Sea Fury Sawbones Sold to Australia

By Zac Yates

Australia will soon have a flying Hawker Sea Fury for the first time in close to a decade as the crowd favorite Reno racer Sawbones has been purchased by warbird and aerobatic pilot Paul Bennet, and has arrived “Down Under” for a March airshow debut.

One of the batch of Hawker Fury airframes secured by Ed Jurist and David Tallichet from Iraq in 1970, FB.11 325 was restored to flight by George H Baker’s American Aero Services with a Wright R-3350 in place of the original Bristol Centaurus, folding wings and a second seat for a passenger. Registered N71GB and wearing Royal Australian Navy markings the aircraft first flew in 1990 and went on to compete at Reno 18 times, first under the name Sky Fury (as Race #711 and #47) and later as Southern Cross (Race #47 and #71). In 2008 she became Race #71 Sawbones with Royal Canadian Navy roundels over the kangaroos and quickly became a crowd favorite. However her racing career ended with a canopy failure at the 2019 National Championship Air Races, pilot and former Space Shuttle commander Curt Brown making a safe landing, and later the aircraft went up for sale.

The Royal Australian Navy operated the Sea Fury from 1948 until 1962 and the country has periodically been home a handful of privately-owned examples since 1985, but not since the 2010s has the distinctive shape of Hawker’s finest been seen over Australia. That will change once this aircraft, which arrived in the country in mid-February and is now on the Australian civil register as VH-HPB, takes to the skies.

Bennet is no stranger to flying vintage heavy metal as he operates an enviable roster of warbirds under the Paul Bennet Airshows banner and has extensive time in other types. “I have had plenty of experience flying warbirds such as Avenger, Trojan, Wirraway, Harvard, Mustang, Kittyhawk, Spitfire, Hurricane etc so I am looking forward to displaying a Sea Fury,” he said.

As well as showcasing his warbird fleet around the continent Bennet, based at Maitland in New South Wales, also displays his Wolf Pitts Pro and flies with the three ship SkyAces formation aerobatic team.

Bennet said he plans to debut the Sea Fury at Airshows Downunder Shellharbour on March 1-3 and then display it again at Warbirds Over Scone on March 23 and 24.

Zac Yates

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Zac, born and raised in New Zealand, grew up immersed in aviation, with his father working as a helicopter crewman and living at Wanganui Airport. His passion for aviation started in childhood, building scale model kits and following the global warbird scene. He later trained as a journalist but found mainstream media unfulfilling, leading him to pursue a career as an aircraft maintenance engineer.

Now residing in Blenheim, near the historic Omaka Aerodrome, Zac studies at RNZAF Base Woodbourne and aspires to become a private and warbird pilot. Known as "Handbag" in aviation circles, he shares his love for aviation through photography and writing, connecting with enthusiasts worldwide.

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