Bob, there are no stars on the flag, which looks like the Blue Ensign. Perhaps the pilot/owner is Royal Navy Retired, or Royal Navy Reserve, who are allowed to use the flag, I believe.
G-CBEL was built by Hawkers at Langley as one of the Baghdad Furies delivered in 1953 with serial 315. It probably remained in service until the early 1960s, when it was stored along with a number of other airframes. By the 1980s a number of Sea Furies had found their way into the hands of racing pilots in the United States, due to their high speed.
A number were discovered in Iraq, including 315, being shipped to the States for overhaul, where 315 emerged with smart Royal Navy colours and registration N36SF. Acquired by John Bradshaw in the summer of 1990, it was shipped by sea to Southampton, being flown again in September. Immaculately maintained, the fighter only undertook limited flying work over the next few years.
Regulations meant that it could not remain on the American aircraft register, and so in August 2001 it was placed on the British civil register as G-CBEL.
The colour scheme represents the various navies that operated Sea Furies - Britain, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands - but it remains a Fury, i.e. without wing folding actuation or a tail hook.
We are a non commercial community interested only in the discussion of all things military.
We do not sell or authorise the use of images hosted on our servers, if you wish to purchase or use imagery contact the uploader directly.(you will need to register). Any requests received to purchase or use imagery will be ignored. Thank you and welcome to MI.Net
You have been here as a guest for a while, I guess we are doing something right?
Register as a member and join in the discussions, its completely free and we would welcome your contributions.
All the best admin - MI.Net
We value your privacy
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.