Accurate Miniatures 1/48 TBM-1C Avenger

Flight 19 remains one of the great aviation legends of all time. The mission was a fairly simple navigation problem, which was divided into 4 legs. Each leg's termination point was marked by a landfall or within sight of one . The orders: Fly 091 degrees True for 56 miles to Chicken and Hen Shoals. Practice bomb runs for around 20 minutes. Proceed on course 091 again for 67 miles to Great Stirrup Cay. Turn 346 degrees True northwest for 73 miles. In site of Great Sale Cay, turn southwest for 241 degrees True for 120 miles and return to NAS Fort Lauderale.

The crews were all students from squadron 79M who had transferred to Fort Lauderdale from Miami, 20 miles south, within the previous two weeks. This to be their third and final qualifying flight in Torpedo Squadron (VTB) operations. The syllabus was advanced over-water navigation. Each pilot was qualified to be a basic flight instructor.

The date was December 5, 1945.

Markings are included for all 5 aircraft of Flight 19.