I’ll nominate Nelson Ezell and Howard Pardue…

Both have done much (out of their own pockets) to promote warbird aviation and restore several aircraft for the good of the flying community.

This sort of grass roots effort is what warbirds are all about.

All depends what you want to do, and where you want to go. I can’t help with the CAA, but here are a few thoughts.

There is something to be said for buying warbirds in the same order pilots used to train…start with a basic trainer like the Tiger Moth, Stearman, BT-13.

Got a little more money? The Harvard is excellent, and necessary if you want to fly a Mustang or Spitfire one day. There are plenty of them, so parts and support are not a big problem. Also the P&W 1340 is a fantastic engine with great reliability. Good airplane to learn formation work.

One of the easiest warbirds to fly is the T-28 Trojan. Tricycle landing gear and performance not much less than most of the WW2 fighters. On the down side the systems are MUCH more complex than a Harvard and you will spend considerably more on maintenance. But, you also go 100 knots faster. Also, the T-28 sounds great during a fly-by.

There are no wrong choices. Buy and fly the one you like best that fits your budget.

The Sea Fury is not a bad contender in this competition…

Warbirdalley says 860 built, with probably 30 or so flying today in the Great Britain, Australia and the US

I’ve been trying to find any of the original technical or maintenance manuals on the Sea Fury. I obviously would love to find originals, but a good copy would be fantastic. Basically any of the factory or military documentation is what I’m trying to find.

My mechanic was able to get some copies of a field maintenance manual from Dennis Sanders, but the pages are partially cut off and very hard to read.

Also, any book recomendations covering the history of Hawker would be great.

I have the small blue book on “Pilot notes” which is usually available on ebay. While limited, it does have some good information.

Thanks for your help with this JDK. I’d say you’ve earned a Sea Fury ride next time you’re in the States.

Steve

Any specifics on where I might be able to find the RNHF “Sea Fury” video? I know it will probably be PAL, but hopefully I can get a shop here in the US to make me a copy.

The squadron/signal book sometimes shows up on ebay, but it’s not easy to find. I did see that amazon.com has Kev Darling’s book.

Many thanks for any helpful information!

Steve Patterson

Voytech, take a look at this thread and you will see that a very intelligent question was posed, to which I gave I believe a logical answer. However, this Learning_Slowly fellow decided instead of contributing to the conversation to instead attack, declaring that engine technology must have been stolen by the Americans.

Believe me, when he typed that message I wanted to point out that the engine in my MiG-17F sure looks an awful lot like a Rolls-Royce Nene, but I didn’t because I do not like to attack people in these forums. It’s usually wasted effort on some fat slob who sits at home eating cheetos and watching re-runs on the history channel.

I only recently discovered this forum, and as an active warbird pilot I was hopeful that I might be able to learn more about not just my airplanes, but those that other members are familiar with. I only recently purchased my first British warbird, a Hawker Sea Fury FB11. I was hopeful that this group might be a way for me to learn even more about this wonderful airplane, as there is very little printed material available.

One interesting note, EVERY American warbird pilot who I have talked to that has time in the Sea Fury agrees it is the best flying piston engine warbird. This from people who fly Mustangs, Bearcats, Corsairs, and others. But just like the Mustang didn’t shine until it got the Merlin our Sea Furys are now flying behind Wright 3350s and 4360s. Best of Both Worlds!

So, my point is simply that people like Learning_Slowly should stick to the facts and not just stir up trouble.

The big advantage of the Merlin over the Allison was the metalurgy developed by Rolls Royce.

When you look at the increases in horsepower during the war years it’s amazing what they were able to do with that engine. You need look no further that the Reno Air Races where Merlins run with 100″ of manifold pressure and there is not an Allison engine in sight. Of course the Merlins blow up like a time bomb at those power settings, but when they’re running it’s an amazing amount of horsepower for their weight.