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NAVY870

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On 1/25/2021 at 8:47 PM, Work In Progress said:

t's not an illusion at all. I first encountered this airframe as Doug Arnold's G-BCOW at Blackbushe in the late '70s, when it had already been cleaned-up and de-cluttered a bit, then Doug did some more work on it, removing the remains of the target tug clobber. Originally in his ownership it looked like this, re-registered but still in its German colours 

I remember two of these arriving at Gatwick for customs while on their way to Blackbushe. It was a wonderful surprise at the end of the day :)

 

Martin

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RN T.20s we’re built with non-retractable tailwheel assemblies (there are no doors for a start). The tailplane had a greater span than the single seaters and the periscope was fitted between the cockpits to allow the instructor to see the front cockpit. G-RNHF was a heavily modified aircraft: cockpit gutted of British equipment and replaced by American kit, canopy tunnel a different shape, no rear cockpit headrest, F104 hydraulic wheel brakes and American wheels, retractable tailwheel to name but a few mods. After the loss of the original WG655 in 1990, ex-Boscombe Down VZ345 was the last T20 in anything like original configuration. Sadly I doubt it will be rebuild to stock condition.

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  • 1 year later...
On 5/2/2023 at 3:24 AM, gunpowder17 said:

Does anybody have any photos of the fuel filler panel and the coffman breach  panel on the top of the nose in front of the cockpit please?

 

TIA

9AnGLRh.jpg

 

u9ZAIpn.jpg

 

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So after a lay-off of just over 4 years, my Airfix 1/48 FB 11 is emerging from the shelf of doom.  I note the comments in the very first post in this thread about the fact that the kit fails to supply the gyro-stabilised sight and some very helpful photographs.  Now I could take the lazy option and buy a set from Hannants but that's not my way.  My CAD/3D printing skills are on the up as you can see if you've seen any of my most recent maritime builds (HMS BRAVE, HMS LONDONDERRY, HMS HECLA) which have all made extensive use of those and so I intend to draw and print the sight.  But I can find almost no photographs of a Sea Fury cockpit with a sight fitted - in all restored variants it has been replaced with a modern radio suite.  The only images I can find are in the Richard Franks book and they seem to conflict each other.  The picture on the top of Page 12, taken from the Pilots' Notes, seems to show the sight mid-position in line with the top of the cockpit coaming but sitting proud of it towards the pilot.  But the drawing at the top of Page 15 appears to show it predominantly hanging below the coaming with just the actual sighting glass above.  So my first question is this.  Exactly where in/on the cockpit coaming does it sit?  Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, how big is it?  I can probably work it out from the photos in Post #1, the Pilots' Note image and the instrument panel in the kit, but it would be helpful if anyone had that information at hand.

 

Furthermore, I posted in my WIP log when I first started this back in 2019 that there was a large hole towards the top of the instrument panel and asked what was meant to go in there.  I don't think I had any response but looking at the Pilots' Notes image in Franks, I think it should filled, left slightly proud and fitted with the various light switches.  Does that make sense to those with more knowledge of the Sea Fury than me?

 

Thanks

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On 5/9/2023 at 4:09 AM, Chewbacca said:

So after a lay-off of just over 4 years, my Airfix 1/48 FB 11 is emerging from the shelf of doom.  I note the comments in the very first post in this thread about the fact that the kit fails to supply the gyro-stabilised sight and some very helpful photographs.  Now I could take the lazy option and buy a set from Hannants but that's not my way.  My CAD/3D printing skills are on the up as you can see if you've seen any of my most recent maritime builds (HMS BRAVE, HMS LONDONDERRY, HMS HECLA) which have all made extensive use of those and so I intend to draw and print the sight.  But I can find almost no photographs of a Sea Fury cockpit with a sight fitted - in all restored variants it has been replaced with a modern radio suite.  The only images I can find are in the Richard Franks book and they seem to conflict each other.  The picture on the top of Page 12, taken from the Pilots' Notes, seems to show the sight mid-position in line with the top of the cockpit coaming but sitting proud of it towards the pilot.  But the drawing at the top of Page 15 appears to show it predominantly hanging below the coaming with just the actual sighting glass above.  So my first question is this.  Exactly where in/on the cockpit coaming does it sit?  Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, how big is it?  I can probably work it out from the photos in Post #1, the Pilots' Note image and the instrument panel in the kit, but it would be helpful if anyone had that information at hand.

 

Furthermore, I posted in my WIP log when I first started this back in 2019 that there was a large hole towards the top of the instrument panel and asked what was meant to go in there.  I don't think I had any response but looking at the Pilots' Notes image in Franks, I think it should filled, left slightly proud and fitted with the various light switches.  Does that make sense to those with more knowledge of the Sea Fury than me?

 

Thanks

Brother Sailors never have to post question, they get to PM for personal service.

 

iNmPw4R.jpg

 

PjsyPoU.jpg

 

OMjLASv.jpg

 

2czaqeD.jpg

I have no knowledge of this "hole" of which you speak, p'raps you could point?

Cheers

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Been sorting out my photos of WJ231 (FAA Museum, Yeovilton) and noticed these clips in the wheel bays;

 

y4mi2BOPFcfxAAUYUOvZ9s_iG18YVfTcfClUgtz2

 

y4mHa0Gfmfo5gyoF6L_xksB5OrRAQHm9LoH2wJtR

 

Faithfully reproduced in the (quite amazing) 1/48 Barracuda Gearbay Set;

 

y4mwxk7b5DoZX_Wy2CgnlOalp4iZ5cK7ron37AKr

 

They're in the area that the wheel retracts into. Does anyone know what their purpose is?

 

Just curious.

 

Cheers,

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6 hours ago, Johnson said:

Been sorting out my photos of WJ231 (FAA Museum, Yeovilton) and noticed these clips in the wheel bays;

 

y4mi2BOPFcfxAAUYUOvZ9s_iG18YVfTcfClUgtz2

 

y4mHa0Gfmfo5gyoF6L_xksB5OrRAQHm9LoH2wJtR

 

Faithfully reproduced in the (quite amazing) 1/48 Barracuda Gearbay Set;

 

y4mwxk7b5DoZX_Wy2CgnlOalp4iZ5cK7ron37AKr

 

They're in the area that the wheel retracts into. Does anyone know what their purpose is?

 

Just curious.

 

Cheers,

There to align the gear when it retracts into the bay, there's a corresponding spigot on the main wheel

 

 

pl9noIF.jpg

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22 hours ago, NAVY870 said:

Brother Sailors never have to post question, they get to PM for personal service.

 

I have no knowledge of this "hole" of which you speak, p'raps you could point?

 

Thanks Steve.  I'll remember that!  And thanks for those photos - they are most helpful, especially the third one which shows both the mounting bracket and answers my question over the "hole".

 

I've already filled it with a strip of 40 thou styrene but you can see in this photo where the hole was.  It does very much look like the lighting switch panel but equally it will be quite well hidden once the sight is fitted.

 

52893803409_bc0847abf4_b.jpg

 

 

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22 hours ago, NAVY870 said:

There to align the gear when it retracts into the bay, there's a corresponding spigot on the main wheel

 

And you can just see it catching the light on the wheel of WJ223*.

 

y4m4ZRjfYWl8kcuF2Z-6GSSKx7osx1sNCWuwtj-3

 

Barracuda include wheel nuts with and without these 'uplocks', as they call them.

 

Thank you Steve @NAVY870

 

 

* The Sea Fury I will model... one day!

 

Cheers,

 

 

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Just realised that I did take a photo of the instrument panel still on the sprue that I posted in my build thread when I first started this which shows that hole better:

 

40596407563_c9237044a8_b.jpg

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4 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Just realised that I did take a photo of the instrument panel still on the sprue that I posted in my build thread when I first started this which shows that hole better:

 

40596407563_c9237044a8_b.jpg

There's a definite gap between the top of the blind flying panel and the lighting panel. 

Its not that big though. Somebody needed new batteries in the calculator.

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  • 3 weeks later...

While looking for photos of a RATOG fitted Sea Fury to confirm the colour, I came across this website:

 

https://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/Ocean_Keorea.htm

 

Not all Sea Furies, but some great photos of Sea Furies, Fireflies and all things aircraft carrier related.

 

I think from this photo, they should be white with black exhausts - definitely lighter than the bracket which I assume is sky:

Fury_18.jpg

Would the Sea Fury experts agree?

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Are there some scale drawings available of the Malcolm G-Type winch Mk.II, as used on RAF Tempest TT Mk.5s and Pakistani Sea Furies in their target towing role ? 

The aircraft carried one such pod under the port wing as well as a dummy bomb under the starboard one to balance the aircraft.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Greetings

Diego

Edited by Diego
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  • 3 weeks later...
6 hours ago, Johnson said:

Photo from the FAAAA (https://www.faaaa.asn.au/heritage/heritage-sea-fury-image-library/) of Sea Fury WH587;

 

embed?resid=B0B7467F81D325AB!1254&authke

 

Anyone know what the things hanging off the bomb carrier are?

 

Thanks,

 

 

Practice bomb racks, I believe the proper name is light stores carrier

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  • 3 weeks later...

Airfix 1/48 Sea Fury Bombs

 

@Chewbacca posted a very useful photo above in his post on RATOG colours above;

 

Fury_18.jpg

(I hope you don't mind me reusing your photo Chewy!)

 

It has a great shot of a 500LB bomb carried on a Sea Fury.

 

And it looks different to the 500LB bomb in the kit;

 

embed?resid=B0B7467F81D325AB!1304&authke

I'm thinking about the length of the fins.  The circular fairing at the end of the fins is also longer.

 

Eduard's British 500lb bombs look more like the bomb in the photo, but there are still differences with the fins;

embed?resid=B0B7467F81D325AB!1305&authke

 

Are there any ordnance experts (@Selwyn?) who can explain the differences?

 

What might the colours of the bomb in the photo be? A bit more varied than the Airfix recommendation of matt olive drab.

 

Cheers,

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2 hours ago, Johnson said:

(I hope you don't mind me reusing your photo Chewy!)

Be my guest!  It's not my photo - I just posted a link to it on the Royal Navy research archive

 

But now a question from me for the great minds out there.

 

My 1/48 Sea Fury is portrayed with wings folded.  All photos I have in my archive of restored or museum Sea Furies with folded wings all seem to have a ground lock fitted near to the forward hinge (seen here in red in the FAAM example):

 

53063869324_e9eb22d895_b.jpg

 

What I am not sure about though is whether this was ever fitted to operational aircraft or whether it is a modern requirement to support the aircraft's safety case/ health and safety risk assessment.  I can't find any images of Sea Furies from the 1950s with such a device fitted.  Anyone know or have any photographic/aircrew manual evidence to positively confirm that such a lock was fitted back then?

 

Thanks

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