Having received its Permit to Test from the Civil Aviation Authority on May 29, Hawker Sea Fury T.20 VX281 (G-RNHF) of the Royal Navy Historic Flight made its first post-rebuild air-test from North Weald, Essex, two days later. At the controls was RNHF General Manager, John Beattie - his first 'sortie' in a Sea Fury since the loss of T.20 WG655 in July 1990. The short 'shake-down' flight of the local area went to plan, and the only 'snags' found were an oil leak and radio problem. Unfortunately, an engine fault manifested itself during a subsequent ground-run on June 4. Investigations are still underway in order to identify the problem, which could keep the Sea Fury on the ground for a while. Once the defect has been rectified, it is planned to re-position VX281 to its new home at Yeovilton, Somerset, where it will receive its new colours.
展开▼
