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Hawker.sea.fury.folded

Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 VR930 with wings folded, at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England.

The Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) maintains and flies a small number of aircraft that are important to British Naval aviation. The organisation is not part of the military establishment; it has charitable status and it is staffed by civilians. It is based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton and provides aircraft for air displays; the station is not open to the public.[1]

The Royal Navy website[2] states the following:

The RNHF is an educational charity whose mission is to ensure that the unique British Heritage collection of aircraft that is the Royal Navy Historic Flight continues to fly long into the future. Their aim is to preserve the opportunity for future generations to best understand the nature of those who built, maintained, operated and fought in Naval aircraft of the past by experiencing the reality of the sound, smell and the sight of them actually flying. They delight millions with their air displays nation-wide and educate future generations.

History[]

The RNHF was established at RNAS Yeovilton in 1972 and became the home for a number of aircraft that had been donated to the Royal Navy over more than a decade. The first aircraft was Fairey Swordfish II LS326, presented in 1960 by Westland Aircraft. In 1971, Hawker Siddeley Aviation presented a Sea Fury FB.11 and in 1972 a Fairey Firefly AS.5 WB271 was donated. The separate units caring for the three aircraft were merged in 1972, forming the Historic Flight.

Over the following years, the RNHF benefitted further from gifts of aircraft from the German Government, Royal Navy and British Aerospace. Technical assistance was also obtained to rebuild and refurbish aircraft. Sadly, three aircraft have been lost in accidents, with two fatalities.

In 1995, the ground staff service personnel were replaced by civilian employees but aircrew remain as serving navy pilots who volunteer to spend free time with the RNHF. Air training uses the Flight's DHC Chipmunk. The Fly Navy Heritage Trust, formerly the Swordfish Heritage Trust, a charitable institution to oversee fund raising, makes grants to fund the RNHF's staff. The Flight's other sources of income are fees from flying displays and donations and sponsorship from the aerospace industry and the general public.[3]

Aircraft[3][4][]

Aircraft type Serial Operational dates Squadrons Notes
Fairey Swordfish Mk.I W5856 21 Oct 1941 - 1945
Fairey Swordfish Mk.II LS326 Aug 1943 - 1945 836 War-time service on MAC ships, including MV Rapana and Empire MacCallum. Appeared as aircraft '5A' in the film Sink the Bismarck!. Following discovery of corrosion in 2002 the aircraft was withdrawn from service. New wing spars were manufactured by BAE Systems as part of a complete restoration. As of November 2010, LS326 is airworthy.[5]
Fairey Swordfish Mk.III NF389 Apr 1944 Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit, Torpedo Trials Flight, 781 Under reconstruction (Jan 2009)
Fairey Firefly AS.5 WB271 Jun 1949 - 1962 814, RAN service: 816, 724, 723 Destroyed during an air display, July 2003; aircrew (Bill Murton and Neil Rix) killed
Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 TF956 Oct 1947 - 1954 805 (RAN), 799, 807, 738 Lost 10 June 1989, due to hydraulic failure in flight; aircrew survived.
Hawker Sea Fury T.20 WG655 Oct 1951 - Dec 1955 Destroyed 14 July 1990 after engine failure in flight; aircrew survived.
Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 VR930 Mar 1948 - Jan 1961 802
Hawker/Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk FGA6 WV908 Feb 1955 - Jun 1962 807, 898, 806, 738
De Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 WK608 June 1966 - 1993 (naval service) Used as air trainer

References[]

  1. "Royal Navy Historic Flight". BAe Systems. 2006-2007. http://production.investis.com/heritage/nonflash/partmap/uk/royal_navy_historic_flight/. Retrieved 12 Jan 2009. 
  2. "Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF)". RNAS Yeovilton. Royal Navy. 2009. http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3252. Retrieved 12 Jan 2009. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Royal Navy Historic Flight". P&H Media. 2008. http://www.royalnavyhistoricflight.org.uk/aircraft/. Retrieved 12 Jan 2009. 
  4. Russell, Mark (2004). "The Royal Navy Historic Flight's Aircraft". http://www.stringbag.flyer.co.uk/rnhf/wb271.htm. Retrieved 12 Jan 2009. 
  5. Howard, Lee (2010). "Return of the Stringbag". Kelsey Publishing. pp. 47–48, 53–55. 

External links[]



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