Following an 11-year restoration, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Grumman TBM-3E Avenger, BuNo 53858/C-GCWG, is due to return to the air during the early spring at Hamilton, Ontario. It replaces another Avenger, BuNo 91450 — also registered C-GCWG — which was destroyed in a hangar fire at Hamilton during February 1993. Built by General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division during 1945, 53858 flew with the US Navy until the early 1950s, when it was put into storage. Subsequently converted into a sprayer, it was operated by Hemet Valley Flying Service in California from 1963-72. Forest Protection in New Brunswick purchased it in 1976, operating the machine as C-GFPR/tanker 4 from Fredericton, New Brunswick until it was stood down from that role in 1992.
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