Question About Sea Hawk Colours

Got it, thanks for that chaps.

No Sea Hawks were painted in white in the Pattern 2 scheme, it was Sky and EDSG. Presumably when WF259 was restored they couldn’t get hold of sufficient quantities of Sky and went for “something near it”. :rolleyes:

I think WF259 must have ended up like that in preservation, even R.Whitton says the White was applied over the Sky, which would give that effect.
I’ve never seen a Seahawk in EDSG and White in that arangement, the picture that kicked this whole thread of gives a perfect illustration of the colours and the delineation marks of the two FAA schemes.

That ‘sky’ does look practically white in that shot. So, what is the consensus on the sky/white issue – was the usage of EDSG/white in the early pattern markings just painted on occasions or did some Sea Hawks actually serve in this arrangement?

As it was discussion about some of my shots that started this thread I’ve kept a watching eye on it. In view of the subsequent shift to discuss the scheme on WF259 at East Fortune, I thought you might be interested in this shot I took of her when towed out into the daylight for me at Lossiemouth on Weds 24 May 1972.

Tim

Thats a really interesting photo. I cant rember if WF259 was on the gate at Lossiemouth in these markings but it was in the Air Show line up in 1969. It was good scheme to paint the old Airfix kit in as the plastic was white and the decals included the nose art!

You just had to add that didn’y you! People have been arguing about that for years, it’s Sky, and whats more, it’s a different shade to the old RAF Sky!

I had to do something to liven things up, it was far too quiet on here.:D

Your photo depicts it correctly as it is on display and as it arrived back in 1971 at East Fortune. However it was painted for display, initially I think at
Lossiemouth and under the white is sky.

As it was discussion about some of my shots that started this thread I’ve kept a watching eye on it. In view of the subsequent shift to discuss the scheme on WF259 at East Fortune, I thought you might be interested in this shot I took of her when towed out into the daylight for me at Lossiemouth on Weds 24 May 1972.

Tim

Maybe it’s just me being pedantic but that so called sky looks far more like the old WWII RAF Duck Egg Green than Sky.

You just had to add that didn’y you! People have been arguing about that for years, it’s Sky, and whats more, it’s a different shade to the old RAF Sky!

Maybe it’s just me being pedantic but that so called sky looks far more like the old WWII RAF Duck Egg Green than Sky.

Aha, all becomes clear. That will teach me to not look closer (both at your post name and the serial on that T.22!) That must have been fun supervising the T.22 paint – got any pics perchance of the final thing, or did it only appear in magazines as you hinted might be the case.

Will look for the DH Heron barge that you mentioned. In the meantime I looked up XA160 (T.22 Sea Vampire) and found these ‘barge’ decals on Hannants, yet they show her in EDSG not, green…

This is itself is interesting, as various other threads, and indeed model kits I found show a green:

http://pub17.bravenet.com/forum/1444714527/fetch/673512

Steve – look who wrote that piece! :rolleyes:

You’re getting confused. The Hannants decals are for XG775, not XA160. They show it (not very well) in blue, not EDSG. XA160 was definitely green and white – there are photos to prove it.

I spent a week in Arizona at the end of 2006 supervising the painting of an ex Swiss AF Vampire T.55 as XG775.

Lee

Cheers for that, PageN01, I love the Sea Hawk as well, a real beauty of an aircraft, right down to its graceful curved wing and tailfin joins. Looks so good in her colour schemes too. FS definitely deserved the Sea Hawk and we hadn’t had a new model since one back for FS2002, so definitely a worthwhile project.

I know the Gannet COD.4 you are talking about; I actually painted up a FOAC barge last year in those colours and we spent a few weeks debating the exact shade of blue/grey over at CBFSIM.org!

Will look for the DH Heron barge that you mentioned. In the meantime I looked up XA160 (T.22 Sea Vampire) and found these ‘barge’ decals on Hannants, yet they show her in EDSG not, green…

http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=CMR1153

This is itself is interesting, as various other threads, and indeed model kits I found show a green:

http://pub17.bravenet.com/forum/1444714527/fetch/673512

Steve

Glad to assist!
Cracking renditions of the Seahawk there Steve, at last a nice fighter (the prettiest ever made in my eyes) for flight sim.
I can’t help with further pics I’m afraid, but FAAMs library is a good place to look and spend a day.
I do have a pic of the Gannet used by Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers, that was in the COD.4 overall blue grey scheme with the ensign on the nose panels not, really an admirals barge as such.
There are some nice pics of the Green and White DH Heron admirals barge ou there on the net somewhere.

Cheers to Pagen01 and Lee Howard for the gloss and Flag Officers Green info, very useful indeed. Anyone have links or pics of the other ‘barge’ a/c somewhere, preferably in colour? I’d love to see how the other types looked.

Can anyone help with the Squadron Markings currently displayed on WF259 at East Fortune, its a Puma’s Head biting a dagger

Your photo depicts it correctly as it is on display and as it arrived back in 1971 at East Fortune. However it was painted for display, initially I think at
Lossiemouth and under the white is sky.

Oh, I’ll see what I can do about WV838!!! :rolleyes:

Cracking site there by the way, I was on it the other day looking at the restoration diary, what superb work and I dearly wish I could have been involved in some way. I’ve kind of fallen in love with the Sea Hawk now after spending 9 months building her for FS.

Will shout if there’s something I need – thanks for the offer. Watch this space for some pics soon.

OK, just to get you even more annoyed, here is WV908. I need some good pics of 838 if you more than the nose section…

Steve

Cracking thread here, I’ve just come in late, but some great discussion here and very useful too, as I’m building the Sea Hawk for FS2004 at the mo and am about to do WV908 as she stands today.

My only quibble is that you should be doing WV838 not ‘908 :diablo:

If I can help with pilots notes or any other stuff, please don’t hesitate to yell. Many photo’s already online at wv838.com

Roy.

Cracking thread here, I’ve just come in late, but some great discussion here and very useful too, as I’m building the Sea Hawk for FS2004 at the mo and am about to do WV908 as she stands today.

One thing I’d like to get opinions on is the level of gloss finish FAA Sea Hawks were maintained with. I’ve set mine to something just over semi-gloss, but some folks have commented this is too shiny. Would this have been a case of they started off glossy but gradually wore down to a low-semi gloss/borderline matt over the years? I have some Dutch FGA.50s and Mk.101s that looked more matt, given that they were handed over in the latter years of the type’s life.

For the record, I am definitely a EDSG/Sky fan as well. One final question: I have painted one FGA.6 up in the green/white ‘Admiral’s barge’ scheme but does anyone know the significance of the green? I have seen it referred to as ‘Flag Officer Green’ but wondered about this. Does anyone have an accurate swatch for it as I guessed mine off colour photos.

You can see my work in progress here:
www.nazcastudios.com/sea-hawk

Cheers all,

Steve

p.s. if you blokes are after a nice-looking Suez scheme, pay a visit to the Midland Air Museum at Baginton – they have a lovely FGA.6 in said scheme that you can sit in (WV797).

Steve

The Sea Hawks in the post-1957 EDSG/white scheme were high gloss. The green of the 781 NAS Sea Hawks (there being two in succession – XE390 first, followed by WV856 which is now on display at FAAM Yeovilton and the green can still be seen on the canopy framework to this day) was Emerald Green as applied to all Flag Officer Air (Home) and later Flag Officer Naval Air Command (FONAC) “barge” aircraft. Whilst at Lee-on-Solent FOA(H) and FONAC had the Sea Hawk, a Sea Vampire T.22 (XA160) and a Sea Devon (eg XJ324 and XJ350) in this green scheme. Flag Officer Naval Flying Training (FONFT) at Yeovilton had blue and white aircraft – Sea Vampire T.22 XG775, Hunter XL580 and Sea Devon XJ319.

Hope that helps.

Lee

I’ve always thought that FAA jets were delivered and repainted in high gloss, but that the finish rapidly deteriorated once out in the salt laden carrier environment.
This damage to the finish also leads to many DSG and EDSG arguments!
The few FAA pilots I have spoken to conur with this from memory, however that dosen’t mean its right.

Mr Howard might have a more definative official answer to this one.

Cracking thread here, I’ve just come in late, but some great discussion here and very useful too, as I’m building the Sea Hawk for FS2004 at the mo and am about to do WV908 as she stands today.

One thing I’d like to get opinions on is the level of gloss finish FAA Sea Hawks were maintained with. I’ve set mine to something just over semi-gloss, but some folks have commented this is too shiny. Would this have been a case of they started off glossy but gradually wore down to a low-semi gloss/borderline matt over the years? I have some Dutch FGA.50s and Mk.101s that looked more matt, given that they were handed over in the latter years of the type’s life.

For the record, I am definitely a EDSG/Sky fan as well. One final question: I have painted one FGA.6 up in the green/white ‘Admiral’s barge’ scheme but does anyone know the significance of the green? I have seen it referred to as ‘Flag Officer Green’ but wondered about this. Does anyone have an accurate swatch for it as I guessed mine off colour photos.

You can see my work in progress here:
www.nazcastudios.com/sea-hawk

Cheers all,

Steve

p.s. if you blokes are after a nice-looking Suez scheme, pay a visit to the Midland Air Museum at Baginton – they have a lovely FGA.6 in said scheme that you can sit in (WV797).