WONZ 277 – Wings Over Britain: Navy Wings

Guests:  Lee Howard and Rob Jones Hosts: Dave Homewood Recorded: 28th of June 2023 Released: 17th of July 2023 Duration: 57 minutes In this episode Dave Homewood talks with naval aviation historian Lee Howard and Navy Wings’ marketing manager Rob Jones during a walk around the Navy Wings hangar at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, in Somerset. Aircraft in the hangar included two Fairey Swordfish (one of which was in deep restoration), a Hawker Sea Fury, a Supermarine Seafire XVII, two de Havilland Chipmunks, a North American Harvard, and a Hawker Sea Hawk project, plus the collection’s Westland Wasp was operating on the airfield. Other aircraft not belonging to the collection but seen in the hangar included a Tiger Moth, Stinson Reliant, a Westland Sea King helicopter and a Scottish Aviation Bulldog. As this was recorded in a very busy operational hangar, there is a certain amount of unavoidable background noise, which hopefully adds to the ambience, rather than detracts. You get the bonus track of an abridged Wasp start up and departure too. Quick Links: • Navy Wings’ website • Navy Wings on Facebook Above: Rob Jones and Lee Howard with one of the Navy Wings Swordfish. The Navy Wings Westland Wasp. The Fly Navy Supermarine Seafire Mk. XVII SX339. The Stinson Reliant which is privately owned but operated in conjunction with Navy Wings. Swordfish W5856. Sea Fury FB.11 VR930. North American Harvard G-NWHF. Below: Photos of Swordfish LS326 under deep maintenance. The manufacturer numbers on the Swordfish that Lee explained. Below: Sea Hawk FGA.6 WV908 under restoration to fly Navy Wings’ flying DHC-1 Chipmunk WK608. The second Chipmunk under restoration. Non-Navy Wings hangar occupants, Lynx, Sea King and Bulldog. The Navy Wings’ chief engineer’s Tiger Moth.