turret installation, but rather for the fixed rear canopy sections of a Royal Canadian Navy Avenger AS3--the large trapeziodal side windows and the short "bubble" aft of the former turret. Numerous AS3s went to Skyways/Conair in BC in the 60s; their final livery (carried on by FPL more recently) involved yellow outer wings and tail feathers.

So, my guess is an ex-Conair AS3, in the early stages of reconversion to TBM-3 status, with RCN rear canopy removed, most paint stripped, and a "new" set of TBM bomb doors in place instead of the tanker unit...but that's just a guess...

S.

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