Up to OJB's Airshow Page Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger was an American torpedo bomber used by the US Navy and Marine Corps and later by several other military organisations around the world. It was first used in 1942 at the Battle of Midway. Modified versions remained in use until the 1960s.  The Avenger had a crew of 3: a pilot, a turret gunner, and a radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. The last crew member must have been busy: according wo Wikipedia: "This (ventral) gun was fired by the radioman/bombardier while standing up and bending over in the belly of the tail section, though he usually sat on a folding bench facing forward to operate the radio and to sight in bombing runs".  Specifications for TBF Avenger:
Crew: 3
Length: 40 ft 11.5 in (12.48 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m)
Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
Wing area: 490.02 ft^2 (45.52 m^2)
Empty weight: 10,545 lb (4,783 kg)
Loaded weight: 17,893 lb (8,115 kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Wright R-2600-20 radial engine, 1,900 hp (1,420 kW) Performance:
Maximum speed: 275 mph (442 km/h)
Range: 1,000 miles (1,610 km)
Service ceiling: 30,100 ft (9,170 m)
Rate of climb: 2,060 ft/min (10.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 36.5 lb/ft^2 (178 kg/m^2)
Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg) Guns:
1 x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun (early models)
2 x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing-mounted M2 Browning machine guns (later models)
1 x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) dorsal-mounted M2 Browning machine gun
1 x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) ventral-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun Rockets:
Up to eight 3.5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets,
5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets, or
High Velocity Aerial Rockets Bombs:
Up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs or
1 x 2,000 lb (907 kg) Mark 13 torpedo Sources: Wikipedia, Warbirds Over Wanaka 2012 Programme. | 
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