Avenger Cutaway

Fitzystigertank · Post by **Fitzystigertank** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 8:38 am

I'm looking for an Avenger cutaway. I've searched google and found nothing. I want to know what the black box behind the pilot is??

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 8:40 am

The black box behind the pilot is part of the radio equipment, I believe.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:41 pm

Yeah, I think it's radio equipment. I know the TBM-1C's had the radio equipment behind the pilot. British avengers I think had a navigator's postion in the aft section in place of the radio gear

der Vogelfänger · Post by **der Vogelfänger** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:49 am

Check this link out....you can click with your pointer and see various details of the Avenger:

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/NA ... round.html

dV

grunt1 · Post by **grunt1** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:36 pm

Wow, that's pretty amazing...

Wings_&_Armor · Post by **Wings_&_Armor** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:56 pm

der Vogelfänger wrote:Check this link out....you can click with your pointer and see various details of the Avenger:

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/NA ... round.html

dV

Very cool site. Thanks for sharing dV!

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:45 am

That is a cool site! That Avenger certainly has greater detail than the 21c version

I would like to have seen the inside of the ventral compartment underneath the turret, but the way the site is set up is really neat!

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:01 pm

That is what I'm interested in also, the compartment below the .50cal turret, where the radio man fired the lower rear facing .30cal.

Looks like the radio man sat behind the pilot? I didn't know that!!!!! If so, how in the heck did he get to the rear compartment? Thru the bomb bay? Did I say, Slim Pickens riding a torpedo?????

TTT

Fitzystigertank · Post by **Fitzystigertank** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:45 pm

this what i have observed watching a movie on the Avenger. Grumman built the TBF. On the TBF's the radio man sat under the turret behind the torpedo bay.
In the TBM's, General Motors built the TBM's, the radio man sat behind the pilot. I was trying to find a way to get the radio man to sit behind the pilot but everythings snaps into each other and I don't want to break anything due to the fact I drove a long distance for it.
The ball turret guy gets in by the lil door on the side, (the one where you put the radioman in now) and climbs up into the turret.
check this video out
http://www.cinemanow.com/Free/History/1 ... venger.htm

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:47 pm

As said above, the radioman sat behind the pilot only on some versions of the Avenger. In the other versions, where the radioman/bombadier sat in the ventral positon, he could get from behind the cockpit to the ventral area by squeezing through a narrow crawlspace that went underneath the turret and over the bombay. You can see it here in the below picture:

The turret seat is visible in the top-left corner and to the right, you can see the crawlspace leading to the radio equipment behind the pilot. The floor is the top of the bombay.

No, he actually didn't have to crawl through the bombay itself

Fitzystigertank · Post by **Fitzystigertank** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:12 pm

ok so the real question I want to know is: Where am I supposed to put the radio guy??? I right now throw him underneath the turret. is this correct.

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:14 pm

For the version of the Avenger that 21c replicates (TBF-1), that would be the correct position for the radio operator.

Fitzystigertank · Post by **Fitzystigertank** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:21 pm

in my last post I also forgot to mention on later Avengers where the radio man sat behind the pilot the glass opens for him to get in.

Jay · Post by **Jay** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 5:17 pm

If you go to http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/More_ ... Stuff.html
, and then click on "Bomber Compartment Forward", you'll see a labeled description of the under turret area

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:05 pm

With the radio man is that compartment and the rear .50cal gunner squezed into the ball turret, it's little wonder Papa Bush was the only one of his crew to survive the crash landing. I have read that given the weight of the plane, it had the habit of going straight to the bottom when crash landed on the water.

Seeing that radio compartment gives me the willies......

Really nice research guys...

TTT

immeww2 · Post by **immeww2** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:57 pm

Interesting and informative site. Learned alot about the Avenger.

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:24 pm

immeww2 wrote:Interesting and informative site. Learned alot about the Avenger.

yes it is