Hello to all fellow Sea Fury fans, here’s a question on survivors that would be good if it could be cleared up.
Kev Darling’s Hawker Typhoon, Tempest and Sea Fury book states that the following ex DLB Furies both ended up with the Fleet air Arm Museum/Historic Flight:- T20 – WG655 (the one that they flew until the accident c. 10 years back) and VX309 ex D-CIBO. What ever happeded to this example?
A further example VZ345 ended up with the A&AEE at Boscome Down, now this example Fury fans will know had a little mishap back in the 80’s which ended it’s flying career. However, as visitors to the old IAT display at Boscome c. 1992 will no doubt remember, she was restored, at least to static display standard. ( I will dig out an old slide and scan it over the weekend and post it here)I beleive this example finally went to the Historic Flight too, but what happeded to her then? I have heard that she was stripped to help restore VR930, does anybody know how mcuh of her is left and if it is enough for at least a static restoration? I ask this especially as there are no extent 2 seaters currently in this country.
Any help on these points would be most gratefully received.
By: stringbag - 29th August 2004 at 09:58
Just the two as far as I’m aware. Bits from D-CIBO may be in either of them 🙂
By: Flood - 29th August 2004 at 09:56
So how many Sea Furies does the RNHF have in its possession today then? Whether airworthy, static or rtp?
W&R19 list VR930 and VZ345, which is what lead to my previous comment.
Flood
By: Dave Homewood - 29th August 2004 at 06:02
So how many Sea Furies does the RNHF have in its possession today then? Whether airworthy, static or rtp?
As an aside, someone mentioned a rumour on this forum a while back that a Sea Fury might soon be moving to live in New Zealand. Does anyone know anything more on this? Thanks.
By: dj51d - 29th August 2004 at 04:17
I heard that once finished he wanted it to return to the UK 🙂
I selfishly hope not. Mr. Greenhill is a frequent guest at airshows around here in his Mustangs. I’d love to see the Sea Fury become a regular, haven’t seen one of Hawkers Finest for 4 years now.
By: stringbag - 28th August 2004 at 23:46
I heard that once finished he wanted it to return to the UK 🙂
By: dj51d - 28th August 2004 at 23:42
Unless I’ve completely lost my mind, WG655 is the T.20 under restoration to fly here in the states for Chuck Greenhill. The last time I heard, he had not decided yet weather to convert it to R-3350 power, or to stay with the Centaurus.
By: Septic - 28th August 2004 at 21:49
A couple of photos of VZ345.
The first was taken in the early 80’s I think whilst still operational with the A&AEE the second was taken at Boscombe Down in 1990 after the non standard repairs were undertaken.
Septic.
By: stringbag - 28th August 2004 at 20:23
When VZ345 was donated to the RNHF in 1992, it was their intention to restore it to fly again.
However I’m told that a survey of the airframe revealed some non-standard fuselage repairs. As a result of these repairs, the fuselage was no longer geometrically true.
To make it airworthy it would have to been rebuilt completely, from scratch.
D-CIBO was donated to the RNHF at the same time as WG655 in 1976, as a source of spares.
By: Flood - 28th August 2004 at 17:56
VZ345 was still stored at Yeovilton to 11/03 according to W&R19.
VX309 is not noted with the FAAHF in any of my W&Rs (don’t panic!), so I’d imagine it was reduced to spares and possibly sold on (maybe).
Flood
By: Stieglitz - 28th August 2004 at 17:11
VZ345 was reported to be stored at Yevilton in 2002:
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/registry/furyregistry/fury-vz345.html
Info about VX309 and WG566 can also be found at this site, but was only updated to 1990-1992.
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/registry/furyregistry/fury-vx309.html
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/registry/furyregistry/fury-wg655.html
Greets,
J.V.
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August 28, 2004 at 4:19 pm