Sea Fury VR930 will fly again
Discussion
https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/sea-fury-vr9...
But due to the Navy Historic Flight losing Sea Furies on a fairly regular basis when they have got one flying due to Centaurus engine failures they are going to do an engine swap and it will be returned to flight with a Pratt and Whitney R2800.
But due to the Navy Historic Flight losing Sea Furies on a fairly regular basis when they have got one flying due to Centaurus engine failures they are going to do an engine swap and it will be returned to flight with a Pratt and Whitney R2800.
Mark V GTD said:
Same type of engine that was involved in the last Sea Fury accident.
This one? It was a Centaurus - https://www.key.aero/article/investigators-find-ca...FourWheelDrift said:
Mark V GTD said:
Same type of engine that was involved in the last Sea Fury accident.
This one? It was a Centaurus - https://www.key.aero/article/investigators-find-ca...Saw the news last week on this.
Does anyone know the performance differences between the Bristol and the P&W?
FourWheelDrift said:
This one? It was a Centaurus - https://www.key.aero/article/investigators-find-ca...
No that was the previous one. I mean this one later in 2021:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshi...
FourWheelDrift said:
Mark V GTD said:
Same type of engine that was involved in the last Sea Fury accident.
This one? It was a Centaurus - https://www.key.aero/article/investigators-find-ca...https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation...
The Fighter Collection operated the T.20 known as WG655 (although it had been written off before and has a lot of bits from other Sea Furies used in the rebuild) with the Centaurus engine successfully, but for whatever reason became worried about the reliability. They ended up being sold a retrofit P&W R2800 kit by Sanders in the USA and fitted that before the aircraft was sold. Relatively few flying hours (86 in the air plus some unrecorded ground running) after the conversion, the R2800 failed catastrophically shortly after departure from Duxford, seized, and WG655 / G-INVN was seriously damaged (i.e. broken into numerous sections) in the subsequent forced landing.
Eskil Amdal did a very good job putting that thing down in such a manner than both he and his passenger not only survived but more or less walked away from it.
The report surmises oil contamination as triggering the rear master connecting rod bearing failure which led to engine seizure, but is at a loss as to how the oil may have become contaminated enough to block up the oil coolers with metallic particles. Carefully venturing myself into the realms of guessing, it seems to me that something else in this R2800 was breaking up first since metallic particles don't come from nowhere. The report shows lots of piston damage - more than I'd normally expect to find caused by a conrod knocking at the big end. The R2800 enjoys a reputation for near-indestructability like many American machines - one which I personally have often wondered if is fully deserved. There are countless tertiary references to R2800s running happily with missing cylinders, but I can only recall personally seeing a single first hand account of this and he didn't say how long it lasted running like that, only that he was able to return to base. I have however seen examples of R2800s give trouble like any other engine is prone to
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQP0Q3BJQuQ[url]
A-26 engine failure on takeoff filmed in 1993
P-47 involved in fatal ditching into Hudson river following engine failure
I'm not for a moment suggesting the R2800 is a bad engine, just that I feel its reputation for being more robust than everything else is possibly exaggerated. Navy Wings / RNHF has suffered more incidents than e.g. the BBMF has, particularly where higher performance and more complex types are involved. They're asking on Facebook even today if their followers have any Rolls Royce Griffon literature which might help them overhaul their Seafire engine. To be blunt, that concerns me. Sure, it's not my money, but I think their Sea Fury crashes and the write-off of the Sea Vixen is more a maintenance and technical competence (specific subject matter expertise on type technical competence, not the suggestion that the volunteers are some kind of bumbling idiots) issue more than it is a matter of engine choice. There are plenty airworthy Griffons which have proven to be very reliable and there are plenty people who understand the Griffon and how to work on it. It should be them that Navy Wings contacts for help, not Facebook followers.
That said, it will be undoubtedly easier to source spares for the R2800 since production numbers were so high, so there is that.
Incidently the wreckage of G-INVN is up for sale presently:
https://www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com/sea-fur...
Some interesting points raised there, but from my recollection the Sea Fury had recently returned from maintenence elsewhere - the work was not carried out by Navy Wings. (Unless I am mis-remembering! 
)
The Sea Vixen suffered a shaft failure in the primary hydraulic pump, and as far as I know they never got to the bottom as to why the secondary pump wasn't able to give adequate pressure.
Given the ongoing challenges they face due to lack of information availability/sharing from the old incumbent manufacturers and suppliers I think Navy Wings are doing a pretty good job.
)The Sea Vixen suffered a shaft failure in the primary hydraulic pump, and as far as I know they never got to the bottom as to why the secondary pump wasn't able to give adequate pressure.
Given the ongoing challenges they face due to lack of information availability/sharing from the old incumbent manufacturers and suppliers I think Navy Wings are doing a pretty good job.
jamieduff1981 said:
…..
Navy Wings / RNHF has suffered more incidents than e.g. the BBMF has, particularly where higher performance and more complex types are involved. They're asking on Facebook even today if their followers have any Rolls Royce Griffon literature which might help them overhaul their Seafire engine. To be blunt, that concerns me. Sure, it's not my money, but I think their Sea Fury crashes and the write-off of the Sea Vixen is more a maintenance and technical competence (specific subject matter expertise on type technical competence, not the suggestion that the volunteers are some kind of bumbling idiots) issue more than it is a matter of engine choice. There are plenty airworthy Griffons which have proven to be very reliable and there are plenty people who understand the Griffon and how to work on it. It should be them that Navy Wings contacts for help, not Facebook followers.
Allegedly the Griffon in the Navy Wings mark of Seafire is significantly different to that used elsewhere. And it is documentation specific to type that they are trying to source. But I am sure you will have seen that comment on the FB thread.Navy Wings / RNHF has suffered more incidents than e.g. the BBMF has, particularly where higher performance and more complex types are involved. They're asking on Facebook even today if their followers have any Rolls Royce Griffon literature which might help them overhaul their Seafire engine. To be blunt, that concerns me. Sure, it's not my money, but I think their Sea Fury crashes and the write-off of the Sea Vixen is more a maintenance and technical competence (specific subject matter expertise on type technical competence, not the suggestion that the volunteers are some kind of bumbling idiots) issue more than it is a matter of engine choice. There are plenty airworthy Griffons which have proven to be very reliable and there are plenty people who understand the Griffon and how to work on it. It should be them that Navy Wings contacts for help, not Facebook followers.
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