Hawker Sea Fury Mk.II

 

Registration: G-CBEL

Operator: Fighter Aviation Engineering LTD

Year of Manufacture: 1953

Powered by: Bristol Centaurus XVIII

Colour Scheme: Royal Navy prototype SR661

 

This Sea Fury, construction number 37539 was produced by Hawker's as a Fury ISS  - Iraqi Single Seat for the Iraqi Air Force, as part of contract number 53/1/012 for 60 aircraft, and was numbered 315 within this production batch. The aircraft was bought to Orlando, Florida, USA from Iraq in 1979 by Ed Jurist and David C Tallichet. In 1989 the aircraft passed to  Laws/Coleman Warbird Museum, Coleman, Texas where it was rebuilt to airworthy condition, before flying again in April 1991, registered as N36SF. The Fury was then shipped to the UK in September 1991, passing into the ownership of John Bradshaw at Wroughton until 2009. During this time the aircraft flew in the markings of a Dutch Navy and latterly Royal Australian Navy aircraft marked as 361 and on the UK Civil Register as G-CBEL. She was then exported to Australia where she was registered as VH-SFW. She was imported back into the UK by her new owners, Anglia Aircraft Restorations Ltd. she was re-registered again as G-CBEL. The aircraft has been refurbished and repainted, by Air Leasing Ltd, in the colours of one of Hawker's Sea Fury prototypes coded SR661, which was a modified Fury Mk.II with a tail hook fitted, but without the folding wings included on subsequent production Sea Fury's. The aircraft is currently based at North Weald Airfield, Essex, UK. 

 

First image credit: Daren Harbar

Second image credit: Harry Measures