***Post News Director Canon Rath chatted with Bill Shepard, the pilot of the aircraft.
North Platte Post
North Platte, Neb. - A 1945 TMB Avenger Torpedo Bomber is hanging out at North Platte Regional Airport needing repairs before flying back home to Colorado.
The plane which is a part of the Commemorative Air Force Rocky Mountain Wing based out of Grand Junction, Colorado was flying back to its home base after an air show in Peru, Illinois when it made a quick stop in North Platte to refuel. During the service inspection, crews quickly found an issue with the magneto, and it needed to be replaced before takeoff.
The airplane magneto is described in a simple way as an ignition system. "An airplane needs two magnetos. on the left and right side and we need both to fly across the mountains," said Bill Shepard, the pilot of the plane. "For safety purposes, the left side of our magneto system has gone out on the fritz, and we air awaiting a new replacement part to have a field repair done."
The part is being flown into North Platte and crews will be working on getting the part replaced on the aircraft and Shepard says hopefully have the plane ready to take off around noon on Friday.
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is an organization that restores and flies old aircraft to educate current and future generations. The organization is based out of Dallas, Texas. "We have 178 aircraft across the country in 25 states and 78 units," said Shepard.
The Rocky Mountain Wing, based in Grand Junction, Colorado, has this aircraft and a 1946 J3 Cub. If you would like to learn more about the CAF Rocky Mountain Wing, click here.
The TMB Avenger Torpedo Bomber will be on display for public viewing until 5:00pm Thursday. It's free to view and the crew of the plane will be around to chat about the aircraft or answer questions.
North Platte has treated the crew extremely well. "The North Platte Aviation Community has been great and came to our rescue."
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