Peru, Illinois gets its warbird weekend back this Friday. Illinois Valley Regional Airport hosts the 11th Annual TBM Avenger Reunion and Salute to Veterans on May 15–16 — the largest gathering of Grumman TBM Avengers anywhere on the planet. Approximately ten examples are expected on the ramp. Admission is completely free.
Ten Avengers — Including All Three CAF Ships
Ten flying TBM Avengers on a single field. That’s the headline number. Only about 25 Grumman TBM/TBF Avengers remain airworthy worldwide, which means Peru will be hosting roughly 40 percent of the global fleet in one place — a statistic that needs no embellishment. This year carries an additional distinction: all three Commemorative Air Force TBM-3E Avengers will appear together for the first time in the event’s eleven-year history.
The three CAF ships are Doris Mae from the Capital Wing (Culpeper, Virginia), Sweet Louise from the Missouri Wing (St. Charles, Missouri), and TBM 309 from the Rocky Mountain Wing (Grand Junction, Colorado). The Capital Wing and Rocky Mountain Wing aircraft both logged active service with the Royal Canadian Navy on North Atlantic anti-submarine patrols. Sweet Louise trained Korean War pilots in carrier operations. All three will be offering Living History Flight Experience rides at $900 per seat, with options for both the rear-facing ball turret and the observer position behind the pilot.
Team Titan Takes the Stage — Day and Night
The AT-6 Texan formation act appearing in Peru this year flies under a new name. The TITAN Aerobatic Team — formerly the AeroShell Aerobatic Team since 2001 — rebranded in December 2023 following a sponsorship transition to TITAN Aviation Fuels. The team itself, formally the North American Aerobatic Team (NAAT), has been flying together since 1984.
The current lineup: team lead Mark Henley, right wing Bryan Regan, left wing and co-founder Steve Gustafson, and slot pilot Jimmy Fordham. Henley holds a type rating in the Grumman TBM — worth noting at an Avenger reunion. Fordham brings over 22,000 hours and a career as a retired senior Delta Airlines captain on the Airbus A330. The routine was built around a philosophy Gustafson has described plainly:
“We designed our routine a certain way. We’ve tried doing different things, and it never flows like it should. It took a while to figure that out, but the key is we never lose sight of each other.”
Peru gets both a daytime and a twilight performance from Team Titan — the latter featuring onboard LED lighting blazing through smoke patterns, one of the more visually striking night acts on the current circuit.
Full Weekend Program
Friday evening anchors around the TBM Nighttime Flame Show, a crowd-favorite engine run-up sequence, followed by fireworks, a beer garden, food vendors, and live music. Saturday brings the Salute to Veterans Parade and March, the Veterans Flag Missing Man Flight, and the traditional daytime air show featuring formation flying and simulated torpedo and bomb runs.
Additional confirmed aircraft include the Tri-State Warbird Museum’s P-51D Mustang Cincinnati Miss, a Boeing B-17 — available for rides Thursday and Sunday, on static display Friday and Saturday — Huey helicopter rides, T-6 rides, and a broad representation of warbirds spanning World War II through Vietnam. A no-drone zone is in effect within five nautical miles of the airport on both show days per FAA restrictions.
Parking is free. Peru’s police chief has confirmed officers will direct traffic to grass parking areas, with handicapped-accessible parking at the north Plank Road entrance. Ramp space is reserved for show aircraft; visiting GA aircraft will be parked on grass.
Event organizer Brad Deckert launched what became this reunion in April 2016 as a modest TBM owners’ operational gathering. A decade later it draws an estimated 15,000 to 17,000 visitors — with city alderman Jim Lukosus projecting a 15 percent increase this year, putting the target near 20,000 attendees. Peru’s May retail receipts hit a same-month record $723,000 in 2025, a number the city ties directly to the show’s economic pull.
Gates open both days at Illinois Valley Regional Airport, 4251 E Ed Urban Dr, Peru, Illinois 61354. The show runs May 15–16, 2026.
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