Hawker Sea Fury VH-SHF

Warbirds Online is pleased to share the news on the recent sale of Hawker Sea Fury FB.X (10) also known as a “Bagdad Fury” FB.10 Construction No 37723 civil registered VH-SHF. The aircraft was placed for Auction with Liquid Asset Management on behalf of The Australian Government on 27th September 2018 and concluded 18th October. The auction attracted great interest both within Australia and internationally. The successful bidder was an Australian buyer and the aircraft will remain in Australia for the foreseeable future.

Following the auction the aircraft will be transported to Scone and refurbished by Vintage Fighter Restorations (VFR), a division of Pay’s Air Service under the watchful eye of Managing Director Ross Pay on behalf of the new owner. This work will include a complete inspection and replacement of components as necessary. The aircraft is in excellent condition having been hangered for the whole 12 year period of inactivity, however as with all Warbirds will have to have time expired or other components replaced and new seals etc.

In the past a number of the Hawker Sea Fury family of aircraft has made their way to Australia including 3 of the Iraq aircraft and at one time there were 3 on the Australian civil register. There has however been a resurgence of the type internationally and as a result all of the flying Sea Fury/Fury fighters have now left the country to new owners.

It will be great to see one of these magnificent Hawker Sea Fury family of fighters back in the air in Australia.

History of Hawker Fury FB.X (10) “Bagdad Fury” FB.10 Construction No 37723 civil registered VH-SHF

The Hawker Sea Fury/Fury was a WW11 development of the earlier Hawker Tempest and was arguably the last of the high performance piston engine fighter aircraft. The aircraft was developed during WW11 but did not see wartime service during that conflict. During development a number of different engine and propeller combinations were explored including Rolls Royce Griffon, Napier Sabre and the eventual choice the Bristol Centaurus Sleeve Valve radial engine.

Although the RAF were involved in the development of the Sea Fury / Fury, the end of the war led to the cancellation of the contract and it was the Royal Navy (RN) which continued the interest in the type. Post WW11 the Sea Fury entered service with The RN and it was also adopted by the Australian, Netherlands, Pakistani, Egyptian, Cuban and Iraq forces.

The Iraq aircraft were to total in excess of 60 aircraft – a mixture of FB X (10) and FB.II single seat fighters and around 5 or 6 two seaters. The aircraft saw service against the Kurds in the North of the country from the early 1950s and remained in service until the early 1960s when they were replaced by Hawker Hunter jets. Subsequently surviving machines were utilized as decoy aircraft on various Iraq airfields during several Middle East conflicts.

In 1979 in excess of 24 of the remaining Iraq Fury/Sea Furies were purchased by USA collectors Ed Jurist & David C. Tallichet and shipped to the USA where over time they were moved on to various collectors around the world.

The subject of this story is Hawker Fury FB.X (10), constructed in 1952 as a FB.10 (Construction No37723), without any of the naval equipment and lacking the wing folding mechanism of some of the Ex RN aircraft sent to Iraq. The aircraft was delivered to Iraq in 1953 and served until retired in 1960 having flown just 120 hours in Iraq service.

Upon arrival in the USA in 1979 the aircraft was placed into storage in Orlando Florida and then purchased outright by Ed Jurist/ Vintage Aircraft International Inc. of Nyack NY registered in the USA as N43SF but not flown from 27.8.79 until 1984. C/N 37723 was then purchased by Grant Biel, Robbie Booth and John Greenstreet of the NZ Sea Fury Syndicate, Auckland-Ardmore in 1986 and was airfreighted to NZ by an RNZAF C130.

Upon arrival in New Zealand the aircraft was placed into restoration at Ardmore and returned to flight on 12.3.88 as a Royal Navy FB.11 “WJ232/O” flown in the Korean conflict by Lieutenant Peter “Hoagy” Carmichael who shot down a North Korean MiG 15.

The Sea Fury continued to be operated from 1988 to 1993, civil registered as ZK-SFR by the NZ Sea Fury Syndicate, Auckland-Ardmore. The aircraft as stated previously was a non-wing folding FB.10 Fury however in 1991 it was fitted with a wing folding mechanism and other Naval equipment from a damaged Royal Navy Historic flight aircraft, WG655, rendering it closer to FB.11 specification. From 1993 until 2000 the aircraft moved to Flightwatch Services Ltd, Auckland-Ardmore New Zealand.

In 2000 the aircraft was purchased by Steve Hart of Unlimited Aerobatics/Hart’s Flying Fighter Museum, Archerfield, QLD Australia and departed for its new home on 20th of October 2000 and flew via Norfolk Island, arriving at Archerfield on 22 October 2000 where it flew regularly at various airshows and reunions. The aircraft also returned to New Zealand several times to be displayed.

In April 2006, following a legal issue the aircraft was impounded by the Australian Government and remained in storage until the recent auction.

Warbirds Online will continue on the return of this Historic Australian Warbird to the sky where it belongs.

© John Parker 2018