Early History
United States Navy. TBM-3S. Construction number 3482.
Royal Canadian Navy. Avenger AS 3M. Flew as #343. BOC: Oct. 19, 1950. SOC: July 5, 1960. Military Service in Canada: Squadrons VS 880, VX 10, VU 32, CFB Shearwater, NS.
“343 Bu # 53420 in this Canadian Navy photo went on to become CF-KCM. Now it is warbird N420GP.” Posted to TBMs – Mil & Civ (fb) by Barrie MacLeod, 6 Jan 2015.
Skyway Air Services, Langley, BC
#616 CF-KCM 1961-1969
Aerial Spray Program – NB
1966 – Pilot Hodson. 1968 – No information. 1968 or 1969 – Damaged in “Saskatchewan 1968 or 1969 with fuel problem – repaired.” [Robert M. Stitt, pers. comm.]
Skyway #616 FKCM at Abbotsford BC, 28 June 1969. [The National Archive of Transport Travel and Trade]
Conair Aviation Ltd., Abbotsford, BC
#616 CF-KCM 1969-1977
Aerial Spray Program – NB
1969, 1970 – Pilot Poole. 1971-1973 – Did not fly in NB. 1974 – Pilots Duch and Davis. 1975 – Pilot Hyland. 1976, 1977 – Pilot Tyerman. FKCM was one of 8 TBMs sold to FPL in August 1977.
Conair TBM #616 in pits, location and date unknown.
Conair TBM #16 spraying over forest, location and date unknown. Source: Randall 1975.
Source: Randall, A.P. 1975. Application Technology. In: Aerial Control of Forest Insects in Canada. M.L. Prebble (ed.). Dept. of the Environment, Ottawa, Canada.
Forest Protection Limited, Fredericton, NB
#616 / #16 CF-KCM / C-FKCM 1977-1994
1977 – FPL purchased FKCM in 1 January 1977 for $27,000.
Aerial Spray Program / Fire Suppression – NB
1978 – Pilot Jewers. Repainted and renumbered to fleet standard after 4 July, 1978. Fire bombing. 1979 – Pilot Wells. Fire bombing.
Aerial Spray Program – NB
1980, 1981 – Pilot Farrell.
Crashed 8 June 1981. TBM FKCM owned by FPL and piloted by W. Farrell experienced a loss of engine power while taking off from Boston Brook Airstrip. The take-off was aborted and the aircraft came to a stop in the cleared but upgraded area beyond the south end of the runway. The pilot was not injured but the aircraft was extensively damaged; it was later repaired.
1982, 1983, 1984 – Pilot Harrington. 1985 – Pilot Popert.
Inactive/Sold – NB
1986-1994 – Inactive, stored at FPL. 1994 – Sold to Jeff Thomas/Vintage Wings, Seattle, WA.
TBM #16, water bombing practice run, Juniper, July 1978.
TBM #16 dropping fire retardant in front of a fire, 1979.
TBM #16 refuelling at Brockway, 1985. The numeral “1” is just visible to the left of the “6”.
TBM #16 stored at Fredericton, 1991.
Post-spray History
Jeff Thomas/Vintage Wings, Seattle, WA, 1993-1994.
Vintage Wings, Seattle, WA, Feb. 11, 1994-2000. Registered as N420GP. Arrived by truck dismantled, July 1994.
Douglas J. Rued, Minot, ND, Aug. 22, 2000-2002.
Tri-State Warbird Museum, Batavia, OH, 2004-2006.
