The UK historic aviation scene is lucky to benefit from a diverse and growing collection of magnificent aircraft, a number of which are maintained in flying condition. Some of the most enigmatic aircraft are those which were operated from the decks of ships, both during and after World War II. Fleet Air Arm aircraft just seem to be that little bit more interesting that other aircraft and they always cause a stir when they appear at Airshow events all over the country. I don’t know if it is the attractive colours often used on this type of aircraft, or if it is just the fact that they seem to be that little bit more challenging to operate, naval aviation enjoys great support from the Airshow attending public and they are always a popular addition to any display programme. Dedicated to preserving and displaying aircraft which served with the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Naval Historic Flight has a unique place in the world of historic aviation and they have some very interesting aircraft under their stewardship. With their WWII Swordfish, Korean War Sea Fury, or Cold War Sea Vixen, the RNHF have some of the most interesting aircraft in the world at their hands. They also have one of the prettiest jet aircraft to ever enter service, within their collection and even though it is currently not on the display circuit, is the only flying example of the type in the world – the beautiful Armstrong Whitworth/Hawker Sea Hawk.
RNHF Sea Hawk – A machine of real beauty
The early years of jet aviation is littered with classic aircraft designs, as engineers learned about the effect of increasing speed on pilots and airframes and then adapted their designs accordingly. These early aircraft were very sleek indeed, as they tried to make the designs as aerodynamic as possible and as a result, yielding some stunningly beautiful aeroplanes. I don’t think that many people would disagree with me, if I said that right at the head of this group of attractive jet designs was the Hawker Sea Hawk – surely one of the most aesthetically pleasing jet aircraft to ever take to the skies. Our header image this week, shows the grace and genuine design beauty of the Sea Hawk, as she basks in the September sunshine at Leuchars Airshow 2009, which I believe was the last time that I was lucky enough to see the aircraft fly. It did appear at the 2010 show, but a technical issue kept it well and truly on the ground for the duration of the show, which is something that has blighted the operation of this handsome aeroplane, over the years.
The Hawker Sea Hawk has the distinction of being the first jet aircraft to come from the famous Hawker company and incorporated many of the design features from their successful piston engined aircraft. A very beautiful aeroplane, I always think that it reminds me of a swift (bird), which I don’t suppose is a bad starting point for a jet fighter – you can certainly see what I am talking about in the two pictures above. Despite its dashing good looks, the Sea Hawk was a very rugged and reliable aircraft, which was to act as something of a design test bed for one of the most successful jet aircraft ever produced by the British aviation industry – the Hawker Hunter. I am often asked by collectors if it is Hawker, or Armstrong Whitworth, as far as the Sea Hawk is concerned and the answer is BOTH! The aircraft began very much as a Hawker aircraft, but due to the success of the Hawker Hunter design and it being placed on ‘Super Priority’ status for the RAF, much of the construction of the Sea Hawk was carried out by their sister company Armstrong Whitworth.
Unlike many jet aircraft, the Sea Hawk was to see operational action, during the Suez Crisis, where it was to prove invaluable. As RAF aircraft were not able to provide support from their bases in Cyprus, the Sea Hawk of the Royal Navy was the main ground support delivery asset available to British forces. They pressed home their attack runs, often in the face of heavy defensive fire, against Egyptian shore targets, with De Havilland Sea Venom fighters providing cover above. The Sea Hawk proved to be a reliable and stable weapons delivery platform, even though they did not have the ability to carry particularly heavy weapons loads. This was to prove to be the high point of Sea Hawk service, as the much larger Supermarine Scimitar was just about to enter service, which saw many Sea Hawks relegated to second line duties, or sold to overseas air forces.
Sea Hawk FGA.6 WV908
Obviously, operating a classic jet of this era is not without its problems. The RNHF need the continued support of as many people as possible, because this is a very difficult aircraft to maintain and operate, with much of the equipment and technology coming from a much earlier era of aviation. Indeed, enthusiasts can count themselves extremely fortunate if they have managed to experience a Sea Hawk display at an Airshow, as there have been many problems with WV908 over the years. Indeed, the last picture in used in this feature was taken at the 2010 Leuchars Airshow, where she was towed to the static park and remained there for the duration of the show. This particular Sea Hawk was built a the Baginton factory, Coventry in 1954 and entered service with the Fleet Air Arm the following year. She initially served with no.807 NAS, before moving on to 898 NAS, embarked on HMS Ark Royal and Bulwark, before coming ashore at RNAS Brawdy. After conversion to FGA.6 standard, she saw service with No.806 ‘Ace of Diamonds’ NAS, until 1960, when she was withdrawn to secondary line duties, at Lossiemouth. She was to begin a new chapter in her life in 1976, when she was chosen as the airframe for potential restoration to flying condition, by a team of engineers, from RNAS Culdrose (which is known as HMS Seahawk). This was intended to commemorate the history of the squadron, so WV908 was transferred by road to Cornwall, where a concerted effort to return her to flying condition was undertaken.
Perhaps the most significant date in the history of Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk WV908 occurred on 23rd May, 1978, when the aircraft took to the skies once more, following her restoration and for the first time since 1962. Obviously, she was in great demand by Airshow organisers and she was to be seen regularly over the coming couple of years. By 1982, the aircraft was transferred to RNAS Yeovilton and the Royal Naval Historic Flight, where she was given the beautiful 806 NAS ‘Ace of Diamonds’ scheme that she still wears to this date. The RNHF continue to have problems with this incredibly rare aeroplane and I am not sure when I will be able to enjoy seeing it fly again – hopefully in the not too distant future. It remains as one of the most important historic jet aircraft we have in the UK, so if you see the RNHF sales trailer at this years Airshow’s, drop a couple of pounds in their bucket, as they need all the support that they can get in preserving these magnificent aircraft for our enjoyment. I will end this feature with this picture of the Sea Hawk at Leuchars Airshow 2010, where she continued to look spectacular, but stayed very much on the ground.
The Sea Hawk for the die-cast collector – Our latest Offer of the Week
For many years, the thought of a die-cast example of the Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk was simply a pipe dream, as this beautiful aircraft seemed to be way off the radar of the major manufacturing companies. Fortunately, over the past couple of years, the Aviation 72 brand has entered the fray with a large number of aircraft tooling’s, most of which have not previously been covered. Thankfully, within this impressive portfolio of models is an example of the Sea Hawk and I have to say that the die-cast version is every bit as beautiful as the real thing. Featuring a very high metal content and excellent levels of detail and finish, this is a very impressive model indeed and has proved extremely popular with the collector. Importantly, they have brought us an example of the very same aircraft we featured earlier in our Newsletter, which is definitely one of the most significant aircraft on the UK historic aviation scene and has been heavily collected by UK enthusiasts. A certificated, limited edition release of just 1008 models, this is a sell out release and the last few models that we have in stock are being made available at a significant discount, as part of our latest OFFER OF THE WEEK. Indeed, as we are heading towards our last few weeks of trading, we are offering all our remaining Aviation 72 models as part of our latest Offer of the week and as numbers are extremely tight on all these models, you will have to act quickly to secure these bargains. Let’s take a look at some of the fantastic models we have available:
Deal of the Day review
We end our latest Newsletter in the time honoured manner, with a review of the models we have offered over the past few days as part of our Deal of the Day feature. We began the week by featuring a pair of UK Museum favourites, in the form of IWM Duxford’s beautiful Strikemaster and RAF Museum Hendon’s Hawker Tempest, both of which appear in the now defunct Skymax range of models. We followed that up with four 1/200th scale models, including the magnificent Hobbymaster Lockheed Constellation – two of these models sold out straight away and we just have a couple of examples of the other two models remaining.
Our midweek deal took the form of a Witty Sky Guardian special and I have to say that we were absolutely swamped with orders. Featuring such beauties as the new Luftwaffe Typhoon in 1/72nd scale, these models have seen a large number of sell outs and very few models still remain – grab one of our last remaining Typhoon’s at the bargain price of £30.00. Our last deal of the week saw us offer the magnificent McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet from Hobbymaster – these really are down to the last few examples, with at least two of the models down to the very last one. To see what we still have available, please click on this Deal of the Day link for more details.
That’s me done for another week – just another two hours to post the Newsletter and update the website, then its home to see if the dog has eaten my dinner again! Thank you very much for reading our latest Newsletter, which we hope you find interesting.