WIX Archives

Up where it belongs again !

Posted by MGM on Thu Nov 15, 2001 06:02:19 AM

Just been down the shop for teabags, and while there I had a quick butchers at Aircraft Illustrated.

Good news!
We have a Fury flying again in GB !

John Bradshaw's dark blue Iraqui Fury flew again in October after being grounded for the last five years.

During the last two years, John (71), being a licenced engineer as well has restored the propeller for a cost of ?3000 instead of the ?40,000 he was quoted by a company!

Interestingly the CAA had a few words to say on the Fury's paint scheme.
It is painted with the markings of the four major operators of the Sea Fury....RN, RAN, RCN, and RNN.
Although John had permission to use those markings from all four countries, the CAA in it's wisdom, considered the scheme to be not authentic, so they made him paint the Fury's civvy reg on it as well.....G-CBEL, in small red letters on the rear fuselage.

Nice that they like to see authentic paint jobs, like most of us, and there must be more enthusiasts at the CAA than we imagined, but isn't that going a bit far when no-one on the ground would be able to read it anyway?
Similar situation with US operated warbirds I suppose, no-one could read their civvy reg's either, and most people wouldn't even be looking for the bloody reg when they saw a Fury or Mustang, so what's the point?
I mean, there's just not that many Sea Furies/Furies flying in GB right now, after the pilot jumping out of TF956 , WG655 head butting a BIG oak tree, Paul Morgan flipping WH588, OFMC flogging IAF 243 to SA, RNHF having a busted engine in VR930 (don't have much luck with Sea Furies those folks), and TFC not having finished VX653 yet......just CBEL now in fact....and it has a unique paint job anyway, so I can't see it being mistaken for another one by ATC or anyone if they can't read the reg !?

No slagging off the CAA please !!!!!!
They're on our side after all.............?


Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad world....seems the "independent" authorities can worry about piddling things like that.....and our Lost Heroes remain ignored by another branch of government..........what were they fighting for?....freedom and a better world wasn't it ?

TTFN
Mick



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