General Motors TBM Avenger – Summer of Flight

Experience Warbirds in flight this summer!

From May through September, join the Military Aviation Museum every Saturday at 1 PM for narrated flying demonstrations showcasing historical aircraft and commemorating significant wartime events. Experience the rumble of the engines up close as pilots share what it’s like to fly these incredible machines. Learn about the battles they fought in and the men and women who built, flew, and maintained them during the war! Summer of Flight is included with general admission to the museum and free for members. Events begin at 1:00 PM unless stated otherwise.

Originally designed as a Torpedo Bomber, the Avenger would move past an inauspicious debut at the Battle of Midway to become the most effective and widely used Torpedo Bomber of the war. They would also see service as carrier-based conventional bombers and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

The Avenger would have its combat debut at the Battle of Midway. Designed as a replacement for the obsolete TBD Devastator, the Avengers were just entering service in the days before the battle. VT-8, assigned to the USS Hornet, was the first unit to receive the new aircraft. Although the ship had set sail for the Pacific, half of VT-8 remained at Norfolk, VA to receive the first shipment of new aircraft. The group, in their brand new Avengers (each fitted with a 270-gallon ferry tank), sought to rejoin the Hornet at Pearl Harbor, and flew 20 hours west from Norfolk only to find that the carrier had already departed for Midway. The Squadron then flew on to Midway, where the island was attacked before they could re-connect with the Hornet’s air group.