Grumman Avenger Documentary
The Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force is first and foremost a Flying Museum, with over 170 historic aircraft, most of which are fully restored, and in FAA certified airworthy flying condition. Unlike most museum pieces, the public is welcome to get up close and personal with our aircraft - to touch, feel, hear and smell history. Or even take to the air in a Living History Flight Experience!
Our Aircraft
The Rocky Mountain Wing currently maintains and operates two iconic WWII aircraft:
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A 1945 TBM Avenger - an 18,000lb 1,900 HP Torpedo Bomber. It was the largest single-engine aircraft built for the war. And being based on aircraft carriers, it took off (and landed on!) the shortest runways, as little as 500 feet. Without a catapult!
Nearly 10,000 TBMs were built, and they are credited with helping to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific; fewer than 20 restored TBMs remain flying today. Rocky Mountain Wing TBM, Bu. No. 53503 Quick History |
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- Delivered to the US Navy in June of 1945, it did not see combat service in WWII.
- It served with VT-17 Fish Hawks until 1947, then transferred to VT-82 Devil’s Advocates.
- It went on the Lend/Lease Program to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1950, where it performed ASW duty on the RCN aircraft carrier HMCS Magnificent
- it was removed from military service and put in storage in 1958.
- It had a civilian career as an aerial applicator from 1963 to 1970
- It was donated to the Confederate Air Force in Harlingen TX, and flew with the Ghost Squadron from 1970 to 1981
- It sat outside in Mesa AZ from 1981 to 1984, awaiting repair/restoration
- It was adopted by the CAF Rocky Mountain Squadron, and ferried to Grand Junction CO in 1985
- 1985-1989 repair/restoration as TBM 53503, painted in VT-84 Wolf Gang livery to honor those who served on the USS Bunker Hill during the Battle of the Japan Sea in 1945
- It has been actively flying with the CAF Rocky Mountain wing since 1990.
Our TBM has several notable claims to fame
- It is the only aircraft ever to be placed on the Colorado Register of Historic Properties
- It is only the seventh aircraft to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and one of only three that still flies
- It was the lead airplane in a formation flyover of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Review of the Fleet
- it appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- It participated in a Cold War exercise that included a mission known as the Magnificent Miracle
Bucket-list rides in this powerful beast are available at $825 per person.
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Our 1946 J3 Cub - a 750 lb, 65 HP Primary Trainer, was also known as a Grasshopper. It was the smallest aircraft built for the war. Inexpensive, sturdy, slow, and easy to repair, it was an ideal trainer. And it was fuel efficient, burning only 4 gallons of low-grade gas per hour
Every WWII pilot wannabe started their Army Air Corps career with 4 hours of dual training in the Cub. About 25% of the recruits were able to convince their instructors they could fly solo, and went on to bigger and better planes. The other 75% were handed a pair of boots and a rifle. |
The Cub was also used for reconnaissance, from land bases from aircraft carriers, and from destroyers without any runway!
You'll have to visit our museum to discover how that was possible. Take a ride in our yellow bird, and watch the traffic on the interstate zoom past you as you cruise along at 55 mph.
---Only $125 for a 30-minute experience---
You'll have to visit our museum to discover how that was possible. Take a ride in our yellow bird, and watch the traffic on the interstate zoom past you as you cruise along at 55 mph.
---Only $125 for a 30-minute experience---
US Navy TBM Avenger
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VERY popular due to its uniquely folding wings and huge size (largest single-engined aircraft used in WWII) Vertical Divider
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A rare flying museum exhibit that allows the public to walk on sturdy, safe steps over the wings to view pilot & turret gunner crew stations Vertical Divider
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Historically significant carrier-based aircraft used in both Atlantic and Pacific theaters of WWII, the Korean conflict, and beyond. Vertical Divider
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President Bush joined the Navy on his 18th birthday, July 12, 1942.
He Earned his Commission as Ensign and “Wings of Gold” June 9, 1943 , then transitioned to TBF’s. His first TBF was lost was during summer of 1944 in a water landing due to mechanical problems. His 2nd TBF was lost when he was shot down on September 2, 1944 on a mission over Chichi Jima island. He was 20 years old at the time. Vertical Divider
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Five TBMs in Flight 19 were lost in the "Bermuda Triangle" in December, 1945. Vertical Divider
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Another Factoid: N53053 appeared in the Steven Spielberg movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." You may not recognize our TBM as it is in the movie, because it is wearing its pre-restoration paint job. Vertical Divider
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Our TBM Avenger was the "Cover Girl" on the National CAF Dispatch magazine. The photo was taken at annual CAF AirSho held the second weekend of October each year.
All CAF aircraft are brought "home" where we reenact aerial battles of WWII with the original aircraft. Additional aircraft are also featured in this, the best airshow of the year - every year! Click on the magazine cover on the left to view the article. Vertical Divider
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NOW THAT WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!