July 10, 2025

WARBIRD RETURNS TO THE SKIES OVER OSCEOLA — WITH A FAMILIAR FACE IN THE COCKPIT

By Donna Seuferer
Lyle Persels, third from left, and Kevin Seuferer, third from right, are flanked by the pilot-in-command, left, and crew of the Avenger.

Lyle Persels, third from left, and Kevin Seuferer, third from right, are flanked by the pilot-in-command, left, and crew of the Avenger. (Contributed photo Donna Seuferer)

A rare piece of American aviation history soared over Osceola last week, piloted by none other than former mayor and retired Navy Commander Lyle Persels.

The aircraft, a TBM-3E Avenger—an 80-year-old World War II-era torpedo bomber—made an unexpected stop at the Osceola Municipal Airport June 16 to refuel while en route from an airshow in Michigan to its home base in Colorado. The aircraft is maintained and flown by the Commemorative Air Force Rocky Mountain Wing Museum in Grand Junction.

But the real buzz began when the vintage warbird caught the attention of airport manager Linda Persels, who immediately called her husband, Lyle. “I’m calling Lyle!” she declared, rallying a group of astonished onlookers already gathering around the aircraft. Within the hour, Persels was suited up and preparing for a flight he hadn’t experienced in nearly 60 years.

As a young Navy flight instructor, Persels once trained pilots in the very same model of aircraft, often launching from and landing on aircraft carriers. Now in his 90s, he climbed back into the cockpit of the TBM with the kind of ease that only comes from hundreds of flight hours—128 of them logged in Avengers alone.

The thirty-minute flight looped over Osceola and the surrounding countryside, giving both Persels and spectators a thrilling glimpse of the past in action.

The TBM Avenger holds a storied place in history as the largest single-engine aircraft produced for World War II. Of nearly 10,000 built, only about 20 remain airworthy today—a fact not lost on the crowd of local pilots who dropped everything to marvel at the unexpected visitor.

Persels played a key role in shaping Osceola’s aviation future after his military career, helping to develop the municipal airport at its current location east of town. Monday’s flight brought his aviation story full circle.

Maintaining and operating historic aircraft like the Avenger is no small feat. With fuel and maintenance costs now shouldered by civilian organizations, donations collected at airshows and events are crucial to the mission of preserving these flying relics.

It’s all part of a nationwide effort to “Keep ’Em Flying”—a mission that, for a moment in Osceola, became deeply personal.