Fairey Firefly 2012

A better version of the Fairey Firefly at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton taxiing and then folding its wings.

[@EnterpriseXI]

the folding wings on these carrier birds are just a beautiful piece of engineering

[@JT-cf7dq]

I was thinking the same thing. They must have built a couple of models?

[@m0ther_bra1ned12]

I'm amazed their able to do it at all and still have them be strong enough to fly in combat.

[@nosaltadded2530]

No one can say it better than that.

[@scootergeorge9576]

On the Grumman S2F. we could fold and unfold the wings with the engines a idle.

[@CAphotos]

Not as strange as the Fairey Gannet...

[@CAphotos]

"Fairey Firefly..." As a friend once said: "Now there's a name to instill fear in the hearts of the enemy."

[@StudeSteve62]

The CWH Firefly has not flown in some years now, but is nearing the end of some needed major work and should be active again next year...

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

Another Fairey aircraft, the Gannet, has a wing folding mechanism that is a work of art.

[@ExploringUndercover]

A section containing the flaps, of the Fairey Barracuda, folded as well as tinge main wing itself, so it could fit nicely. These carrier warbirds are like origami, they truly are works or art.

[@soultraveller5027]

A brilliant price of engineering the fairy Gannet indeed a work of art and now we have nothing to show in British aircraft company's all gone what went wrong

[@Sailfire1]

I thought it was going to take off! Instead, it folded its wings up over itself, gave itself a hug and went beddy byes.

[@gillesbignolas8431]

A few years ago and waiting for my delayed flight (in the heart of of a snowstorm) in Hamilton, I enjoyed a private visit of this fantastic museum. Our Canadian friends are doing a great job here, no question. And always eager to accomodate their foreign visitors... Thank you again!

[@iskandartaib]

There is one at the Royal Thai Air Force museum in Bangkok. They also have a Spitfire FR XIV with the bubble canopy. And you are allowed to touch them. 😁

[@rexhowells7015]

That will be great, looking forward to it. I grew up in Nowra Australia, and use to see these as a boy flying from the Navy base HMAS albatross

[@baselhammond3317]

Never heard a griffon idle as nicely as that

[@scootergeorge9576]

In my opinion the Wright R-1820 sounds better at idle. Like a Harley; potato, potato, potato...

[@baselhammond3317]

@@scootergeorge9576 these days I find it hard to choose between V12s and radials. I like the V12 at idle and radials at full power. Hard to pick really.

[@scootergeorge9576]

@@baselhammond3317 - At Idle, the 9 cylinder 1820 sounded great. Powered up, the 18 cylinder R-2800 was better. A high speed pass with a P-51D or other Merlin is the best.

[@leefithian3704]

Good fuel

[@K-Effect]

What an interesting aircraft, I can't believe I've never seen one!

[@Carlitosway211]

I thought it was a bad ass RC at first. Lol

[@bbutc]

Same here. I think it's to do with the height that the plane has been filmed from and the initial poor film framing i.e. if you scaled the scenario down about 5 times then it looks like it's being filmed from head height by an amateur at a R/C plane show event. Had me fooled until the flames shot out of the exhaust pipe. lol.

[@veng3r663]

Heh. Transformers ! More than meets the eyes..!! :D

[@Skiddins]

'So how do you fold the wings?' 'You pull the pin out' 'err, okayyyy'

[@pistonar]

Ok, we need this for naval service, so when the wings fold, it mustn't be wider than the propeller. Fairey designer: Hold my Guinness.

[@JohnyG29]

Why Guinness?

[@pistonar]

@@JohnyG29 Maybe PBR wasn't available.

[@bonesshed.]

Hhhhm. If I'm not mistaken, there is a tappet on 5 cylinder needs adjusting by a couple of thou. Seriously though, that is B E A utiful engineering and sounds awesome on tickover and at chat.

[@frederickgates4349]

Ouch almost forgotten about this beautiful lady

[@MrRunner]

This always makes me sad. I was in the last batch of Fairey Apprentices in the Hydraulics Div (1967). Great experience working on Concorde, Tornado, Jaguar and the Harrier to name but a few. I offered to work for the CWHM, but was told they were `full up'. Ah well.

[@sabot03196]

Well, their membership isn’t getting any younger. There might be openings now. They’re just finishing the Fairey refit.

[@MrRunner]

@@sabot03196 Neither am I, 70 next year. I have all the tools, equipment plus the mechanical and electrical skills to refit a plane. In addition I have 5 years on the Merlin Engine. Hate to sound elitist, but this is their loss.

[@sabot03196]

I hear you. It’s sad to see expertise lost. Time is a thief. My grandfather was with 626 at Wickenby on Lancaster Is and IIIs. He started as a boy entrant on the R101 and ended up on Wapiti’s in Iraq pre war. He didn’t start talking about his time in service until he was close to the end.

[@MrRunner]

@@sabot03196 My Uncle did 32 ops as a navigator in Lancs as a volunteer from Eire. According to my Dad, he was never the same afterwards. Wouldn't drive at night, or discuss his service. No children. I would have done it for his memory.

[@SvenTviking]

The governments of the 50’s 60’s & 70’s of whatever party, made the greatest efforts to destroy the British aviation industry and create one bloated incompetent company, BAE and only build aircraft with foreign partners. Result? Only now are they admitting that most of these planes are compromises, in reality not well suited to Britain’s needs. That’s why the audit commission told the government that we must build our own fighter, the Tempest.

[@paullanham1014]

I love the pop bang and shear horsepower of that big rolls up front!

[@alancox1444]

Sure, but for the grinding brutality of small deck Atlantic carrier work the old Swordfish was a hard act to follow and nothing else quite came up to scratch in WW2. It got you off, got you back and got you down relatively safely. Practiacally VTOAL. It was also extremely tough and serviceable. More pilots died in training than in combat and your own plane was far more likely to kill you than the enemy.

[@Colinpark]

Plus the first plane to carry radar...

[@papalegba6759]

yup my dad flew swordfish off an escort carrier in atlantic convoys. wouldn't hear a bad word about em. and you're right about the dangers, pilots got as much rum as they wanted but still loads of em lost their nerve & refused to fly. btw the grumman martlet had a similar reputation in the FAA for reliability & ease of flying, much loved aircraft.

[@fatdad64able]

Fulmar and Firefly. A navy fighter concept I never quite understood.

[@kerrynye3752]

I don't believe it likely the Firefly was promoted as a fighter aircraft. With radar and search light on wings, I'm guessing her meat was ASW. But, if one is engaged, one must "run what you brung!"

[@Mishn0]

The designation is FR Mk5, for "Fighter Reconnaissance". The Brits favored (favoured?) two seat carrier fighters for quite a while. See also the Fairey Fulmar. The US often used the Dauntless as a fighter when there weren't enough Wildcats around. In one fight, a Dauntless gunner almost killed Saburo Sakai while the SBDs were providing top cover for the carriers off Guadalcanal.

[@envitech02]

At first I thought it was an ultrarealistic RC model, till the pilot moved.

[@envitech02]

Amazing wing fold mechanism!! I think only the Grumman F6F Hellcat has a similar mechanism.

[@StudeSteve62]

Several Grumman types used what the company called "Sto-Wing" folding. It's actually a little different from the Firefly arrangement in that the wing pivots back downward, not upward. On a Hellcat with the wings folded you see the top surface facing downward, whereas on the Firefly you see the bottom, facing upward...

[@Mishn0]

Quite a bit different. Grumman's folded at the main spar a little forward of the mid span of the wing and not way back at the trailing edge. That's why the Firefly needs the ground crew to operate that giant wing fold lock manually because that is at the main spar. The Avenger's wing fold could also operate at engine idle, it seems from this video, the Firefly needs quite a bit more power to run the hydraulics used.

[@kerrynye3752]

Interesting that it took groundcrew to unlock the folding mechanism!

[@jimmcguinness6977]

beautiful aircraft my father flew of the aircraft carrier hms glory 1950 ish

[@Gixer750pilot]

And just think that was designed using paper, a pencil, protractor, rule and a slide rule.

[@elijahreid6125]

Everyone now: fairey firefly? That's not frightening at all! *The bismark crew having panic attacks after hearing fairey swordfish*

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

I like how the wings fold back so the pilot has a clear view to taxi in aided if need be.

[@pictsidhe6471]

The wing fold is purely for storage aboard aircraft carriers. There are batsmen on every carrier to guide pilots during landing and taxi.

[@warrenstemphly5756]

Ok, got it! You unlock the wing and then use the prop to blow them back into the folded position!

[@bestamerica]

' wow that coooool plane with both folding wings... more easily room space on the aircraft carrier and inside plane room

[@waynebrinker8095]

It's very fast in a dive with the wings folded.

[@Name-ps9fx]

Wayne Brinker Yup, just like a falcon!

[@steveng.willis618]

Lol! I bet it is.

[@scootergeorge9576]

Recovery, however, is a bit problematic. Many years ago, Naval Air News ran a story about a Marine fighter pilot that manages to take off in his F-8 Crusader with the wings folded. Realizing his mistake, he declared an emergency, and carefully circled and put his plane back on the runway. It was at that point, he realized he had just made a second mistake. He had retracted his landing gear and forgot to extend it before touching down.

[@scootergeorge9576]

I was thinking infantry....

[@bearbon2]

When you start out having a bad day it only gets worse.

[@zujiahuang8454]

Interesting how he needs to rev up the engine to fold the wings

[@Draliseth]

On a gas powered forklift you often have to do the same to operate or manipulate the forks. The engine probably powers the hydraulics(?) for the wing mechanism.

[@zujiahuang8454]

@@Draliseth Yes, most likely!

[@pascalchauvet4230]

The concept of a two-seat fighter was something of a British navy dogma which did not generate successful fighter aircraft. Even the Firefly would have been outclassed by any single-seat fighter aircraft. Beautiful piece of machinery all the same.

[@stevenabbott3602]

I'd have said anything with Fairey in front of it would have outclassed it against any other fighter.

[@JohnSmith-pd1fz]

Oh no! Wilbursoaringbigmouthfinnegantractor would beg to differ! DUHHH!!! He knows everything about aviation.

[@narabdela]

@@JohnSmith-pd1fz Since when did pussies know anything about anything?

[@Colinpark]

@@stevenabbott3602 Actually the Fulmar had a decent number of kills to it's credit. Remember that with no radar and no GPS, fly a few hundred mile over open ocean was a good way to get lost and die. Most of the early losses to the Japanese was when japan was fielding highly trained pilots against pilots with limited training, when that equation changed so did the loss ratios.

[@steveabbott3280]

@@Colinpark Still willing to bet, that any pilot in a Fulmar would have rather been in a Hurricane or any other line fighter going up against a Zero.

[@okrajoe]

Great to see those wings folding.

[@hughfraser1547]

Did not realise that they had to rev the engine that high for the pumps to fold the wings.

[@brentfellers9632]

Love it! 🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦

[@gitfoad8032]

Nice to see the Leigh light.

[@delten-eleven1910]

And I thought the TBM Avenger had the coolest wing fold.

[@TheArgieH]

Take a look at the Gannet wing fold.

[@delten-eleven1910]

@@TheArgieH Gannet is one of my favorite post war British planes, so unique!

[@TheArgieH]

@@delten-eleven1910 Agreed. There is a Gannet T5 parked outside the Berkshire Museum of Aviation. The wings are folded and at first impression it looks like it could fly by flapping them. What amuses me is the large mirror mounted at 45 degrees above the second cockpit so that the pilot in there (and it would have been "he" when it was in service) could see to fly it. Practical and simple solutions are best.

[@Deloooon]

why did the pilot have to power up the engine while folding the wings?

[@sabot03196]

He's driving a hydraulic pump through a separate gear box that he engages from the cockpit.

[@Deloooon]

@@sabot03196 thank you for the explanation. cheers

[@paulhargreaves9337]

beautiful Aircraft

[@Aero360Aviation]

Wow! What a cool airplane!

[@SPak-rt2gb]

They ever get this fixed after the landing accident

[@sabot03196]

It was the Lysander that had the bad landing and it's still in bits on a rolling dolly. The Firefly is just finishing up its engine rebuild and should be flying next year.

[@SPak-rt2gb]

@@sabot03196 If it was this Firefly it had an accident at the Gillespie airshow 2012 it's been fixed since according to Wikipedia

[@troygroomes104]

Looks like Grumman's stovl wing used on the hellcat

[@Twirlyhead]

Years before _Transformers_ too.

[@r.g.o3879]

I always thought that the front end bore a distinct ressemlance to a Stuka

[@JohnyG29]

??

[@LV_CRAZY]

Slower than a Corsair?

[@troygroomes104]

Very beautiful place and the successor to the Swordfish

[@None-zc5vg]

Target-drone versions of the "Firefly" were being flown over my property in the late 1950s. It appears that they were to be used as [expensive] unmanned radio-controlled flying targets for guided missiles. The wreckage of these targets was meant to land safely in the sea.

[@troygroomes104]

@@None-zc5vg bout like the f6f-5k drones used by the navy and airforce , in which cause the battle of Los angels in the late 1940's early 1950's

[@richardgreathouse9702]

If I recall correctly, the successor to the Swordfish as a torpedo plane/bomber was the Fairey Barracuda, not the Firefly, which was the successor to the Fairey Fulmar, the first two-seat so-called recon fighter the FAA deployed on WWII. That concept did not, understandibly, work out that well, and by the time the Firefly came into service, even the FAA knew it, using the Firefly as a recon and anti-sub/strike airplane, presumably equipped with smaller bombs. I have read the Firefly was quite satisfactory at such tasks. In any event, the Firefly came from a storied stable of WWII combat aircraft, and had some awesome design features, such as the folding wings displayed in the video.

[@troygroomes104]

@@richardgreathouse9702 there was 2 successors to the Swordfish , the albacore (basically a swordfish with a canopy) then the barracuda

[@richardgreathouse9702]

@@troygroomes104 You are quite correct -- my omission in re line of descent.

[@leefithian3704]

Look at those folds !

[@XrayxRich]

It sounds like a four banger tractor engine.

[@Jimmy_Watt]

I googled ""cool as fuck," and this popped up.

[@mattsta1964]

Engineering art, right there

[@noahdetterman2667]

Now I notice he's giving it a lot of throttle when he puts the wings up, is that a mechanism that helps operate the hydraulic systems?

[@myjoyfullife2543]

Noah Detterman yes.

[@ericthemauve]

@soaringtractor Ah! soaringtractor our American draft-dodger friend. I haven't seen any of his knuckle-dragging drivel for quite a while.

[@MarsFKA]

@@ericthemauve That American is no "friend" of anyone. He has a mouth-foaming hatred of anything and everything British and an utter contempt, as we see in his first insulting and infantile comment in this thread, for anyone whom he thinks knows less than he does - which may be as many as two other people out of the entire human race. Everyone else, he just hates impartially. That thing that he calls his life is a horrible existence and I would not be him for any reason. However, it turns out that no one and nothing are spared from his hatred. His true nature was revealed in a recent thread on one of the multitude of sites that he infests, when, using his "wilburfinnigan" I.D., he applauded the murder of American officers by their own troops in Vietnam - "fragging" it was called, because it was usually carried out by throwing a fragmentation grenade into an officer's dugout or tent. However little entertainment value that soaringtractor piece of shit might have previously had, he crossed the line with that comment.

[@chipps1066]

RR Griffon I believe.

[@sabot03196]

And just freshly rebuilt.

[@Алекандр-п3ы]

She is beautiful ,,//!

[@a.wilson1979]

What sound !

[@shanecasey2604]

A. Wilson that one

[@afterburner2869]

This aircraft was canceled after only one season.

[@spawnof200]

there were 1700 produced, it saw service from 1943 to as late as 1962

[@afterburner2869]

spawnof200 I was making a bad joke. There was a great tv show called Firefly that was canceled after only one season.

[@spawnof200]

ah sorry, ive not seen firefly

[@MarsFKA]

@@afterburner2869 Heheh. I have that series on DVD, and "Serenity".

[@wervelstorm7559]

It flew right over his head. Padum

[@michaelbowes9894]

Standard armament was 4x20 mills. This must been a radar/recon a/c

[@Mishn0]

Recon / strike fighter. I don't believe it was equipped with radar. Starboard wing tank has a searchlight, not a radar antenna.

[@arielcampagnola1328]

👍👍👍👍

[@digranni128]

Fuel tanks ?🤔

[@yahatinda]

DIHEDRAL VARI-WING....................KOOL

[@mestrebruno9015]

very bealtiful

[@luisantoniomarrega1120]

Ja vi muito filme com caças dobrando as asas mas eu pensava que isso era apenas terefa dos pilotos. Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil

[@DavidSmith-tc3se]

Didnt she crash at duxford ?

[@sabot03196]

David Smith this is the Canadian one in Hamilton, Ontario. She currently under refit and will be back on the flight line next year.

[@leefithian3704]

Gorgeous

[@williamallen4954]

Cool as hell.

[@cbennetts2746]

looks like a night fighter variation

[@myjoyfullife2543]

calder bennetts it's a daytime reconnaissance fighter that used to take off of aircraft carriers.

[@cbennetts2746]

A Warbird Pilot Wife's Diary only said that due to the radar ball

[@jimyoung2188]

no they are just naval colours

[@benjafovi1cr328]

calder bennetts Its a....a piece o shit.

[@jimyoung2188]

it takes shit to see it buddy

[@joehollow2505]

At first i thought it was a toy

[@jimbobjones1858]

Yeah, until the pilot moved his head and the other guy came walking up, I though it was an RC model!

[@sabot03196]

They're just about to roll her back out of refit. I should shoot the new footage with my tilt shift lens and then it really will look like a toy.

[@kokooo00]

UK的审美观，跪了

[@李行-g8z]

哇，这声音真结实。

[@有量追]

听声音感觉是柴油机

[@kokooo00]

朱蕾 排量太大

[@cicak2404]

What is the bulge on the wing?

[@jwenting]

search radar on one side, searchlight on the other.

[@tonysmith2360]

Radiator I think

[@ahorsewithnoname643]

Muhammad Averoes Radar on port wing searchlight on starboard wing.

[@louielouiepks]

Sounds like my old tractor

[@billstewart5421]

Sounds like a rock crusher!!!!!

[@petercavellini3232]

No wonder we off loaded them to the Canadian Navy!🤔😎

[@richardputz3233]

Peter Cavellini Yeah,thanks for the submarines too !!!

[@PeteCourtier]

Richard Putz and the aircraft carriers😁

[@troutmaskbob]

LOOKS LIKE IT DID ONE THING RIGHT.

[@scout005]

Too Cool

[@rexhowells7015]

I wanted to see it fly, not fold it's wings up 😞

[@sabot03196]

She’s currently in refit. As far as I know she’ll be returned to flight status later this year. Once she’s in the air again, I’ll be sure to post up some video.

[@justins.1283]

Restoring this bird to flight had to be a monumental effort ! Thank you for preserving a piece of aviation history. The wing folding design is unusual.

[@sabot03196]

@@justins.1283 The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is very much a flying museum. When I took the video, she was very active in their flight program but as you know, these old girls need some TLC from time to time. The wings needed a bunch of work to the folding mechanism and the engine and prop needed a rebuild. I think they're close to static runs for the engine and prop in the next month or so. It'll be good to see her back in the air. At least it wasn't a complete ground up restoration.

[@robiulhasanrobin9927]

at first it looks like rc plane

[@bearbon2]

Griffon engine sounds like a tractor.

[@xx6489]

He broke. It....

[@lee2lee666]

잘만든 rc인줄 알았는대

[@sukrukizil]

Transformers

[@MsDichotomy]

Running a bit. rich at idle

[@Mishn0]

Probably part of the shut-down checklist, "set mixture to auto rich" or some such.

[@graemewilliams1308]

Firefly = Me 109 fodder.

[@peterstubbs5934]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@Mishn0]

Not when it has some Corsairs or Seafires flying cover.

[@royperkins3851]

Graeme Williams never-ending stupidity this planes main opponent was German U-boats in the Atlantic if one ever crossed paths with a me-109 it wasn't recorded by the Germans and despite what the computer jockeys say they were quality serving as anti submarine and target tugs well into the 1960s including some in the post war German bundesch luft,so your insult to the old girl fell very short ,take your keyboard and crawl back into your mom's basement!

[@graemewilliams1308]

I don't have a "MOM" or a basement, what now ?

[@Mishn0]

@Graeme Williams - Dude, he gave you a ready made alibi for your stupid comment. You should have taken it. Now it's all on your head.

[@mac1975]

I want one