FS2004 Hawker Sea Fury FB11 G-Fury

By David Hanvey and Paul Barry. Airfile by Jerry Beckwith

Includes a new model. WJ244 was acquired by Spencer Flack in 1978. She was registered as G-Fury and was a UK airshow favourite until she crashed in August 1981. Aircraft has many moving parts and lights and smoke effects. 2D cockpit and virtual cockpit are also included.

HISTORY

As with many aircraft of the 1940s, the Hawker Sea Fury fighter-bomber design was the result of a British wartime design specification which called for certain performance levels to be met by the new aircraft. To meet Specification F.6/42, the Hawker design team began by modifying the Hawker Tempest into a smaller, lightweight version. By 1943, six prototypes had been ordered, five to be flown with three different engines, and one to be used as a test airframe.

The first flight of the new airplane (by now named the Fury) took place on 1 September 1944. Production contracts for the airplane had already been placed, with 200 land-based Furies to be delivered to the Royal Air Force, and another 200 carrier-based Sea Furies to be delivered to the Fleet Air Arm. (100 of the Sea Furies were to be built by Boulton Paul.) When the war ended, the RAF order was cancelled, but the design and development of the Sea Fury continued.

The first Sea Fury prototype, powered by a Bristol Centaurus XII, had first flown on 21 February 1945, but the first fully-navalized version with folding wings did not fly until 12 October 1947. The Boulton Paul contract was cancelled in early 1945, and of the 100 Sea Furies that remained on order, the first 50 were completed under the designation Sea Fury Mk X. In May 1948, the first Sea Furies became operational with No. 802 Squadron, in the form of the Sea Fury FB.Mk 11, of which 615 were built. At least 66 of these were delivered to Australia and Canada. Early in the Korean war, Sea Furies operated very successfully in the ground attack role from the decks of Royal Navy aircraft carriers. The RN also received 60 two-seat T.Mk 20 trainers in the early 1950s. Sea Furies were exported to several other countries, including the Netherlands, Pakistan, Egypt, Burma, Cuba and Iraq.

Today, the few remaining Sea Furies are highly prized, with at least ten having been modified for air racing. Several others are very active on the air show circuit.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: One 2,480-hp Bristol Centaurus 18, 18-cylinder radial piston engine.

Weight: Empty 9,240 lbs., Max Takeoff 12,500 lbs.

Wing Span: 38ft. 4.75in.

Length: 34ft. 8in.

Height: 15ft. 10.5in.

Performance:

Maximum Speed: 435 mph

Ceiling: 34,300 ft.

Range: 680 miles

Armament:

Four 20-mm cannon in wings

Underwing racks for eight 60-pound rockets or two bombs 

Number Built: 860 

Number Still Airworthy: ~15

COMMENT 

Nest to the Corsair, the Hawker Sea Fury is one of my favorite aircraft of the WWII era. The Folks involved in creating this aircraft did a fantastic job! The model is smooth and detailed, right down to some fine detail in the landing gear bay. The textures are as real as can be emulated in FS9. An outstanding VC and Instrument Panel top off the basics. The VC could use some moving parts, however the aircraft is full of moving features including folding wings and canopy. Flight dynamics feel right and include realistic torque steer. I am not familiar with the G-Fury except that it was an air show model. After viewing some photographs of the aircraft I was even more impressed at the authentic look of the file right down to colors. There are many notable features including a version with smoke pods, new smoke effects, ignition smoke, highly detailed model, and plenty of moving features. I highly recommend this file for any serious collector. The only thing that prevents this file from obtaining a perfect 10 rating is the lack of moving objects in the VC. Wonderful work!

My Rating 9/10

Review by: Jim Childs scroft1041@yahoo.com

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