Sea Fury's, Firefly's ...

[WIX_Archive]

Originally posted by Mark Allen.

Finally got to these two requests, both are truely wonderful designs IMHO ... I'm certain there are some Fury fans here who can add commentary to most of these.
Sources, SDASM archive, IWM archives

Part 1 of 5

[WIX_Archive]

Part 2 of 5




Hawker Fury Prototype


WF619 appears to have been a standard FB11 delivered in 1951 It served the Fleet Air Arm until 1956


Hawker Tempest III prototype LA610 Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB engine










Hawker Sea Furries of No804 Squadron on HMS Glory wait to launch strikes against targets in Korea in 1952


HMAS SYDNEY

[WIX_Archive]

Part 3 of 5


Hawker Sea Fury rn18 of the Dutch Fleet Air Arm landing on the carrier HrMs Karel Doorman in the mid 50s


1948 HMS Vengeance






Dutch Navy Hawker Sea Fury


1948 HMS Vengeance

Hawker Sea Fury Netherlands




Hawker Sea Fury rn18 of the Dutch Fleet Air Arm landing on the carrier HrMs Karel Doorman in the mid 50s

[WIX_Archive]

Part 4 of 5










Hawker Fury FB60 Iraqi Air Force


Hawker Fury T61 training aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force at Risalpur Air Base in 1948


Hawker Sea Fury Netherlands Fokker-built


Hawker Sea Fury SR661 prototype 1944

[WIX_Archive]

Part 5 of 5 ...


US Marine Corps mechanics service a Royal Navy Hawker Sea Fury FB11 s/nWE790 Korean War 1951

... and a few Fireflys


Fairey Fireflys and Hawker Sea Furies HMAS Hermes


HMS Indefatigable

[The Inspector]

Looks like the pilot of the Dutch 6*27 took my advise to always get out on the side where the fire is because the lighting is better......................

[Speedy]

I note the Cen-Tex logo on the side of this example, was this owned by John Stokes; I recall him be a "Colonel" in the CAF.

This was at the 1975 California National Air Races at Mojave. "Sly ol" Vernon Thorpe raced it for John Stokes.

Funny story about Vernon in this plane at Mojave that year. During the Unlimited heat race on Friday, Jim Pate was scheduled to be the pilot for Lyle Shelton's F8F Bearcat sponsored by Aircraft Cylinder & Turbine. Pate had never been around the course at Mojave, since Lyle had qualified the plane. So Lyle told Jim to just pick a guy and follow him around the course as best as he could. Pate thinks to himself that Vernon Thorpe is a pretty good stick, so he'll just follow him around. Unfortunately, this was just a 'for fun' race with no outcome or placement for the Consolation or Championship races, so it really didn't count for anything. Vernon knows he can't be competitive with the other planes in the heat, so he decides to just go have some fun.

The planes come down the chute and Bob Hoover lets them go. Around the first couple of pylons they go, and Vernon cuts way inside and diagonally across the race course, cutting a couple pylons, and coming out in first place on the backstretch. Vernon thinks that's pretty fun, so he does it again on the next lap. And the next lap. Poor old Jim Pate just plays follow-the-leader and for several laps cuts deep inside the course. Both Vernon and Pate get disqualified, and Shelton is just fuming. Pate never flew the airplane again.

IIRC, at some point that weekend the engine froze up solid on Vernon and the Sea Fury was down hard for a while at Mojave.

[gary1954]

I note the Cen-Tex logo on the side of this example, was this owned by John Stokes; I recall him be a "Colonel" in the CAF.

This was at the 1975 California National Air Races at Mojave. "Sly ol" Vernon Thorpe raced it for John Stokes.

Funny story about Vernon in this plane at Mojave that year. During the Unlimited heat race on Friday, Jim Pate was scheduled to be the pilot for Lyle Shelton's F8F Bearcat sponsored by Aircraft Cylinder & Turbine. Pate had never been around the course at Mojave, since Lyle had qualified the plane. So Lyle told Jim to just pick a guy and follow him around the course as best as he could. Pate thinks to himself that Vernon Thorpe is a pretty good stick, so he'll just follow him around. Unfortunately, this was just a 'for fun' race with no outcome or placement for the Consolation or Championship races, so it really didn't count for anything. Vernon knows he can't be competitive with the other planes in the heat, so he decides to just go have some fun.

The planes come down the chute and Bob Hoover lets them go. Around the first couple of pylons they go, and Vernon cuts way inside and diagonally across the race course, cutting a couple pylons, and coming out in first place on the backstretch. Vernon thinks that's pretty fun, so he does it again on the next lap. And the next lap. Poor old Jim Pate just plays follow-the-leader and for several laps cuts deep inside the course. Both Vernon and Pate get disqualified, and Shelton is just fuming. Pate never flew the airplane again.

IIRC, at some point that weekend the engine froze up solid on Vernon and the Sea Fury was down hard for a while at Mojave.

good times thanks

[C VEICH]

Armchair quarterbacking I know but I think I may have elected to go out the other way!

[gary1954]

Armchair quarterbacking I know but I think I may have elected to go out the other way!

I saw that and wondered what his thought process was. I'm not the shapest knife (i said knife) in the drawer , but.....doesn't one generally move away from flames instead of jumping into the frying pan?

[WallyB]

I saw that and wondered what his thought process was. I'm not the shapest knife (i said knife) in the drawer , but.....doesn't one generally move away from flames instead of jumping into the frying pan?

The left gear has collapsed so to get out the right side would involve climbing over the cockpit rim and then a big jump whereas he could effectively fall out the left side. We don't know the timing either, the fire may just have erupted at the same instant. Hope he was OK in any case.

[redvanner]

Not old pictures at all, but some I took myself in September 2010 at Duxford. TFC´s Sea Fury:




The last one I took first, must have been Friday, as Stephen Grey flew a short display then.

Michael

P.S.: I hope you don´t mind my posting, Mark Allen M?

[Noha307]

Part 1 of 5

This Fury is so hot it's starting to burn the photograph!

[slinky]

In part 2, picture 4, Prototype LA610 was the third prototype, initially powered by a Rolls Royce Griffon engine driving a six-blade contra rotating propeller, and officially named as the Fury. Its maiden flight came on 27 November 1944, but although this combination of engine and propeller worked well it was not followed up, and during 1946 LA610 was given a Napier Sabre VII(shown in the picture), which was capable of developing 3,400-4,000 hp. As a result it became the fastest piston-engined Hawker aircraft of its time, reaching a speed of around 482 mph.

[Invader26]

Fairey Fireflys and Hawker Sea Furies HMAS Hermes

Mark, nice selection.

By the way these aircraft are from Royal Australian Navy on HMAS Sydney in Korea..