Warbird Information Exchange

Any updates on this Sea Fury?

Last update on their Website was in 2013 but it looks pretty far along:
http://www.seafury10.com/home.html

A couple photos a friend of mine snapped around this time last year, showing the prop hung and cowling work being done. It should be pretty close to completion, I suspect.

Another lost air racer.

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remember the Oogahonk!
old school enthusiast of Civiltary Warbirds and Air Racers

Hi Lon,

I hate to put you on the spot but I'm going to do it anyway. I don't often post on these sites because I recognize that a project like this isn't going to make everyone happy. That being said, here's the deal: N85SF has been in our family since 1990, we've owned it longer than any other entity to include the Royal Navy and the DLB in Germany. Four of us, in this family, have raced at least six different aircraft over a span of twenty one years and have seen some great times and some very bad. We get the Air Racing deal.. We've made the decision to return the Sea Fury to as close to stock as is reasonable given our constraints. I'm a third generation military pilot and I have a greater appreciation for the the purpose this machine was built for than its history as an air racer, that's the way it's going to be. So with that in mind I'm happy to post photos and progress on this site if folks care, as I'm pretty passionate on the subject. If you insist on engaging me in a dialogue about the morality of returning another air racer to stock than I'll be signing off. Oh, and or the record, N85SF/WE820/ES8504 was built from the factory on day one as a dual control T.20 trainer. So with that disclaimer said.. We're really close to running the engine, it's got electric power, hydraulic fluid and engine oil onboard, the next step is fuel. The aircraft has had a very hard life, to include being on its back once, it's belly three times, had a high pressure bottle explosion and been seriously cut up to be a racer. The restoration has consumed most of nine years and has seen the fuselage go all the way down to the firewall and two lower longerons. The Cockpit is light grey because the two highest time Sea Fury Pilots I know, Ellsworth Getchell and Dennis Sanders, said "don't even think about painting it black inside because it's too hot and as you get older you won't be able to see the panels well" good enough for me. The Garmin display in the panels is a G3X primary flight display with synthetic vision, and a remote ADS-B transponder, the nav is a WAAS Garmin 430. I know it's sacrilegious but I'm a glass baby and we intend to fly it.

Ken Dwelle

Here are some photos from today:

Hi Ken,

Thanks for taking the time to post the photos. I was wondering what engine you have in her?

Thanks,

Mac

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WWII Naval Aviation Research - Pacific
https://www.ww2nar-pac.com/

Mac it's got a 3350-26WD, Skyraider engine. The old man flew A1E's in Vietnam and he likes the motor. There's no reason we couldn't put a Bristol on it one day, except that they're in short supply.

I think this Fury is just beautiful. Thanks for sharing the photos with everyone! Who constructs the exhaust for this? It looks like a work of art.

Hear, hear! And thanks to Ken for sharing this info.

Ken H.

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

Ken Dwelle,
The subject of paint color/restoration type gets quite a bit of conversation on this site. A few points of thought:
It's your aircraft, restore/paint it any way you wish.
This is the WIX (warbird information exchange) hanger, seems proper to talk it about it here as such.
Thank you for the background details, both you and the aircraft as well as service to your country being a 3rd generation military pilot.
thanks for the pics, keep 'em coming!

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Always looking for P-51D parts.

Looks gorgeous! Glad to know it will be flying soon in whatever guise. Have fun with it!

Hi Ken,
Great to see the progress on your Fury. We know how you feel about the questions of returning a former race airplane to stock. We're restoring our Corsair FG-1D back to stock military and have had quite a few of the same questions and comments directed towards us.
Can't wait to see the finished airplane!
David
WHF

Ken, thanks for the updates. She really looks great. Having spent a fair amount of time rolling around the inside of Race 15 Furias, I have a question. I noticed the original rivet tails inside the fuselage (cockpit area for sure, but I think it was like that in the aft hell hole too) had a very uniform dimple in them. I couldn't quite figure that one out. It was too uniform for it to have been a feature of a bucking bar used to upset them, but it couldn't have been squeazed could it? Have you noticed the same?

Greetings Ken, I have a big batch of 738 Squadron Sea Fury photos. When I return from my business trip I'll dig through them and see if your airplane is there. It's looking great.

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45+47=Psalm 92:6

Ken,

Thanks for the updates.