Three Hawker Sea Furys together in one 'Furious Formation' during the Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow 2019. The aircraft are:-
Hawker Sea Fury Mk.II, SR661, G-CBEL:-
Operator: Anglia Aircraft Restorations Ltd
Year of Manufacture: 1953
Powered by: Bristol Centaurus XVIII
Colour Scheme: Royal Navy prototype SR661
This Sea Fury, construction number 37539 was produced by Hawker’s as a Fury ISS – Iraqi Single Seat for the Iraqi Air Force, as part of contract number 53/1/012 for 60 aircraft, and was numbered 315 within this production batch. The aircraft was shipped to Orlando, Florida, USA from Iraq in 1979 by Ed Jurist and David C Tallichet. In 1989 it passed to Laws/Coleman Warbird Museum, Coleman, Texas where it was rebuilt to airworthy condition, before flying again in April 1991, registered as N36SF. The Fury was then shipped to the UK in September 1991, passing into the ownership of John Bradshaw at Wroughton until 2009. During this time the aircraft flew in the markings of a Dutch Navy and latterly Royal Australian Navy aircraft marked as 361 and on the UK Civil Register as G-CBEL. She was then exported to Australia where she was registered as VH-SFW. She was imported back into the UK by her new owners, Anglia Aircraft Restorations Ltd. She was re-registered again as G-CBEL. The aircraft has been refurbished and repainted, by Air Leasing Ltd, in the colours of one of Hawker’s Sea Fury prototypes coded SR661, which was a modified Fury Mk.II with a tail hook fitted, but without the folding wings included on subsequent production Sea Fury’s.
Sea Fury T.20, VX281, G-RNHF :-
The Sea Fury T.20 is a twin-seat trainer variant of the Sea Fury. It is is owned by the Navy Wings charity (Fly Navy Heritage Trust) and is operated on the civilian register.
VX281 was the second of 60 Sea Fury T20 aircraft built as weapon trainers for the Fleet Air Arm. Delivered to the Royal Navy in 1950 she served with 736 and 738 Naval Air Squadrons at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose before being sold to the West German Government in 1963. Painted in the markings of an F10 single-seat aircraft of 799 Naval Air Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in 1949, VX281 was acquired from the United States in 2007 and rebuilt at North Weald.
Hawker Sea Fury T.20, WG655, G-INVN:-
• Type: Hawker Sea Fury T.20
• Operator: Norwegian Spitfire Foundation. Owner. Shaun Patrick.
• Year of Manufacture 1951
• Powered by one Pratt& Whitney R2800
• Colour scheme. Royal Navy WG655. Civil Registration G-INVN.
This aircraft was built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames with final assembly at Langley and was issued with Royal Navy serial WG655. It was delivered on 9.10.1951 to RAF/RNAS Anthorn (HMS Nuthatch) for initial storage then went to 781 Naval Air Squadron, Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) on 7.12.1951.
She was purchased back by Hawker Aircraft on 27.4.1957 for conversion to target towing configuration and then sold to the German Defence Ministry for target towing operations, where she was registered D-CACU. On behalf of The Federal Republic of Germany Ministry of Defence she was operated by Deutscher Luftfahrt-Beratungsdienst of Wiesbaden on target-towing flights in the Sigmaringen area, based at München-Riem airport.
She undertook the last flight of a German Sea Fury at Lübeck – Köln on 12.11.1975 and was then stored at Köln airport and withdrawn from use on 23.6.1976, de-registered and prepared for ferry to the Royal Navy. She went to the Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) on 29.6.1976 marked as 910/GN.
While flying with the RNHF on 14.7.1990 she suffered engine failure shortly after take-off and made a wheels-up forced landing in a field near Castle Cary. The fuselage broke into three sections on collision with a tree. After the accident, the remains were inspected and deemed unrepairable and were put up for disposal.
The remains went initially to New Zealand and then to Chuck Greenhill, Kenosha, Wisconsin. He purchased the remains on 17.8.1993 re-registered as N20MD.
Shipped to Sanders Aeronautics for completion at Ione, California the aircraft was then sold to The Fighter Collection, Duxford arriving on 29.5.2009. During 2017/18 the Centaurus engine was replaced with a Pratt and Whitney R2800 engine. The installation included a massive 4 blade Propeller from a Grumman Guardian aircraft. The Aircraft was re-registered G-INVN in 25.07.2018 and remains based at Duxford with her new owner.
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