Well I don’t know that the splines on the propeller shaft would be the same for the Centaurus and the R-3350 engines (unless there was some allied wartime standardisation?) so at the very least a new spider would need to be designed and manufactured (and probably certified). None of this would be quick, easy or cheap.

Besides why would you want to change the Centaurus in a sea Fury? There may be anecdotal evidence that the Centaurus is unreliable but I think the R-3350 was originally fitted by those who wanted to air-race the Sea Fury in the US and the supplies of parts were more plentiful and there had been more work done on the R-3350 to increase the power output.

I know most people admire the ‘look’ of an aircraft but to my mind the engine is as important as any other aspect of a vintage aircraft, possibly even the most important aspect because the engine turns it from a sculpture into an aircraft. If you want to separate the authenticity of airframe and engine fine, but ask yourself this:

If there were a problem with the airframe of a Spitfire, would you be happy to replace that airframe with that from a Balliol to keep the Merlin engine flying?

The Centaurus is also a very important aero-engine historically. Britain was the only country to produce large numbers of sleeve-valve engines and to use them successfully. The manufacture of these Bristol engines is a story of dogged determination and engineering excellence that shouldn’t be forgotten, and that should be a lesson for anybody today.

There are very few chances to see a sleeve-valve engine powered aircraft flying but those chances are getting better in the UK. I’m sure the RNHF will sort out the problems with their Sea Fury Centaurus engines and we will once again see these beautiful aircraft in our skies as a tribute to all those that designed, built, maintained and flew them.