Early History
United States Navy. 1945 Eastern (GM) Grumman TBM-3E. Construction #: 3847. BOC: June 1945. SOC: 1957. #53785 was allocated to VA-18A (later VA-125), June 1948, deployed aboard the U.S.S. Coral Sea and transferred to the Oakland Naval Air Reserve.
Marsh Aviation Co, Litchfield Park, AZ, 1957-1964. Registered as N7075C. Flew as Tanker #23.
Note the curved shape of the tank, present even as far back as 1957; its sister aircraft (N7076C) had a similar tank.
Grumman TBM-3, 53785, N7075C, Marsh Aviation, 1957. [SDASM Archives]
Reeder Flying Service, Twin Falls, ID
#55 N7075C 1966-1977
Aerial Spray Program – NB, Newfoundland
1969 – Flew in Newfoundland in 1969, based on figure below. Pilot not known. 1970 – Did not fly in NB. 1971, 1972 – Pilot Laudert. 1973, 1974 – Did not fly in NB.
TBM fleet (12 of 19) at Deer Lake NF, 1969. Reeder TBMs #56 N7076C and #55 N7075C are in the third row from the front, left to right.
Reeder #55 N7075C at Deer Lake, NF, 1969. [S.E. Holmes]
Reeder TBM #55 and team in the pits, Dunphy NB, 1971. (Merrill McBride)
Reeder TBM #55 N7075C at Dunphy NB, 1972.
Jay Sherlock posted this image of N7075C at Scalefirebombers.
Post-spray History
Dwight Reimer, Shafter CA, 1979-1980. Flew as “My Assam Dragon”.
Gordon Plasket, King City, CA, 1982.
Stephen Grey, Geneva, Switzerland, 1982. Not delivered.
Robert Pond/Planes of Fame East, Spring Park, MN, 1983-2002. Later Palm Springs Air Museum, CA. Flown in RN/FAA Avenger Mk. III scheme as JR456/RP.
Dwight Reimer, Shafter CA, 1979-1980, called N7075C “My Assam Dragon”. It still has the distinctive tank.
