BILL EWING COLLECTION
No. 6487. Grumman G-40 TBM-3 Avenger ("905") Royal Canadian Navy
Photographed at RCAF Downsview, Ontario, Canada,, 1957
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05/31/2007. Remarks by Bill
Ewing: "No. 905 was my aircraft at RCN Reserve Squadron VC-920. The tubular fairing on the port side is the housing for the MAD boom (Magnetic Anomoly Detector).
In use, the boom with the MAD sending unit was extended aft. The "Y" fairing under the cowling was the mount for the MAD Reciever unit.
The round canisters were commonly known as "butt cans". From the photo, the 'butt can' normally found on the end of the boom is not mounted in this photo,
as the MAD gear was only there for show with VC-920. Here is an additional photo of VC-920 Avenger 906 showing the 2 'butt cans'
(transmitter & reciever), as well as the wing-mounted radar and rocket rails. The port wing has four rocket rails, while the starboard only three. One was eliminated due to the proximity of the radar pod.
The 900 numbers were changed between aircraft as the Avengers were back and forth with Station Shearwater. They were strictly squadron numbers and nothing to do with the aircraft serial. My aircraft was always 905, although I can remember at least four different aircraft wearing that same number." |
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Created May 31, 2007