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Hawker Sea Fury, Royal Navy Superprop
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ต.ค. 2022
- The Hawker Sea Fury is one of the best piston engine fighters of all time, AND it's so much more than that. The Sea Fury represents the end of an era. It also represents the best of British aviation in both a technical sense with it's Hawker designed wing and Bristol sleeve-valve engine, backed up by decades of Sopwith and Hawker's experience building great fighter planes. When it comes to fighter planes, it doesn't get much more British than this and it's awesome.
A large portion of this video deals with sleeve valve engine history and design, so it's not only about the Sea Fury. There is a fair bit of automotive content in this video.
The video is long because there is just so much stuff
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ERRORS: I really messed up the fuel capacities by forgetting that the British were using Imperial gallons. That means the Sea Fury has the most internal fuel capacity by far and wins the range contest on internal fuel with relative ease.
Correct Fuel Capacities courtesy of MK Regular:
Sea Fury - 240 US gallons (200 imperial gallons)
Bearcat - 185 US gallons
Seafire - 182.4 US gallons (152 imperial gallons)
When you consider maximum fuel capacity with drop tanks, the Bearcat still comes out on top due to the absolutely absurd amount of fuel it can carry in drop tanks and the Sea Fury falls behind to a point around 2/3 of the way from the Seafire to the Bearcat:
Bearcat - 535 US gallons (185+150+2x100)
Sea Fury - 456 US gallons (240+2x108) (200+2x90 imperial gallons)
Seafire - 296.4 US gallons (182.4+60+2x27) (152+50+2x22.5 imperial gallons)
Also the P-47N could get its 2800 horsepower on 130 octane fuel at least by 1950. It's not clear if this was the case during the war. The other 47s running 70" or above did use 150.
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All Superprop videos can be found in single playlist here: th-cam.com/users/GregsAirplanesandAutomobilesplaylists
Nice work! Hope you get a chance to take a look at the one off CAC CA-15 prototype, the Australian superprop that never made it into production, but had some impressive performance.
Greg, what is the reason why most of the so-called "superprops" were designed for the naval forces?
Would a sleeve-valved radial engine be less susceptible to hydraulic lock than a poppet-valved radial? (I've pulled through lots of blades on radials and have never had one lock up.)
Sorry for my pour english...when Greg said r2800 is more powerful because of his supercharger im not agree.the supercharger in warbirds is only useful in altitude,at sea level it doesn t ad power like in car(sometimes it Can low yield
because you have to restrict air entry,in ordre to avoid overboost).so if you compare power of the two at sea level ,the only davantage that remain for r2800 is water injection.at altitude no doubt that better supercharger change the game
So in conclusion the best way to compare Real power of the two is at sea level without supercharger.and i think that r2800 would win in this case
I was working at the airport in Klamath Falls Oregon in the 80's. We had a old fuel truck in the back of a dusty un used hanger in need of repair. I was doing some body and fender work when the unmistakable rumble of war birds flew over head. As I ran out of the hanger, I spotted a P-51 and a Hawker Sea Fury making a base leg turn. I ran over to the tarmac and waved them to a parking area with lots of space away from local private aircraft. As the P-51 came to a stop, I noticed the nose art and the 6 'kills' shown under the canopy. The pilot was none other than Bob Love, famous test pilot and Korean war ace. The Sea Fury was parking next to the the P-51. No insignia or nose art of any kind was on the Sea Fury. As the canopy slid back, the pilot began exiting the cockpit, and exiting, and exiting. The Sea Fury is a big aircraft making the P-51 look like a 2/3 scale model when parked together. As man mountain finally extracted himself from the aircraft I thought to myself, this is guy is big enough to play pro ball. It turns out, the pilot was Russ Francis, tight end for the San Francisco 49'rs. As the pilots made their way over the tarmac to get lunch, I (carefully) refuel each bird. About an hour later Russ and Bob returned to proceed to their destination. It was a hot summer day and the altitude of the airport is 4100'. The big 18 cylinder engine began to turn over and belch smoke but would not run. Multiple attempts were made to get the Sea Fury running but it was not going to happen that day. The A&P's were called in to take a look. They had to open the cowling and pull all 36 spark plugs which had been fouled due to the wrong mixture setting for the conditions. It took 2 guys over 4 hours to pull all the spark plugs out. Bob and Russ were taking everything in stride and would fly out the next morning. I'll never forget the sound or sight of those two war birds and their amazing pilots.
thanks for sharing this cool story.
Sadly, Russ Francis was killed this week in a plane crash...
He was a very nice man my deepest condolences go out to his family. He stopped at the airfield in Klamath Falls a year after I met him and he asked for me by name. I was just a punk kid pumping gas at a back water airport and he remembered my name. RIP Russ@@jamescraig4479
A great story thanks for sharing that.
@@jamescraig4479 jeez, due to "power failure". I wonder how plugs he fouled in his time.
Always an happy day when Greg posts
Yes it is!
No. A stressful day as I figure out how juggle my day to free up an hour or more.
YEP!
This is one of the absolute best. I can't believe the 80 minutes have passed so quickly.
Some consider videos of 45 min to be long. I just relish in these extra-length editions on WWII fighter aircraft and their engines.
It is exactly the type of "television" I had been longing for since I was a child crazy about WWII fighters in the 70's and 80's
After decades of waiting and frustration with "consumer grade productions", having studied engineering and worked for an automotive manufacturer in engine development, I can finally fully enjoy this type of content. Pure bliss!
Greg thank you so much for your grade-A content directed at the fellow technically minded!
I appreciate your kind words. Not everyone gets what I'm trying to do here, but clearly you do.
holy
i don't realize it too
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles You undoubtably do the best balance analysis of warbirds, etc anywhere on the web, Greg. You are a living treasure. When I'm done being a Patreon for Ian at "Forgotten Firearms" for one year, I'm committed to follow on & do the same for you, as you've definitly earned it.
Incidentally have you noticed that in WWII footage, unlike radial engined aircraft of others (say the Zero, Bristol aircraft, the Russian LA's & the FW190) that always had large over spinners, that cover up the prop blade axiss' & the CS mechanisms; US radials seem to always have little thimble like spinners that left the prop's CS mechanism available. Even though many of their prototypes came with full spinners.
Was this because NACA or the US Army & Navy Airforces worked out that the payoff from having large overspinners on radial engined aircraft wasn't worth the hassle aerodynamically, relative to the loss of quick axcess to the constant speed mech? I assume the US worked out a trade off here, as definitely the major user & developer of radial engined aircraft, that the other's never noticed.
Agree with everything the OP said. Greg cannot be praised enough for the content he puts out.
I've watched it twice - in two different countries.
Aiming for a third.
Outstanding work.
The in-depth part about the sleeve valve engines was superb. Man these people were clever. No google, no computers, just the drawing board. Thank you Greg, that was great.
Just like the Wright bros it's amazing how advanced the pioneers were. Harrier and chinook are just unbelievable flight control wise
Remember they had the sliderules to do the math…I learned to work it…very accurate..but time consuming.
@@cf6282 Indeed and accurate slide rules could be 2 feet long
@@cf6282 And mathematical look-up tables !
Not about being clever. Being clever gets you no where. They were dedicated. Being clever means seeing a possible solution. Being dedicated means making the solution reality.
A Sea Fury owned by Ted Allen in Mackay (QLD, Australia) buzzed a small mining town where I was living at the time (early 80’s). A full speed dive at a very low level and then a turn and another pass. The sound was unbelievable! The first pass rattled the windows. I ran outside to see a tight turn and the second pass. Truly an amazing event.
Bristol engine. Far better and more reliable than the Napier Sabre on the Tempest.
The best thing I like about these superprops is being able to see the result of all the lessons learned during the entire course of the war being incorporated into the designs.
We had a Sea Fury stop-off at my air school one day, and the pilot ended up giving us a display flight overhead the airfield because we all couldn't stop drooling over it. Absolutely blew my mind how it could climb. It would go completely vertical and very rapidly disappear into a dot. Then come hurtling back down like a homesick demon. It's been my favorite piston aircraft ever since...
It had a four stage, fuel injection carberator with a cartridge starter..
Had no idea Hawker was connected to Sopwith. They were already a legendary builder in my mind, this kinda blows me away. From the Camel thru jets. Wow.
Did you check out how long Sopwith lived for ? He flew very early aircraft as well !
In September 1920, Sopwith Aviation was liquidated because of fears the government would examine the wartime aircraft production contracts of companies like Sopwith and impose a crippling retrospective tax liability on them.
Harry Hawker, Tom Sopwith, Fred Sigrist, and Bill Eyre then formed a new company, each contributing £5,000. To avoid any possible claims against the new company for the wartime contracts of the old company, they chose to call it H.G. Hawker Engineering. (It was renamed Hawker Aircraft in 1933.)
..and on to the only really successful VTOL fighter, the Harrier. And it’s engine was also initially a Bristol design, the Pegasus.
@@TheHarryMann Via the Hunter which continued in service until 2014
My Dad would have loved this one. He was a huge WW2 aviation and Reno Air Race nut. Belonged to the CAF for a short time. While primarily a P-51 devotee, he adored Dreadnought. He was at the 1949 Cleveland National Air Races where a highly modified P-51C named Beguine crashed. He was one of the first people on the scene of the crash. He had plans to build a model of the aircraft from a P-51B kit, but passed away before that happened. Thank you Greg, for a great episode.
Awesome. The Typhoon/Tempest are some of my favorite aircraft, and the Furies are some of the best looking things to ever fly
Awe-inspiring .... (Standard English circa 1956).
Slante. ☘🏴
And everyone forgets the Hawker Tornado that preceded both…
Go checkout the original Hawker Fury and Demon biplanes of the 30s. Construction an art-form, still flying at Shuttleworth Museum in the uK, with their RR Kestrel V12s purring. Circa 250 mph biplanes built like a RR car.
@@TheHarryMann And the Hurricane was originally specified as a monoplane Fury - the construction techniques on the fuselage are identical.
@@allangibson8494 indeed. I was just eulogising that for those not knowing, Hawker pre-war biplanes were and are considered some of the most beautiful aircraft ever made, inside as well as out.
Not only does Greg have the best WW2 aviation videos, but his voice sounds exactly like the briefing officer in Mechwarrior 3. Win/win
One plane i would really like to see you do. the A-1 Skyraider. not a superprop, but definitely a far more important aircraft for the USN and others post WW2 than i think anyone had any reasonable expectation of when they entered service at the end of WW2.
one of the very few planes that never really retired, they just ran out of them and decided not to make more. as the USAF used theirs, they reactivated former USN types and used them up.
what i have seen of their development and service lives have always seemed quite interesting. it seems like they have done every single job and mission the navy had except fighter and then continued to serve alongside its replacements
and it seems like the aircraft had some interesting things going in with the cowl too. i have seen pictures of them with what appears to be shutters completely closing off the front
As a side line to your comment, a few years ago I saw a Skyraider bring down a Spitfire. I was at IWM Duxford for a display when a Skyraider rear ended the Spitfire. The consequence was the Spitfire came down in a field with the pilot ejecting, the Skyraider landed successfully. I believe that both planes are now back in the air, those guys at Duxford do a fantastic job of making a twisted pile of scrap metal fly again. The Skyraiders pilot was blamed for the accident.
@@orwellboy1958 I believe the accident you refer to was the sky raider chewing up a P51. The pilot jumped and the sky raider landed. The P51 not repairable. The accident is on YT and the Mustangs name was Big Beautiful Doll.
I dare say it would be a very received episode.
Best aircraft for air to ground support. Carried armament comparable to a light cruiser. Now the Yanks have the A-10 Warthog.
Back in the 80's I saw five Sea Furies at the Mintner Field airshow near Santa Barbara California. I think it was every flyable Sea Fury in North America. They stood out in a field of P-51s and other warbirds for their sheer sleekness and beauty. And the sound! Amazing! I came away totally enamored with the airplane.
If "if it looks right, it is right" the Sea Fury totally got it right.
That climb rate is pretty amazing compared to the Bearcat considering all the sacrifices the Grumman plane made in the name of saving weight.
The Spit 47 would easily outclimb them both in actual service from the deck to 20,000 ft. Easily!
@@TheHarryMann Wonderful, just a pity it literary fell to bits after a few deck landings.
@@CJB- That’s not just exaggerating for sake of a cheap jibe, it’s as good as libel… certainly over-egging the gossip.
@@TheHarryMann but, did Spitfire had range of both Bearcat and Sea Fury?
@@kidpagronprimsank05 Seafire? Probably not… a PR Spitfire would have though, easily.
Watching all of Greg's videos at a pretty fast pace. When I saw this video about the Sea Fury and sleeve valve engines I knew it was going to be a good one! Sleeve valve engines are fascinating and almost remind me of steam engines in a sense. It's surprising that they haven't made a resurgence in any real capacity. Gotta love the mention of Dreadnought! Sad to see that in 2023 it suffered and engine failure during the Reno Air Races.
Very good and thorough video. One minor correction: the land-based Fury DID go into production, just not for the RAF. 55 were built for export to Iraq where they served for many years. Ed Jurist brought several back in the late 1970s and some still fly today. The easiest recognition point is their full-depth rudders, facilitated by no hook.
At "Flying Legends" Duxford, both, Sea Fury and Bearcat gave the best flying show. Dynamic, loud and exciting. Rly astonishing machines
I'm really glad to finally see a video about sleeve valves. Not easy to find info on them.
What a beautiful plane. Thanks Greg, for all your hard work to produce this video!
I remember seeing one fly at the Abbotsford international airshow in the 80's. You knew that this was an incredible fighter, she was pure power with agility. The pilot finished an awesome flight, pushing her hard and when done he climbed out like he just went to the store. It was an ex Australian navy bird I seem to remember.
I also watched a Sea Fury at Abbotsford. I remember his T shirt which showed a prop, and the caption, “American aero engines, turn backwards”….. it may have been Ellsworth Getchell as he was there in 2005 and 2007.
Us humans are cool. Terrariums is underused. Stand with us. No death OK.
Very interesting to see the DFW robot after exploring the practically-oriented engineering that went into the Sea Fury. Maybe I’m being a grump, but it seems like a lot of new IT engineering doesn’t cater to specific needs, but is rather based on a certain aesthetic vision of the future.
Great video as always!
I don't know what the problem with it was, but it seems to me that telling me what gate to go to should be airport robot 101. Oh, and thanks for watching until the end.
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Many of these "solutions" are built by a committee focusing on checking off tech boxes rather than executing proper design and user experience research. Thank you for the video, enjoyed it greatly and now have newfound appreciation for this aircraft.
What makes Dreadnaught so amazing is not only the big engine is that is still in in its original form and not cut down. She's big, heavy,and bulky especially sitting with all the modified unlimiteds, a lot of people refer to her as old reliable. Love this installment I have been looking forward to it. Great work thankyou.
This year at Reno, the Dreadnaught crew said the engine which had blown in qualifying, had in the neighborhood of 130 hours and 12 years since overhaul. It raced a decade between overhauls! And it would have come close to passing the 150 hour military test required back in the 1930s, at a power level around 3,500hp.
Telling the robot "disregard" was one of the most pilot-esque things Greg has ever done in a video.
Eminently fascinating..from the valve design history to Reno air race performances to the hotel review..also loved the.."meanwhile over in Japan" then you stopped yourself.. Greg never stop yourself..we love when you go off on tangents. it always leads to something fascinating. Well done by sir. Safe travels wherever you may be.
I was feeling down tonight until I saw this. Thanks Greg, your video and timing were perfect. Always take your time as your video work is one of love and experience. We are just happy that you do these (so well) and that you feel good doing them, so you will not lose the desire to do more of them!
Hi Vlad, I hope your day picks up a bit. Enjoy the video.
Thank you Gregg, a great Video on an aircraft that's always been a personal favorite of mine, together with the 'Tiffy' and Tempest.
The Bristol aero company was indeed a great aircraft manufacturing company, not only because the made some noteworthy aircraft (The Beaufighter being my favorite 'Bristol' designed and built wartime aircraft) So, not only did they design and build these airplanes but also designed and built their own Aero engines!
Even later in it's history, As Bristol Siddeley, it was instrumental in developing the Bristol Siddeley 'Pegasus' of Harrier fame, Yes it was later the Rolls Royce Pegasus but it started life as a Bristol Siddeley, As a company, it had a lot of input in the design and manufacture of Concorde's engine. That being a joint venture of France's Snecma and Bristol Siddeley, Concorde's engine was a development of the Bristol Siddeley Olympus 22R engine.
It should be noted that another famous British Aircraft designer also Built aircraft and engines too, that being the Dehavilland company.
Although I may be Welsh. I am still Proud of the 'English' Bristol aero company, particularly as Bristol it's self is only a 30 minute drive from my home town of Cwmbran.
Bristol, a historical city noted for its aero company but also the home of lots of examples of one of the worlds greatest engineers being Isambard Brunnel! If you ever visit Bristol, a trip to the worlds first Iron Hulled transatlantic passenger ship that had a primitive Propeller as well as sails is a must! As is a trip over the Clifton Suspension bridge...All Brunel's work...he was arguably the Brits greatest all round Engineer!
Apologies for the digression!
Cymru am byth!
A terrific piece of work. The Sea Fury has always been one of my favourite late piston engined fighters, and this video is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive, if not the most comprehensive, reviews of the type I have seen. Superb work, thank you.
One of the most technically fascinating TH-cam videos I have ever watched!
Wow, thank you.
As a lifelong Bearcat/R-2800 fan, you have definitely opened my eyes to the superb qualities of the Sea Fury/Centaurus combo!
Eagerly awaiting your next production.
I feel fortunate to have seen Mr. Getchell's #105 Sea Fury at Oshkosh 2000
Got to see the engine,and hear the unique sound of the Bristol Centaurus,
buzzing the airfield.also got to see and hear Super Corsair 57,and the 4360.
Wow, that must have been really cool.
Warbirds International Sept/Oct 2002 Volume 21 #5
has a great article on 105,and an interview with the owner.
I think all these videos have just shown me how much of a beast the 47 was.
Great to hear from the sleeve valve world! The Napier Sabre was the pinnacle of the type - on paper and on the bench. Too many problems related to materials and manufacturing tech to be considered a complete success in the field though.Such a pity. What an angry and powerful beast it was!
Finally after two years Fury 45 (me) got the video, thank you so much greg.
For me, a great British Aircraft enthusiast, it's an absolute blessing from the Lord!!!
Thank you greg!!
When I was at engineering school there was a copy of Ricardo's book (High-speed IC engine) in the library. I read it cover to cover, it was fascinating.
By the way, so was this video, I never expected it to digress into the history of car engine development but I'm pleased it did.
But the entire 80-minute video just kept me watching (and listening). I thought I'd just dip into it for ten minutes but it kept me glued to my computer for the full 80 minutes. Well done!
I love these. When I was a kid in the 1970’s we had a wine grape farm at Cloverdale, Ca., northern Sonoma county, in the Alexander valley. Across the Russian river from our property was a municipal air strip. One day a Sea Fury buzzed the strip over and over again, along the length of the valley. The sound! I later described it as “a hundred Harley’s at full throttle”. It was love at first sight/ sound!
Watching the sea fury fly in Reno is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The sound is astounding. The reason the more successful mustangs are not competing now and winning still is because of the insurance costs rising as the planes become more and more valuable. Its becoming less ok to risk them
I love the special sound of Greg's voice. Could listen to these vids happily for hours 🙂
Thanks for this great video. I love the Sea Fury. I've just ordered the Airfix 1/48 kit and I'm going to finish it in the red G-FURY colours which I remember seeing in the early 80's. The sleeve valve Centaurus is complex and prone to failure so the RN Historic Flight in the UK is reengining their Sea Fury with a PW R2800! Also, I always wondered how fast Dreadnought would go if it had a single bubble canopy!
That last generation of piston engined fighters were all pretty impressive.
Best of the few I have read so far. I'm not a pilot or engineer but even I can follow most explanations.
Thanks for sharing your research and for your ability to visually and orally communicate your expertise.
🙈🙉🙊 😎 🇺🇸
This is just brilliant! Royal Canadian Navy flew these as well.
You just made my day a lot brighter; I love this video series of yours!
It's nice to go to sleep on a Sunday evening, knowing there is a video as interesting as this waiting for me when I finished work tomorrow.
EDIT: Your video did not disappoint, it's great to learn about perhaps the best "late" piston engine fighter. I can hardly wait for another entry to the Superprop series.
I remember going to the North Weald airshow in the 70's. I used to cycle there, the excitement seeing the Sea fury fly over my head as I got near to the airfield gave me a huge buzz
My dad and Grandfather had 2 Hawker Sea Fury's until July 19, 1989 when one of the Sea Fury's was lost in a hanger fire at Rockford, Airport Rockford, IL. It was a sad day because not only did we lose a Hawker Sea Fury but we also lost a Piper Warrior, Mooney M20C and a Stinson Gullwing
I have never watched a more detailed and interesting video about my favourite plane. And you have so many more videos for me to look forward to too 🙂
That's some high praise. Thanks.
The Argyll Motor Works became the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory in the late '30's. I served an apprenticeship there between 1966 - 1970. Our torpedoes worked well , ask anyone who was aboard the Argentine cruiser "General Belgrano" in 1982/
Wow, someone who actually worked there! I'm sure whatever problems they had were sorted out before you got there in 1966. Presumably if there was a problem in 1914 they would have worked it out by then.
The Reno air races are truly astonishing to watch. As you say, the WWII planes are right there, and nothing demonstrates the amazing level of development of the era, but also the degree of fettleing still available to those old engines.
What a time to be alive. It seems like every five minutes someone was inventing something new and revolutionary just because something was bothering them.
40:07 No objections if you ever get a notion to do a video about the Lysander. Very cool plane.
Greg, thanks for all the wonderful videos. They are by far the most informative ones I’ve come across. I’ve especially enjoyed the super prop series, and on that note, I hope you will consider doing one on the F7F Tigercat. I think it meets the criteria. It was a very high performance fighter for it’s time, and it just so happens that my grandfather was assigned to a Tigercat squadron right at the end of WW2 and for a few years after. I’d love to hear your technical analysis of this plane.
The Tigercat is one of the U.S. Navy superprops I want to cover.
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles Excellent, I’m very much looking forward to that.
@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles is the De Havilland Hornet planned as well Greg?
Is the A-26 a superprop?
It is spelled that way “ Centaurus”
My first encounter with a Hawker Sea fury, was at the Newark Air Show at Newark Air Museum, in Nottinghamshire in the UK, that was in the mid '70s before there were any real rules regarding crowd safety. Aircraft dived towards & (just) over the crowd line at wig ruffling height in a full speed simulated attack run - and I can tell you that the most impressive prop A/C I ever saw was the Hawker Sea-Fury. It just screamed power! And those were the days when you would still se EE/BAC Lightnings and Vulcan bombers doing their stuff, so a "mere" prop aircraft had to be impressive to stand out.
Love how in depth this was back into the history of sleeve valves, not just the aircraft itself
If I was a combat pilot at the time, I would really really like being armored against 20 mm shoots from behind, I imagine it would influence every single combat maneuver I would make.
Greg’s videos are always fascinating. They really are in a class by themselves.
Highly knowledgeable and experienced with great humor: “… not on the ragged edge of blowing up.” Great stuff.
About 20 years ago, our winery had a series of aerial photos done of our vineyards. Our manager was tasked with taking more and he and I went to a small private airstrip near Ione CA to speak to the photo company. We walked into the hanger and right there in front of me was Dreadnought! There was also a pristine two seat Tigercat and a couple of other warbirds that I don't remember. Being able to see, smell and touch the famous racer was really an experience. I did attend the Reno Air Races (and the Mojave back in the day) several times. I think the coolest airplane I saw was "Precious Metal" a modified P51 with the Griffon and contra props from a Shackleton. Watching the props turn is very hypnotic. I think it placed 3rd in a race where Rare Bear did win. Dave
Excellent profile of the plane. Brings back memories of building the old 1/72nd scale Frog Sea Fury FB.11 as a kid. The "10" is the F Mk10 which was a pure fighter and only 50 were built. The FB Mk11 was a fighter-bomber of which 615 were built, it was slightly heavier because of the hard points in the wings.
Giving the Sea Fury a full appreciation and some awesome depth of analysis. Thank you.
My grandfather flew a Sea Fury in Germany in the 60s. The very first picture of of the orange one is identical to the one he flew. Germany had some Sea Furys for target tugging....and they were painted bright orange
The "Well, that's all for now" ALWAYS sneaks up on me. I'm always left wanting more, thanks Greg!
Great analysis of a great airplane and engine. Being an aeronautical engineer and a Sea Fury/Bristol Engine fan, I enjoyed this video even more than the average viewer. This video finally tipped me over into becoming a Patreon. Thanks for all your hard work.
Interesting video, thank you. Eric Winkle Brown spoke highly of both the Bearcat and the Fury, assessing them as the pinnacle of this sort of machine.
He was also the first to land a jet on a carrier.
hi Barry Eric winkle Brown richly deserved a knighthood but the establishment favour=“ bent “ musicians grrrr
Thank you for this outstanding piece. I had long been fascinated by this plane and first saw one in the flesh at Mason City, IA where I stopped for fuel enroute to Oshkosh in the summer of ‘79. The Sea Fury had the same destination. I was taken by its’ size and elegance. I stood nearby on the ramp to hear the startup. Having had lots of exposure to 2800’s and 3350’s, I was stunned by its’ relative silence. The Bentley of fighters. Somehow, we both ended up in the same approach group at Oshkosh and landed in sequence.
Happy you included the vignette of Dreadnaught.
This is normally not my kind of topic, yet I consumed it in one sitting, his voice helps, his logic helps and clearly there is some formidable depth to the discussion. I thought when over what a shame there was no recording of that incredible engine at full bore passing by at speed as you mentioned. Thanks very interesting.
Just an outstanding presentation Greg. The production was in-depth, nicely comparable to similar types, easily understandable in the technical break down and fun. It almost made me feel if I was living back then weighing the pluses, minuses, and over all criteria needed to have my project come out on top for said task. One of my favorites WW2 single engine is the Hawker Sea Fury as will as another you touched on in a video the IAR WW2 fighter. RIP to Sherman Smoot flying his YAK 11 air racer after some mods made. I watched Bloncolirio channel as well as other getting updated about it,,, That aircraft wasn't anything like you touched on here as far as "off the showroom" condition or non-modified or even a tiny bit so,,,, It was on the edge of the envelope,,, with all due respect.
Great video Greg! I was looking forward to this one as a big fan of the Sea Fury but I learned a lot about sleeve valve engines in the process.
Thanks, the sleeve-valve engine is a big part of the Sea Fury, and a big part of British piston engine development from the era.
Excellent excellent video. Thanks so much! The Sea Fury is one of my favourite aircraft. Learning about the engine and sleeve valve technology was really interesting. There was a local example - WJ232 with the Bristol Centaurus engine here in Auckland, New Zealand. I remember watching it perform at local airshows growing up. An absolute beast, but still so graceful. Being not far from the local aerodrome I would run outside like a madman anytime I heard it in the sky. I also had a postcard picture of it on the wall. My second favourite sounding piston engined aircraft after the merlin.
There was a airshow here in Tasmania about 1993. It featured a demonstration race between a Sea Fury and a Hawker Hunter. The sound of the Fury was tremendous. Bob Hoover's loops with one engine out was also a highlight.
Excellent article, and well worth waiting for. A good opportunity for a hearty Hurrah, and hand salute - to the owners, crews, and aircraft that carry on the Marque at Reno: Dreadnought, Argonaut, Critical Mass, Furias, September Fury, Sawbones, 924, and any others I may have missed. Tally Ho!
I think the idea behind not putting sprint tabs on the elevator is to prevent Over-G. At higher speeds, you can't use your full range of stick deflection anyways, so the increased force needed to move the stick is not a problem.
Maybe, but consider this: Douglas used a similar system on the elevators of the DC-9, yet had a backup system to force the elevator down at very low speeds because in a stall there wasn't enough air over the tab to get the force needed on the elevator.
Like the prototype a6m, had servo tabs but they had to be deleted to stop the pilots overstressing the airframe, im not sure if that means by shock loading the structure pulling into a maneuver too quickly or if its just pulling more g's than allowed overall
Elevators don't have spring tabs because they aren't needed in aircraft with reversible flight controls (meaning the air loads on the control surface work their way back to the pilot's controls). Deflecting a control surface requires more control force at higher speeds but the effectiveness of a given deflection is greater at those higher speeds. In the case of g control, the two effects cancel out and it naturally ends up with a constant stick per per G. Adding a spring tab would ruin that natural effect and make the aircraft susceptible to over g.
This is not the case for rudders or ailerons because the pilot is commanding roll or yaw RATE which has a different relation than commanding g. If for some reason a pilot wanted a constant relation between stick force and pitch RATE, then elevator spring tabs would provide the solution - but again it would be sensitive to over-g.
Love your work. I was intrigued that in enumerating the advantages of the sleeve valve engine, you didn't mention (unless I missed it) the reduction in frontal area derived from not carrying overhead valve gear. Perhaps I have been misled, but I had understood the reduction in drag conferred a significant aerodynamic advantage over a poppet-valve radial of otherwise comparable specs.
I love sticking around to the end of your videos, Greg, for insightful commentary such as the apparent utility of that robot greeter. Just like an Avengers movie mid-credit scene. The popcorn buttering tip was big hit as well! Love the Easter eggs alongside the great analysis and history lessons! Now all you need to do is add a bit more drama... like the long dramatic pause at the end of Abbey Road... The End. SILENCE... and then... Her Majesty. Priceless.
Keep doing what you're doing and we'll watch right until the end!
Thanks for another interesting and informative video Greg, great to have the bonus explanation of sleeve valve engines too -and very well presented as always.
Thanks for a very thorough explanation of a favorite plane of mine. The British equivalent of the FW 190
Greg, your aviation history channel is hands down the best on TH-cam. In my opinion, you and Drachnifel provide the best perspectives and information to the masses on 20th century military history and technology.
Great coverage....My friend grew up with Rick Brickert who brought the 1st Reno victory to the Sea Fury and we attended the 83 Air Races...It was a great time. Sad about Rick....He was flying the Pond Racer which is a twin engined experimental air racer and it suffered a catastrophic event....RIP Rick you were one of the best @ Reno👍
That was preposterously interesting! And that's why I'm a Patron. Awesome work mate. So well explained. I learned heaps! Harry Riccardo was a genius.
Good video! Looking forward to hearing about the Super Corsair, and hopefully, the F7F Tigercat.
Fantastic video, I was lucky enough a few years ago to live near RNAS Yeovilton and would occasionally see the Navy’s historic flight practicing for airshows, very occasionally I would see their Swordfish and on special days I would see their Centaurus powered Sea Fury, wonderful to see, alas since then they have had a few mishaps with their sea fury’s, their flying days are probably over. Fantastic aircraft.
One of these woke me up when I was sleeping in the coach during an air display. I was an Air Cadet. M
Another absolutely stupendous video! Many thanks for all your efforts.
I think the most common engine swap in an unlimited racing Sea Fury is the Wright R-3350 - I can think of about 6 examples off the top of my head. I think Dreadnought might be the only R-4360 conversion - which, I agree, is monstrously impressive!
Somewhat fitting that Dreadnought is the result of mating a British airframe with a US engine, when many of her competitors (P51s) are US airframes with a British engine.
The R-3350 is BY FAR the most common engine used, not just for racing but in restored Sea Furies in general. The fastest Sea Fury to ever run at Reno (faster even then the 4360 powered "Dreadnaught") was Mike Brown's "September Fury" which was 3350 powered and won the gold championship in 2006. There is a second 4360 powered Sea Fury named "Furias" but it has not been a particularly regular participant and was wrecked pretty badly in 2012 and has not been repaired.
Actually came to the comments to bring up the 3350 conversion - first done in 1988, I believe; well before and far more common than the 2800 conversion (though the 2800 seems to be more similar in size and power to the Centaurus)...
@@js14a actually an improved American built version
Rebuilt a Tempest MK2 a few Years ago, Unfortunately its not finished yet! Great to see such an interesting video. Thanks Greg.
Thank you for the description of sleeve valve. Having risen 2 stroke trials bikes until I got too old(I'm 80), I wasn't sure how they worked on a 4 stroke engine. Very informative video, as always.
I really like this super prop series thanks
Not just similar looking wing platforms but very similar looking main landing gear doors!
Good point.
The wing on the Fury was basically the wing straight off the Tempest without the Centre Section, so not surprising.
The amount of technology put it in a prop plane, specially the last super props, is amazing, there are so many systems and mechanisms , designed to work with such a precision, really, astonishing
Hey Greg. Thanks. I asked for this plane a while ago and you responded to my comment telling me it was coming. Now I am going to sit down and have a great time listening.
Excellent video !
Greg, great work, as usual!
I can't imagine amount of research work behind your videos. Please, don't cut them, I hope someday you will upload full versions
Johan, I appreciate your kind words.
Greg. Really enjoyed this episode. That is mainly because about twenty years ago, I had the privilege of seeing an originally powered model Sea Fury in person at a local air show. I'm gonna back up a bit to qualify my remarks. I'm nearly 70, and I don't think I even knew America had another fighter besides the P-51 until I was 8 yo. To me, the Merlins, as used in the Mustang were more beautiful than music. I can remember running, I mean literally shaggin ass to get a view of one I had simply heard in the distance. Plane that won the war, Mustang. Greatest heroes of all time, Mustang pilots. The kid in the film 'Empire of The Sun, was me. And even though as I matured, I learned many of my beliefs were a bit unfair to other types of aircraft, pilots, their contribution to, and impact on the war effort, I still found the sound of The Merlin orgasmic. That was until I heard an originally powered Sea Fury. In one pass, I was changed. STG man, epiphany. You mentioned so many of the same particular traits that profoundly altered my opinions, that I experienced at that show. It seemed to engage in aerobatics effortlessly, with the sound profile so low. The pilot, and I learned later, the builder of the motor, was from San Jose. He finished his routine and I headed straight for his parking spot. The crowd gathered as he started to open the cowling, and I commented to him how it opened up just like the FW-190. CLICK! He said it sure did, and told me to open the next panel myself. From then on, I hung on his every word as he described the history of the type and how many of its features were indeed taken from captured FW-190s. Like being a kid again, chatting with Lefty Gardner on the wing of White Lightning. Thanks much for prodding my memories of that event.
Put quite simply Greg, It is without a doubt, your considered conclusions, which put you a full mark above other commentators in super prop performance characteristics.
Great work Greg. Very educational!
Thanks buddy. Looks like I'm off work for a while. I'll shoot you a whatsapp text.
I saw a sea fury fly when I was a kid and it was awe inspiring
It says something about the quality you deliver, that the number of comments increased from 5 to 40 during the time I'm watching it, and probably more while I'm writing this 😁 keep up the fantastic work
Harry Ricardo’s great-great uncle was economist David Ricardo (1772-1823), best known for his Theory of Comparative Advantage.
I was anxiously waiting for this!😌 also one of the most beautiful piston fighters imho.
Sleeve valve engines hold a special place in my heart, I must admit. And as we can see from this, (and so many additional examples) there is nothing new under the sun in engine technology. The Peugeot 505 was the last engine I am aware of available in Australia, with a sleeve valve engine. From memory, it was notable for its reliability at the time.
Great video as always!... i saw this amazing warbird live in action this year in Czech Republic Memorial Air Show in Roudnice nad labem, it was quite impressive in flight, great engine noise etc.