TOP FLITE SEA FURY
PRODUCT REVIEW
by Jim Kummerow

PART I

The Sea Fury represented the end of an era for the British Royal Navy. It was the last piston-engine fighter to serve with the Fleet Air Arm. The airplane packs a 2480-HP Bristol Centaurus engine with 18 cylinders (two 9-cylinder radials in line!) with a top speed of over 460-mph. This aircraft would continue to fly at the unlimited Reno Air Races.

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to see Lloyd Hamilton's immaculate Hawker Sea Fury at the Reno Air Races. It was resplendent in Australian colors bearing the race number 16. It easily qualified at over 480 mph, but it was really different from the many P-51 Mustangs in sound and looks. The P-51's run tortured from gross over-boost and over-speed, the Fury's two row radials kind of sighed around the pylons with a deep rumbling whoosh. It was rightfully named Baby Gorilla! The Centaurus engine was later changed to a Pratt & Whitney R-4360s which made this aircraft highly competitive.

Our Sea Fury presented here is a great reproduction of this fine aircraft and I'm sure you will find it most enjoyable to build and fly as I did. Among the first things you will need (as always) is a flat building board. The very complete instruction booklet contained in this kit lists everything required but I'm sure you will already have most of your supplies. If not, check out Great Planes web site. You will be pleasantly surprised at what's available.

We start out building the stab and rudder. These two components are built mostly from 1/16 sheet and feature interlocking parts. It is a rather delicate procedure, but this helps in keeping the tail feathers light. This frame work is then sheeted with the tips added, and then sanded to final shape. Care must be taken as the 1/16 sheeting is fairly thin.

The wing comes next and is built in three sections. The center section is first as it contains the flap servo's and retracts. You can build the Sea Fury using a fixed landing gear (supplied with the kit) and no flaps. I decided to go all out and put all of these goodies into it. Whatever version you build, parts are supplied for you (except retracts) and present no problem at all. Here again, the framework is interlocking and is assembled using no glue. It is then aligned over the plan for the final fit and glued together. While the framework is still pinned down, the 3/32 sheet skin is added which really locks in the framework for a very true wing section.

Now we build the mounts for our retracts. Several versions can be used and I chose Century Jet retracts. These units are made of high quality bar stock and are fully shock absorbing thanks to an ingenious spring and lever set up. Not only are these strong, but they are precise in operation, which I'm sure will be reliable during operation. You will need all of the above if you fly off of grass as I do. Another nice feature of this landing gear is the air control valve. It has four (4) individual control air adjusting screws so you can customize its speed going up or down or any place in between.

The outer wing panels are built next. They are built in a similar method as the center section but are elliptical in shape. They are also fully sheeted as was the center section.

The three sections are now joined. Then everything is added such as ailerons, flaps, landing gear, etc. The fuselage is built in two halves, an upper and lower. The lower half is built first over the top view on the plans. All of the parts are mostly of light plywood and interlock which also makes for a straight and strong unit. I must mention here that the parts fit great through out this kit. Also, the die cut parts are very clean and a pleasure to work with.

Once the lower half is done, I installed the tank, servos, etc. as it's much easier now. On the subject of radio installation, I decided to try out Futaba's new Flight Pack components rather than invest in another radio system. The Flite Pack consisted of a 127 DF receiver and four 3004 servos plus other assorted components. The Sea Fury requires eight servos with the options I added so I used four Hobbico Command HC-55 to complete the installation. The 127 receiver operates on a "FM" signal so I switched my Futaba 8UAP transmitter to "PPM" and the system works perfectly.

Bending the sheets around the fuselage formers can be a picnic. Rather than dampen the sheets and place them on the fuselage, I first placed them around a large five or six inch piece of plastic PVC pipe and wrapped them with an athletic stretch bandage and let it dry overnight.

We now have pre-bent sheets that may be a little small or too large in radius but can be fitted easier over the fuselage formers. The upper fuselage is now built onto the completed lower half in similar fashion.

You now have all of your basic components done and are ready for final assembly. The instruction booklet I mentioned earlier has over 65 pages that has photos and instructions to guide you through to this stage.

The last thing I did was to fit the cowl over the engine. I chose the O.S. 91 because of its outstanding power and reliability. You will notice that this model has a very large spinner. Here again you must choose the very best which is a True Turn. Not only is this the best spinner you can buy but it's also recommended on the plans. I also purchased the optional lightweight backplate - it's a jewel!

Getting back to the cowl, I must say that fitting it was fairly simple, but I would recommend the optional exhaust system that is available from Great Planes. Its not only easier to fit, but is fully contained inside the cowl. The cowl is a gel coated fiberglass gem with no pinholes and is seamless - a nice touch!

I have touched on some of the highlights of the Sea Fury, but you will find any questions you may have are covered in the very complete instruction manual.

I'll see you later with Part II when we finish up this project and go out flying!!!

Bill of Materials Used on the Sea Fury
OS-91 Engine
Radio - Futaba 8UAP with Futaba FM Flite Pack
Additional Servo's - Hobbico Command HC-55 (4)
Prop - 14-8 Zinger
Covering - MonoKote and Lustrekote
Adhesives - Great Planes Pro-CA and Epoxy

PART II

I assume you have read Part I of my Sea Fury article in the last issue of R/C Excellence magazine and if you are building this aircraft, you would have completed everything and are ready for covering.

The first thing to do is inspect the model completely for any imperfections you may have missed during the building sequence. Take your time here, as anything you miss will surely show up later. Secondly, take your shop vacuum outside and completely blow out all of the framework. Again, with your shop vacuum go over everything with the vacuum. Remember that dust and dirt can ruin your covering. I chose to use MonoKote. If you care to glass the entire aircraft you can do so, but it will be noticeably heavier.

Using MonoKote will not only result in a lighter aircraft but will be far faster than using paint. Before ironing on the covering, clean up the shop area thoroughly as the static in the MonoKote will surely pick up any small particles.

I started with what I consider difficult areas such as the wing fillets and the rudder fillet at the base of the fin. The instruction book shows you how to complete this area rather easily, take your time. I found the Century 21 covering iron using a sock works very well in these areas due to its many round edges. I used the color scheme shown on the box, but you can be creative by using some of the many pictures available for the unlimited racing planes flown at Reno.

One more thing I do prior to covering is that just before you apply your section of MonoKote, go over the area with a tack cloth to pick up any dust that may have collected during last minute handling. The last thing I did was paint the cowl and wheel door covers with Lustrecote spray paint. We are now ready to install the radio, engine and fuel tank, etc. I did take the O/S 91 and run several tanks through it for a mild break-in period and carburetor adjustment. This can save you a lot of last minute tinkering when you're ready to fly.

At this point of completion, I just sat back and admired my project as this is one neat airplane! Our work is not done yet. Be sure to balance the model per the instructions. You never want any model to be tail heavy. I had to add about 9 ounces of lead to the nose. I bolted lead strips to the side of the engine mounts. Keep the weight as far forward as possible, but do not mount the weight to the inside of the cowl.

Before going out to the flying field, I ran up the engine and gave the radio a range check at home. I hate going to the field and forgetting some simple thing I should have done at home and could not fly. Waiting for a perfect spring day here in the Midwest can be very frustrating, but after working on this outstanding aircraft during the winter months I figure it's well worth the wait.

That day finally arrived and off we went, slight wind right down the runway and a clear blue sky - perfect! The trusty O/S 91 fired right up and we were ready to taxi out. The first thing I noticed was that the big 4" wheels and the forward facing landing gear made for great ground handling. Facing straight down the runway, I slowly increased the throttle with a slight amount of right rudder. As its speed slowly increased, I was doing almost nothing and it took off straight as an arrow by itself!

Being a bit surprised, I did apply a few clicks of down elevator and a tad of right aileron. A few passes around the field and we retracted the landing gear.

Wow! Talk about a slick airplane flying with arrow like stability would be an understatement. Several flights later I started applying flaps for landings and found it really slows down with absolutely no bad habits. In summation, I found the kit to be engineered for quick assembly with parts that really fit great. I cannot adequately explain how great it is flying the Sea Fury.

One thing I really enjoy while flying is the basic outline's of this model as it streaks across the sky. I'm sure you will enjoy building and flying the Top Flite Sea Fury as much as I have - Happy Landings!!