Sea Fury WJ288 (The thread that will not die)

The story at the time of the auction at Southend doesn’t match the one on this thread.

The story doing the rounds in the engineering community was that the new owners placed dozens of hot air guns around the engine pointing directly at the cylinder pots. The engine was able to turn. It was said that the cylinders were simply congealed and not seized. In was regarded that they got an absolute bargain. Verification of that story would probably be advisable!

Sea Fury WJ288 (aka N15S) at EAA Oshkosh 2019

Yes was in the process of updating my profile of her and finally tracked her to them here. Strangely no posts since 2016 which is concerning. https://www.facebook.com/Commemorative-Air-Force-Delta-Squadron-433083370135581/
More info here including a link to a satellite shot of the hanger she is kept in. http://www.ww.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=10562

WJ288 is now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

WJ288 at Biggin Hill 4th September 1966

Ref the question posed in post no.5 – no it isn’t 🙂

From 1983 sales brochure when the Southend Historic aviation museums contents were sold off:

Yes i remember that, a picture of her in bits and thats about as far as it got.! Talking of the british air reserve what happened to the crated Gannet they came across? What a find that was.

After she moved on from Southend I saw her at Duxford in one piece but with the prop missing. I assumed she was still with British Air Reserve at that time. Their publicity had said that they were planning to fit a Centarus from a Beverley for the speed record attempt.

To add a little to the history:-
She was acquired by Tony Osborme in 1966/7. I believe she was at Dunsflod and was towed on her own wheels to Biggin Hill as the first airframe for the fledgling British Historic Aircraft Museum. After Tony Osborne was asked to leave Biggin she moved by road to Southend (towed on her undercarriage again I think) and the history of BHAM and the HAM are pretty well documented already from that point onwards.
I don’t think you would get away with moving a Sea Fury in the same way today!

I’m researching the history of this aircraft. Any idea where I could find details of it’s accident aboard HMS Theseus:

804 Squadron Culdrose 1/7/52. Crashed on deck of Theseus 18/9/52. Cat 4 repair at Donibristle 19/9/52.

What’s the definition of Cat 4 in Naval terms?

Previous posts omitted to say that she was bought from Southend by Patrick Luscombe for the much vaunted British Air Reserve and it was claimed that she would be used for an attempt on the World Air Speed Record for prop driven aircraft which I think at that time was held by Darryl Geenamyer with Bearcat Conquest 1.
.

Yes i remember that, a picture of her in bits and thats about as far as it got.! Talking of the british air reserve what happened to the crated Gannet they came across? What a find that was.

She is very much alive and well in the care of the Memphis squadron of the Commemorative Air Force…the nicest bunch of guys you could meet, with a real passion for aviation. I had the great privelege of flying in her 3 weeks ago. Her seized Centauras is at the back of the hangar where she resides at General De Witt Spain airport.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs019.snc3/12640_168864997479_781832479_2707917_6454467_n.jpg

Previous posts omitted to say that she was bought from Southend by Patrick Luscombe for the much vaunted British Air Reserve and it was claimed that she would be used for an attempt on the World Air Speed Record for prop driven aircraft which I think at that time was held by Darryl Geenamyer with Bearcat Conquest 1.
As stated she landed up at Duxford and moved on to the States. The Centauras engine fitted when she was at Southend was well and truly seized.
The other Southend Sea Fury WJ244 was never assembled at Southend and eventually went to Spencer Flack and became G-FURY.

To me its such a shame that the original powerplants in Sea Furies are substituted for more exotic engines, but at least they are still flying.

Yes it is a shame – but most of the people who operate them with the Wright engine would consider the Centaurus to be the ‘exotic’ one!

I remember seeing her in the colours she wore at Southend, but does anyone have any pics of her now?

To me its such a shame that the original powerplants in Sea Furies are substituted for more exotic engines, but at least they are still flying. But as for reconfigured and chopped airframes.. :mad:.

There are some recent flying pics in the “Southend 1980’s” thread, post 247.

Thanks Mark V.. and hey its good to see her looking good.!

Is this a world record for thread revival? (over six years) 😮

Anyway – I cunningly used Google to find this http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:0YNOaKDjx5oJ:warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D9040+sea+fury+wj288&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

I remember seeing her in the colours she wore at Southend, but does anyone have any pics of her now?

To me its such a shame that the original powerplants in Sea Furies are substituted for more exotic engines, but at least they are still flying. But as for reconfigured and chopped airframes.. :mad:.

Update

If anyone still pops in here it seems to be flying quite a lot in the States.

An old article……

WJ288, the ex Southend Sea Fury was under restoration for a while as G-SALY before going on loan to the IWM at Duxford. It sat there for a few years and at some point was bought by Warbirds of Great Britain who sold it to an American owner and it was exported in 1990. Last heard of it was flying again as N15S (with a funny engine I believe) and owned by a David Peeler.