Current status of Seafury VR930 ??

Pilot suitablity

Can you honestly imagine the Royal Navy saying to the Royal Air Force, ‘Can we borrow one of your pilots?’

Er… I don’t think so!

Cdr. Paul Stone is a Shuttleworth pilot/ test pilot of great skill. He gets my vote.

None of these old birds can be that difficult to fly otherwise they wouldn’t have made so many. They went off to war at weights that would would make us gasp these days, in weather not of the pilots choosing and often with little more than a brave, low time youngster in the hot seat – in constant fear of getting drilled by another youngster in the same position.

Paul, or anybody like him will learn what he can about an aircraft he is invited(?!) to fly and when happy to do so, spear off in the thing and learn how to fly it.

Thats how it works at Shuttleworth.

Getting a RN pilot current on the aircraft isn’t the issue. Relax and be certain that he will wear his wings on his sleeve and not his chest.

HP

The smoke, if it was blue in in the picture, is quite normal for a Centaurus.
Lovely sight 🙂

In Happier times at BH 2001…she is smoking at this stage…is this when the troubles began !

I had forgot she flew with “Miss D” at Biggin Hill 2001,Nice flypast and good to have happy memory from a sad sad show.

I’m told that it will be either Dave Mackay or Paul Stone (that will fly VR930 at displays this season, should everything go to plan.

That’ll be Don Sigourney. Steve Noujaim did the test flying of VR930.

ive a vidio of another RNHF pilot Don S (someone)…? He seems to really put the fury wg655 through its paces much more than anyone else ive seen flying a Fury…. Is he still around ?

That is Don Sigournay. He is not active on the airshow circuit currently, though that may change next season 🙂
He is one of the crew that is due to ferry the Gannet T5 over from the US.

He only flew the Fury for one season, 1990. He later took a break from RNHF flying until 1996 when he returned to fly the Firefly.
During the 1996/7 winter he went to Amjet in the US to get current on the Sea Fury, in preparation for displaying VR930 in 1997.
It sadly never happened.

Pilot currency

I too have heard that the RNHF looks for service pilots only to display it’s aircraft. However, one wonders if in the short term it would be better to choose a more experienced pilot with alot of time on if not type/ at least on large piston single seaters. As you all know oyu can’t just jump in any plane and display it, it takes quite a lot of time on type gto get up to speed. Seeing as VR930 has not flown for some years, I doubt that such a pilot cna be found within the FAA organisation. Perhaps an experienced BoBHF pilot could be loaned?

Any thoughts???

ive a vidio of another RNHF pilot Don S (someone)…? He seems to really put the fury wg655 through its paces much more than anyone else ive seen flying a Fury…. Is he still around ?

I grew up watching John BT’s displays in TF956 and WG655, it would be great to see him fly VR930 but I don’t think it’ll happen.
He’ll just have to make do with flying another historic FAA warbird next year if all goes to plan 🙂

Must admit that John’s brief Skyraider display over Yeovilton in July was most excellent 😀

I think Phil Shaw flew it at Legends in 2001. I would love to see John fly the Fury as well as I watched a number of his displays during the 80’s.

I didn’t think retired FAA pilots were allowed to fly RNHF aircraft. Seems like that’s what John Beattie told JDK and myself when we visited with him at Yeovilton in May. I’d love to see John display the Sea Fury, although his Skyraider display at Legends was most excellent.

I think it will be Mike Abbey in the long term, but not sure in the short term.
Phil Shaw is probably the most current Fury pilot, but he is now retired from the FAA.
I’ll make enquiries 🙂

Does anyone know who will be flying the Seafury?

Had news form Leuchars airshow organisers.

The Sea Fury is still planning to attend the airshow.

Good News so far.

Yes, that is WV911 outside, one of the RNHF’s other Sea Hawks.
I was once told that it would be an ideal restoration project but as all the paperwork had gone walkies it could not happen.

I hope that VR930 makes it into the sky this year, but I should think it will be on static display at Yeovilton Air Day if not.

Hi all,
myself and NealP were down Yeovilton way last Thursday just on a general look-round….the Sea Fury was outside the RNHF hangar undertaking engine ground-runs about mid-morning…..the Sea Hawk was visible inside the hangar with her wings folded,with another Sea Hawk outside the hangar in a less than good condition…..could this be some kind of spares-ship???????

Smoke from radials is not necessarily an indication of imminent failure, as the flying shots indicate, but when the engine is at idle power it will not burn the oil passing into the cylinders completely and that is when you get the smoke. Once the power is up it clears.

In Happier times at BH 2001…she is smoking at this stage…is this when the troubles began !

Ah, there you are stringbag. I knew you would tell us the latest. Sorry to hear about the damage in transit. It’s always sad that such things happen.

Could VR930 reach the sky this year?

J.V.

The engine is back at Yeovilton, but a component has unfortunately been damaged in transit. A replacement/repair is in progress.