@ Sidney, British Columbia
May 2023
Among the British Columbia Aviation Museum collection is this Grumman Tracker, one of 99 built under license by de Havilland Canada to replace Royal Canadian Navy Grumman TBM Avenger antisubmarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. First flown in May 1956, a few of these aircraft would serve with the Canadian military until the 1990s. That searchlight mounted on the starboard wing packed an impressive 70-million-candlepower. The folding wings were a space saver onboard aircraft carriers, reducing the span from just under 70 feet to 27 feet.
