The supercharger for VR930's Centaurus engine under rebuild at Vintage T12 recently. [©Vintage V12]

Roy and Kirsten Thompson in the rear cockpit of LS326 [©Roy Thompson]

Jimmy Pitts with RNHF CO with LS326 at the RNAS Yeovilton Air Day. [©Lee Howard]

The pictures you see are of the Centaurus for the Sea Fury FB11, stripped down to it’s component parts at Vintage V12 in California. The rebuild continues on the engine which, commencing from the bottom, has reached the Supercharger. The Pi Delta Parametric Data Gathering System, fitted two years ago to the RNHF Sea Hawk, is now being fitted to the Sea Fury FB11 with a bit of an upgrade to view more parameters. The system will help us monitor the engine more efficiently and spot faults earlier.

The Sea Hawk has been continuing to display at various shows and flypasts. She was grounded temporarily after her display at RNAS Culdrose Air Day following an edict that all Hawk ejection seats were to be inspected. Having persuaded the engineering authority that the ejection seat fitted was from a Hunter GA11, and therefore out with this edict, she continued to fly for a further fortnight before a routine 10 hourly inspection showed signs of a crack in the exhaust which meant we have had to pull the aircraft from both Eastbourne and Bournemouth shows. A huge disappointment, but it was a known weakness when they operated in the 1950’s and the inspections are designed to keep an eye on this area and spot problems before they develop further. The engineers had the engine out within 24 hours and are now effecting a repair scheme to ensure we can pick up the display programme from the end of August with Dunsfold Wings and Wheels.

Whilst our offices and hangar are not open to the public we do get visitors coming to the RNHF and we were delighted to host Mr Roy Thompson and his family recently. Roys father flew Swordfish and sadly lost his life in the infamous ‘Channel Dash’ in 1942. Despite the tight hangar space, we were able to partially spread the wings of LS326 allowing both Roy and his daughter Kirsten into the Observer and TAG cockpits. We are always thrilled to meet those with close family connections to the aircraft we operate and after a ‘Pussers’ brew and what can best be described as ‘NAAFI biscuits’, they departed for the Swordfish Café and a visit to the nearby Fleet Air Arm Museum.

With the Swordfish Pegasus engine undergoing further work, LS326 was used as a static exhibit for the RNAS Yeovilton Air Day in July. A team of volunteers worked hard talking to all the visitors, helping to raise both the profile and profit to the RNHF. We were delighted to meet Telegraphist Air Gunner Jimmy Pitts who popped over to say hello and told a wonderful story that occurred on his 19th birthday whilst training in Canada. Jimmy, in the rear cockpit of a Swordfish, had to endure the aircraft being put through a series of manoeuvres, including a tail slide pulling out only a few hundred feet from the ground, a loop the loop with the crew enduring 4 to 5 G force which pushed them right down into the plane, followed by a reverse loop the loop which meant the G force was trying to eject the crew out of the aeroplane with only the despatcher's harness attached to the floor of the aircraft holding them in! All because the pilot was demonstrating to a Canadian counterpart just how manoeuvrable the Stringbag was! The aircraft developed an oil leak and the sortie ended in a field with Jimmy covered in fuel being rescued by the crew, watched by two or three farmhands standing around, one of whom was brandishing a shot gun and saying “look what I have bagged”! A memorable birthday that ended downtown enjoying the liquour!

Staying with the Swordfish, Lieutenant Commander Abbey recently spoke to Swordfish pilot Bruce Vibert who has long supported the RNHF and perhaps in the next news update we will relay the Swordfish and Torpedo Attack drill he recounts in a recent letter that involved the pilot literally standing on the rudder pedals in an 80 degree dive from 10,000 feet!

News from our charitable trust the Fly Navy Heritage Trust (FNHT) is the sale of the raffle tickets goes well. If you haven’t bought any tickets and procured your chance to win a Hyundai Super Mini, then now is the time to buy as the draw will be on the 30th September. The team continue to work hard fund raising but sadly due to several factors the FNHT has had to cancel this year's Charity Flying Day in September. This is a result of unexpected raised costs in organising the event and a lower take-up of visitors. The decision was taken most reluctantly, but as a charity it was felt the risk of organising an event which may result in a loss was too great. Look out for the event in 2011 as the FNHT intend to reinstate Charity Flying Day in September next year with a wider marketing strategy to encourage more visitors to sign up earlier.

	Left: Still proudly flying the flag, WV908 belches into life. [©Lee Howard]       Below: Brig Sterns RM hands over the Sea Fury propeller to Cdr Rick Fox at RNHF [©HMS Heron]

Having pulled Swordfish LS326 out of the hangar we have now, unfortunately, had to put her away again as she continues to fail her ground runs. We will continue to work on her but have decided that the aircraft should be grounded until further notice rather than letting down air shows at the last minute. As the matriarch of the RNHF, perhaps she just doesn’t want to play just yet! We will continue to tease her carefully back into life.

The restoration of the wings for Swordfish W5856, thanks to BAE Systems at Brough, is going well and, with a new Royal Navy Project Officer scoping rebuild of our second Pegasus, we continue to work on bringing W5856 back to life where she will hopefully join LS326.

The Sea Hawk has started her display season and continues to please those that see her. She has a healthy programme ahead and continues (as she did last year) to fly the White Ensign around the country. The Nene engine requires a major overhaul at the end of this year and preparations are underway, arranging the space and machinery required to conduct this at the end of this season. With starter cartridges in short supply our electrical engineers have been working on an electric starter to be schemed and hopefully fitted within the next 18 months. Our Chief Engineer was heard to say that the only other alternative is to bump start her…………………!

The Centaurus overhaul for Sea Fury VR930 continues in the USA and we remain hopeful that she will rejoin the air show circuit next year. The next stage check on the engine will be in the autumn for the ground runs prior to despatch back to the UK. The spare engine we had sourced has now become a donor engine for the original so we continue to search for a spare Centaurus.

Finally, the Sea Fury propeller found in Iraq last year was formally handed over to the RNHF in May and the RNAS Yeovilton Wardroom Mess President is actively looking at ways of mounting a very heavy piece of metal in or around his Mess!

The Fly Navy Heritage Trust continue to support the RNHF in various ways. The trailer provides a presence on the ground at a number of airshows around the country and local events in the Somerset area. It can next be seen at the Royal Navy Airshows at Yeovilton (10 July) and Culdrose (28 July). Do look out for the trailer and volunteers that run it - they will happily persuade you to become a RNHF Supporter, buy a raffle ticket, fly in a classic aircraft at a charity flying event, sell you some merchandise or just chat about the fabulous aircraft we seek to preserve for future generations. Details of the FNHT Raffle and Events are available via the FNHT link on this website.

	Left: Away she goes! Dicky Dawes and Mick Jennings crank LS326 into life [©Lee Howard]     Below: Six of RNHF's pilots, old and new, gathered for the pilot's week on 13 April. [©Lee Howard]     Bottom: The Nene engine is coaxed back into the Sea Hawk. [©Lee Howard]

After dressing the engine, we have pulled the Swordfish out of the hangar and onto the hardstanding for its first ground runs in two years. We will continue to ground run and test until we are happy the engine is ready to fly. Some of you may recall we were at this stage two years ago when all looked well, but within a handful of hours of flying, the Pegasus engine developed problems. We are mindful of promising too much before she has flown for a few hours. That said so far so good.

The picture shows Mick Jennings and Dickie Dawes furiously crank starting the aircraft. What it doesn’t show is Fraz Fraser, Les Cornford and the Commanding Officer Mike Abbey flaked out to the side having had a go ahead of them. This was Dickies first attempt to start a Swordfish and his beginners luck worked a treat!

We are working hard to meet the deadline of the 16th of May when LS 326 is scheduled to fly to Lee-on-Solent to fly past the Telegraphist Air Gunners memorial at midday. A very important day for the TAGS who have been waiting patiently for seven years to see their ‘Fish’ overhead the memorial that honours their endeavours in the Swordfish during WWII.

Howard Read and Don Robertson popped over to California in March to do a stage check on the Centaurus for Sea Fury VR930. The engine has rather more damage than initially thought but with the use of the second Centaurus, purchased for this aircraft, we are confident we will have an engine ready for attaching to the aircraft by the end of this year. The same type of data gathering system fitted to the Sea Hawk two years ago is being wired into the Sea Fury whilst she is grounded. This system provided invaluable information on the Sea Hawk to for the RNHF engineers last season and it is hoped will do the same for the Sea Fury when she next flies. For the moment all remains on track for getting this aircraft back in the air and ready for the 2011 display season.

The Sea Hawk has had her winter over haul and remaining hydraulic jacks inspected and the Nene engine is now back in and we will start ground running her shortly.

With the engineers working hard getting the aircraft prepared for a busy season, the Commanding Officer turned his attention to the volunteer pilots who met in April for a couple of days of flying the Chipmunk and ground school briefs in preparation for the display season. We have two new pilots for this season, Lieutenant Simon Wilson who is earmarked for the Swordfish and Lieutenant Si Rawlins who will display the Sea Hawk. You can find out more about them via the ‘meet the team’ button on this website.

Both Swordfish LS 326 and Sea Hawk WV908 have a full display programme waiting for them and this is now on view on this website. The programme will change as we roll through the season so do keep popping back to this site to check on the latest updates.

Underpinning all of this is the Fly Navy Heritage Trust who continue to fund raise to help us with the costs of engine overhauls etc. Do take a look at the FNHT link off this website where you will find details on a Charity Flying Day, the FNHT 2010 Raffle and how to donate funds to the FNHT if you shop online through an organisation called ‘easyfundraising’. The FNHT Staff currently have an offer on RNAS Yeovilton International Air Day tickets for FNHT Supporters so if you haven’t become a Supporter now may be a good time to consider it. You can purchase advance tickets for £14 per adult, £5 per child (under 16), please contact the FNHT office at the address on the website. All these fundraising initiatives are ultimately in support of the aircraft we seek to preserve and display here at the Royal Navy Historic Flight.

	Left: The beautifully crafted memorial to the "Channel Dash" in Ramsgate. [©Channel Dash Association]     Below: The rear face of the memorial details the aircraft and crew who flew on Operation FULLER. [©Channel Dash Association]

Spring is in the air and the Chipmunk is now back in the RNAS Yeovilton circuit as our pilots recommence their training to fly the RNHF display aircraft. The flying will be augmented with a training week in April when the team will get together and discuss the programme, flying operations etc, and take the aircraft up for final checks before the display season gets underway in May with the Telegraphist Air Gunners Memorial at Lee-on-Solent. The programme is being worked up as this update goes to print and will be available on this website from the end of March. Naturally it will change as we go through the season but it’s a good place to find out where our aircraft will be on display between the months of May – October 2010.

With rather tight time lines following the recent return of the Pegasus engine for Swordfish LS326, we sadly weren’t able to support the Channel Dash Association on the 12 February 2010 with the unveiling of a memorial in honour of 825 Squadron. The pictures show the memorial which you can all see if/when next passing through Ramsgate. The monument is located at Ramsgate Royal Harbour close to the Clock Tower building which houses the Maritime Museum. This site was selected as it is above this spot where Lt Cdr Eugene Esmonde RN circled with his squadron whilst waiting for RAF Spitfire protective cover. Further details about the Channel Dash, the Association and pictures of the days unveiling of the memorial can be found at www.channeldash.org . The Association have also launched an appeal to build an ‘Operation Fuller’ Memorial at Dover to all those that took part and especially those that lost their lives on that fateful day in 1942. The intention would be to have this memorial in place to mark the 70th anniversary in 2012. If you wish to know any more or support this aspiration then do e-mail the team via the "events" e-mail address on their website.

Moving to Sea Fury VR930, Howard Read our Chief Engineer will shortly be off to California to do a programmed stage check on our Centaurus which we aim to have back and fit to the aircraft later this year.

Finally, we are very conscious that there are many people who are working tirelessly in support of the RNHF. We have, over the past six months, been overseeing quite a big reorganisation to ensure the Flight fits in to the 21 century (despite the aged aircraft!) and this does involve difficult decisions. We hope all will be for the long term benefit of the RNHF, ably supported by the Fly Navy Heritage Trust. The Trust has the difficult task of finding the funds to ensure our continued existence. For those reading this that have not yet become Supporters of the RNHF do consider joining the Supporters Group, details of which can be found via the FNHT link on this website. We rely on donations to the FNHT (of which the Supporters Group is one important strand) and can not survive without your support through the FNHT.

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	Top: The ubiquitous Bristol Pegasus, back at long last! [© Lee Howard]     Left: The propeller from a former Iraqi Fury being off-loaded at RNAS Yeovilton. [©HMS Heron]

Winter is traditionally a busy time of year for the flight engineers and this winter is no exception. Much activity is underway in the hangar stripping down all the Sea Hawk aircraft hydraulic jacks to examine corrosion, this came on the back of the undercarriage jack checks and repairing a cracked engine exhaust. So a busy time in the Sea Hawk bay with much credit to Mick Jennings for persevering with the fiddly job of dismantling some of the jacks which were never designed to come out and then replacing them all.

The Chipmunk, essential for training the pilots, has been undergoing major routine servicing and has a complete new set of control cables fitted. As far as we can remember this is the first time they have been changed and is a function of a new maintenance regime which looks very carefully at ‘aged’ aircraft. The Chipmunk continues to belie her advancing years with her sterling service and appetite for turning upside down at every available opportunity, pilot induced of course!

The Swordfish Pegasus engine has completed it’s rebuild and repair and has successfully completed an extensive set of bench test runs. The engine is now being refitted to LS326 and will commence ground runs shortly followed by test flights in the Yeovilton area. Once we are happy that the engine is running well, the conversion of the new Swordfish pilots will commence in time for this years display season.

The Centaurus engine for Sea Fury VR930 is still expected back later this year from the USA and we hope to be flying her in 2010.

Our webshop has now closed as we continue to bring the RNHF into line with other Naval units. Our thanks to all who have supported the Flight with their purchases over the years. The future of the merchandising is being reviewed by the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.

Finally, in 2009 we received a call from Squadron Leader Paul Hutchinson in Basra, Iraq informing us that he had a Fury prop and were we interested………………it arrived at the RNHF in January 2010! Our thanks to Paul for the initial contact and all in the chain moving this to Somerset from Iraq. Although no longer recoverable we rarely turn down offers like this and are investigating various options to site the propeller and nose cone hopefully here at RNAS Yeovilton.

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