Hawker Sea Fury?

[Compass Call]

This afternoon I heard a lovely deep roar of a big piston engine. looking up I saw a dark blue painted beast with 'Navy' painted in white on the rear fuselage. It looked very like a Hawker Sea Fury heading for a landing at Hurn. A great pity he could not fly lower but I think he was limited by the proximity of a local hospital.
If the pilot reads this, Please, Please come back again soon. It was a wonderful sight on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

CC

[treadigraph]

Sounds like John Bradshaw's Sea Fury which is based at Hurn... sorry, Bournemouth International! Don't think he flies it all that often more's the pity.

[BEagle]

When we were both QFI-ing at RAF Abingdon, I helped Bradders to launch the beast a couple of times when it was based at Wroughton - magnificent! It is certainly the best maintained Fury there is and is a labour of love for John. It is actually an 'Iraqi Single Seat' Hawker Fury, not a 'Sea Fury'.

To keep The Law happy when it first arrived in the UK and we took it from Southmapton Docks to Eastleigh along the main road with the wings removed, I was asked to sit in the a/c as brakeman. I couldn't resist winding back the canopy as we went round one roundabout to ask a passer-by "Are we going the right way to the airport...?"

Some dimwitted gun-toting redneck had taken a pot shot at the Fury when it was in store in the USA before being shipped over to Britain as we were at war with Iraq and he took offence to the "Goddam Eye-Raqi airplane"; the .45 cal bullet hole was still there through the left wing when it arrived in England! Fortunately nothing serious had been hit and John soon repaired the damage.

My logbook of the time has a piccie of N36SF ('Harry' as Bradders calls him) with the following entry:

29 Sep 91, Fury ISS, N36SF, Self, S'oton Docks to Eastleigh 0545Z - 0710Z, road tow, average ground speed 3.9 Kts!

[Man-on-the-fence]

Treaders

It flies very regularly (at least once a month) and is probably the most regularly flown Centaurus engined Sea Fury in existance.

Its very rarely if ever displayed though as JB no longer has a DA IIRC

[Onan the Clumsy]

Some dimwitted gun-toting redneck had taken a pot shot at the Fury when it was in store in the USA before being shipped over to Britain as we were at war with Iraq and he took offence to the "Goddam Eye-Raqi airplane"; They also serve who only shoot at unoccupied, parked aircraft :rolleyes:

[treadigraph]

Glad to hear that she (and John) flies more often than I thought, MotF - only time I can recall seeing her was a straight and level fly past at Farnborough a few years back. Shame... Hope RNHF's is out and about OK this year, and that TFC's will get air under her tyres soon.

Couple that fly regularly down under aren't there?

Incidently, are there any Centaurus Sea Furies in the US now, our are they all R3350? (Yes, I know, Dreadnought has a R4360!).

Cheers

Treadders

[Man-on-the-fence]

Treadders, I think there is one Centaurus engined Fury in the States and that is about to go R3380.

If All goes according to plan I hope to sample one soon :ok:

[treadigraph]

You getting a lift with a certain Mr Patterson? Lucky $%&*! :ok:

Treadders

[Duxford_Eagles]

Luck has little to do with it, I'm sure it's down to Nick feeding Patty all of his best scotch.

[Man-on-the-fence]

He thinks it was my best Scotch anyway ;)

[teeteringhead]

They also serve who only shoot at unoccupied, parked aircraft ..must be related to the guys who trashed the "Iraqi Mig" gate guardians in Kuwait in the first Gulf
Unpleasantness.

... shame they were Lightnings ......

[Woomera]

"Couple that fly regularly down under aren't there?"

You mean Dunnunda? From the CASA civil aircraft register:

VH HFG
Aeroplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear
Single reciprocating engine
Make and type: Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd SEA FURY
Model: SEA FURY MK II
Serial number: WJ298
Aircraft first registered in Australia: 09/11/1983

Certificate of Registration holder as of 15/06/1997
MRS LYNETTE DOROTHY ZUCCOLI
'GREY GUMS' 11033 NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY
BLUE MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS QLD 4350


VH NVS
Aeroplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear
Single radial engine
Make and type: Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd SEA FURY
Model: SEA FURY FB11
Serial number: 41H613993
Aircraft first registered in Australia: 02/06/1999

Certificate of Registration holder as of 02/06/1999
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE (NAVY)
NAVAL AIR STATION
NOWRA NSW 2540


VH SHF
Aeroplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear
Single radial engine
Make and type: Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd SEA FURY
Model: SEA FURY FB11
Serial number: 41H643827
Aircraft first registered in Australia: 31/05/2001

Certificate of Registration holder as of 31/05/2001
FLYING FIGHTERS PTY LTD
PO BOX 141
SUNNYBANK QLD 4009

[treadigraph]

You mean Dunnunda?

Sorry, it's my prissy English pronunciation!

Three, good on ya! One in New Zealand as well (ZK-SFR?) I think.

[galaxy flyer]

The US Centarus-powered Sea Fury is owned by Ellsworth Getchell (ret. TWA Captain) on the West Coast. Did all the overall work on the engine himself, as he told me anyway. Appears at West Coast shows, esp, Abbotsford, BC. Beautiful condition, at least in 2000.

GF

[Fris B. Fairing]

VH-SHF was formerly ZK-SFR.

Cheers

[asw28-866]

SHF last flew at the Avalon Airshow, Mellbourne in March. Is now the only flying Fury in Australia based at Archerfield in Brisbane as part of the Flying Fighters collection. Visitors most welcome!

[uncivilservant]

RNHF Sea Fury was in the air at Yeovilton yesterday, performing gentle manoevres. Wonderful sight and sound. Only spoilt by by the sad thought that the Firefly is no longer around. RIP.

[tinpis]

Watched Guido and team put the Iraqi Fury together in Darwin.
It was in remarkable condition .
Guido sure put on a nice display with it.

[BEagle]

Rumour has it that there was an intact Fury ISS in a Baghdad museum - but it was then damaged by the vandalism inflicted by ignorant, ill-disciplined British squaddies who tried to hack off the tail as some war trophy.

[Mike51]

Rumour has it there was an intact 2-seater on display at one of the Iraqi bases.

Wonder what happened to that one......... ;)

[JDK]

The Lynette Zuccoli 'Sea' Fury is hangered in Toowomba, Queensland, and looked airworthy to me though I don't know how often it's flown. Makes five Centaurus Furies airworthy worldwide... Two in Aus, one in the USA, and two in the UK.

[Mike51]

...and one in South Africa (ex-OFMC)

[treadigraph]

There's also Kermit Week's ex OFMC/GermanTargetTowingFlugelSchuffle TT.20 which is under rebuild in deepest darkest Norfolk I believe - presumably this will wind up with a Centaurus rather than the dreaded - if more practical - R3350?

[fradu]

The Kermit Weeks aircraft is actually an FB.11, ex-FAA WG596 I think.
It's such a shame that it will be going to the USA on completion :(

[treadigraph]

Oooops, rather assumed it was a TT...

Mustn't forget the TFC example which must be getting ever closer to flight at Duxford - anyone know how it is progressing?

[Noah Zark.]

Treadigraph,
Gazed at it in the hangar at Duxford on Sunday last. Still apparently much to do, but I am far from an expert, and don't know how long ( or how little) it may take the Grand Wizards there to finish the job.

[fradu]

RNHF Sea Fury was in the air at Yeovilton yesterday, performing gentle manoevres. Wonderful sight and sound. Only spoilt by by the sad thought that the Firefly is no longer around. RIP.

Yes, it was such a shame that the two never ever flew together before the Fly's tragic accident :(

There is also a T.20 in the USA with a Centaurus.
I'm not sure if it has flown recently, but it was owned by Wally Fisk's Amjet Corporation in the 1990s.
It's registration was N281L, ex-FAA VX281.

[treadigraph]

Noah,

Cheers, last I heard it was Dave Lees performing largely as a soloist on airframe accompanied by Pete Rushen on Centaurus, but I assume they must get some help! I look forward to eyeballing progress at Leg Ends.

FRADU and Uncivil:

Let's hope the ex-Swedish Fireflys can one day replace the sorely missed and tragic RNHF example... assuming of course that European legislation and swingeing defence cuts haven't conspired to kneecap civil and military warbird (and GA) operations before then.

Treadders