Meier Motors GmbH/Max Alpha Aviation GmbH located in
southwest Germany has recently purchased VX302 and is
having it restored with state-of-the-art avionics,
Centaurus Mk.18 power and plan to have it painted in the
original bright red scheme it wore with the DLB service
as a target tug.
One of the fastest piston engine aircraft ever built,
Hawker's magnificent Sea Fury/Fury has always had the
ability to inspire awe amongst everyone from airport
kids to jet fighter pilots. It continues to attract fans
at airshows and air races around the world and leaves
most other aircraft of the era well behind.
The design that became the Hawker Sea Fury goes back
to a 1943 requirement for a Fleet Air Arm fighter based
on the Hawker Tempest. First flown in 1945, the new Fury
design began military flight trials and entered service
with No. 778 squadron. The Fury, along with
the Grumman
Bearcat and P-51 Mustang, marked the epitome of
piston-engine fighter design before technology focused
on jets.
Hawker was designated to work on the land-based
version, the Fury, and responsibility for the naval
conversion was assigned to Boulton-Paul Aircraft Ltd. In
April of 1944 contracts were placed for 200 aircraft for
each the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm. The first
Sea Fury prototype flew on February 21, 1945, but the
first full naval version with folding wings did not fly
until October 12, 1947.
The Fury, and navalized Sea Fury, were instant hits
with the British military, as well as foreign countries
such as Canada, Australia, Germany, Burma and Iraq. The design also leant
itself to a modification for a second cockpit and dual
controls. The two-seat "training" version of the Fury
matched the high performance of the FB.11 version. The
British Navy ordered 60 of the two-seaters and
designated them T Mk.20.
VX302 started life at Hawker-Siddley
Aircraft Ltd, Langley as T Mk. 20S target tug in May,
1957 and was operated by the Federal Republic Of
Germany, Bonn, from April 5, 1963-1974 (registered as D-CACE).
VX302 went through a many different owners, including
Doug Arnold (registered as
G-BCOV), and was operated by Jerry C. Janes from
August 1987-1994. Jerry registered VX302 as N51SF,
rebuilt it with a Wright R3350-26WD power plant and flew
it as race #20 "Cottonmouth". It was later purchased by
Todd Stuart who operated it from 2004-2006 as race #103
"Conch Fury". VX302 was then purchased and operated by
the Cavanaugh Flight Museum based in Galveston, Texas
until being damaged in a forced landing in August 2008.
Sanders Aeronautics, known for their expertise in the
field of Sea Furies and aircraft
restoration, has been
contracted by Meier Motors to strip and rebuild the T.20
fuselage to its original two seat dual control
configuration.
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