Ida Red is a WW II Grumman Avenger Torpedo Bomber. She was built in March of 1945. As far as we know she was never used on a carrier but was based in a number of different squadrons on both the East and West coasts. The Avenger was the largest single engine aircraft built in the U.S. until the end of the war. She could carry 2000 pounds of bombs or one 2000 pound torpedo, two 100 gallon drop tanks, and eight 5 inch high velocity rockets. She had two forward firing 50 cal. machine guns and one 50 cal. machine gun in a turret aft of the canopy.

Ida Red is powered by a Wright Cyclone R-2600 rated at 1900 H.P. at take off .This is a 14 cylinder, 2 row, radial engine turning a 3 bladed Hamilton Standard prop.

Ida Red is painted in the markings of the aircraft that flew antisubmarine patrols against the German U-Boats in the Atlantic Theater. These aircraft took off from, and landed on the smallest carriers in the fleet. To make things even more difficult they had to do this at night so they could hunt the U-Boats while they were running on the surface trying to recharge their batteries. The Battle of the Atlantic raged throughout the war and it wasn't until the Navy was able to hunt the submarines with these great aircraft that the tide started to turn against the U-Boats.

Ida Red is operated by the Great Lakes Composite Group. We are a flying museum located just outside of Fort Wayne Indiana. Ida Red is based at Monroe Custer Airport in Monroe Michigan.