PERU, Illinois- The Peru/Illinois Valley Regional Airport hosted the largest gathering of World War II TBM Avenger aircraft in the Midwest.
More than 50 war planes representing different American war eras were featured in Saturday's event. However, for World War II Veteran Ken Glass, the 10 TBM Avenger fighter planes were the only war birds he wanted to fly because it reminded him of his days as an active pilot.
"It was a great privilege to get back up in the plane again. The plane that I flew 35 combat missions in and got me safely home... It's a great plane," says Glass.
The City of Peru partnered with the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to help pay for the event. It was expected to cost more than $50,000.
Although the event can be costly, Air Display Coordinator, Tim Gillian says maintaining a TBM Avengers in itself can also cost private owners a lot of money.
"The TBMs burn about 100 gallons of fuel an hour so when you think about 100 gallons of fuel an hour times (the money it takes to fill up the plane) that's a lot of money just to operate it with fuel," he says.
Gillian also says there are only about 15 TBM Avengers in the entire country, 10 of which flew in Saturday's event.