TBM Tuesdays: The Restoration of an Avenger

In 1998, my brother Charlie Cartledge purchased a husk of a World War II bomber in Kissimmee, Florida.

In  a hangar in Wadsworth, Ohio, he is fast approaching completion -- fast, that is, in the ways of airplane restoration.  Don't look for it in the skies near you in the next month or two.

Last fall I took several hundred photos of Charlie's restoration.  I'll be posting those photos here on Tuesdays over the next several months.  For today, a quick view of where it all began and what the TMB looks like now.

Charlie's plane is TBM-3U Avenger, BuNo. 91436. (You can access a list of condition and location of all known surviving TBMs on wikipedia.)

 

The plane in Kissimmee, Florida in 1986.

Charlie purchased the TBM in December, 1998, and moved it to Wadsworth, Ohio.

This photo and the next few show the fuselage metalwork complete.  May, 2003

To see photos of the TBM in October 2007, when the paint job in Navy markings was completed, check out Charlie's blog.  He also posts photos from time to time on facebook.

The back of the plane, October, 2011.

Propellers!  We have propellers! 

 

This photo and the one below were taken this past week.  Amazing how a sunny day and open doors can improve a photograph.

The last two photos were taken by Liberty Aviation Museum, one of three partners in building a museum, hangar, and diner in Port Clinton, Ohio, to honor the Ford Tri-Motor airplane (a. k. a. Tin Goose) and to have exceptional restored planes on exhibit -- including, so far, a Tri-Motor and a B-25J.  A museum membership form can be downloaded at their website, and for only $20.00 a year, you, too, can be part of this adventure.  The museum is also on facebook, so head over there to give them a look and a Like.

If you are restoring an airplane, you're welcome leave a comment so people can check out your website/blog. Charlie said when I was photographing his TBM that he had to figure out most of this stuff (wiring, metalwork, etc.) himself; we agree that making the information available publicly is of benefit to the entire flying community.