Griffon Powered Seafire - SX336/G-KASX - Navy Wings

[@Bradburger]

Lovely video as usual! Good to see the Seafire back in the air again.

[@HighFlight]

Thanks. It certainly is good to see again. It will be nice to see the Air Leasing one again too - I think it's for sale?👍

[@josefkoutsky1310]

Very nice airplane,thanks

[@andrewstubbings5628]

My father was the n the fleet air arm and in his log book he flew Seafire 105 is that likely to be the same plane?

[@HighFlight]

If between May 1946 and May 1950 that is quite possible. The date and location of his flight in '105' will be key. If before May 1946 it will have been another Seafire. Have a look at the detail notes above which may help. If he flew this aircraft and you have his log book I'm sure that 'Navy Wings' charity would be interested to hear from you. I see that you asked them the question on Facebook with a picture of the log book page - it is the right mark of Seafire, a Mk.XVII, making it more likely that this is the one, although still possible that another Seafire carried '105' before or after this one.

[@andrewstubbings5628]

@@HighFlight thank you so much for replying that’s most kind! He was flying in the early 50s also flying Seafurys it would be so amazing if he had flown this Seafire and if I could get a chance to sit in it! I have some great pictures, his log book, journal which is amazing, I must get to the bottom of this!! Navy wings are a bit odd I have posted pictures before and they never say anything?!

[@HighFlight]

@@andrewstubbings5628 Andrew. That's probably because your posts are 'lost' within the comments on their Facebook page and also depends upon who in their organisation is managing the page and how much time they can spare for it. You could try sending them an email here - [e-mail] - which I got from their website here - navywings.org.uk/ That said, from your father's log book are you able to tell me one of the dates that he flew Seafire 105 and if it says where he was or at which base, as I may be able to rule in or out this aircraft for you that way? Further - Reading up further on my own notes it appears that this aircraft has been painted in the colours of one from 767 Naval Air Squadron that was based at RNAS Yeovilton and may not be the aircraft '105' that your father flew. Further, I found some pictures of 'stored' aircraft at RNAS Stretton that include a Seafire which is also marked '105', based at RNAS Yeovilton and with serial number SX232 - see here - derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/1946/rnas-stretton-blackcap Steve.

[@andrewstubbings5628]

@@HighFlight you are super kind thank you 🙏 He flew from Yeovilton and later Benson in Oxfordshire in march 1954 10th of Feb or march squadron appears to be 764 and this was definitely Yeovilton !!

[@HighFlight]

@@andrewstubbings5628 I have a book that covers all Spitfires/Seafires ever produced. That tells me that this airframe SX336 was accepted by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm on 30/4/46 and that in June 1953 it became a ground based instructional aircraft at Bramcote, before it then went to Stretton for storage on 27 July 1955, which means this aircraft was probably not the one that your father flew. We know from a photo said to have been taken at Stretton on 24/12/54, that Seafire SX232 carried the code 105, it was based at Yeovilton (HMS Heron) - Code VL on the tail is for Yeovilton - with 764 Squadron when last flown. SX232 went into storage at Stretton on 26/12/54, which makes the supposed date of the photo unlikely, but does make it likely that it was at Yeovilton coded 105 during February/March 1954 and that SX232 was the aircraft coded '105' that appears in your father's log book. The Seafire SX336 was rebuilt using parts from Seafire SX300 and LA546. I don't know why the paint scheme for the restored Seafire with code '105' was chosen, but likely it represents SX232 because if SX232 carried code '105' SX336 would have had a different code, unless it went on to replace SX232 and to be given the same '105' code. Confused yet, I am! I think the best that can be said without further proof is that this Seafire was probably not the '105' that your father flew, but it represents that one by having the same paint scheme and regardless of that he may well have flown SX336 when it wore a different 3 number code to '105', so any other Seafire's in his log book are also of interest and may actually be SX336? I cannot find any record online of what 3 letter number codes were issued to which Seafire's and I don't know of anywhere where they might be recorded. Steve.