Seafire Mk.XVII SX336 & SX137

Seafire Mk.XVII SX336

The Supermarine Seafire Mk.XVII SX336 was built by Westland Aircraft Ltd. at Yeovil and handed over to the FAA on May 3, 1946. It was withdrawn from operational use in 1954 and sold as scrap. In 1973 the fuselage was recovered from the Joseph Brierley & Son scrap yard in Warrington, Lancashire, together with parts of SX300. Rebuilt to airworthiness the aircraft was registered as G-BRMG to Peter J. Wood of Twyford on September 19, 1989 where she remained until 2001.

In November 2001 she went to a new owner; Tim Manna, Cranfield for a long term restoration. In the meantime her registration G-BRMG was cancelled in 2003 and changed to G-KASX (Kennet Aviation SX(336)). Her original Fleet Air Arm colour scheme was applied at Turweston Airfield on February 6 2006 before she made her first flight on May 3, 2006 from North Weald.
SX336 is currently the only airworthy Seafire on the UK register and one of two still flying worldwide.
With short Griffon nose, four-blade propeller, cut-down rear fuselage, streamlined bubble canopy and normal-size fin, the Mk. XVII looked unlike any other Spitfire/Seafire mark and was also arguably the best looking of all the Seafires. 233 of this variant were produced. This particular Seafire was built in April 1946 at Westland Aircraft in Yeovil.
The restoration project of SX336 had a long gestation period. The derelict fuselage was discovered in the scrap yard in Warrington, Lancashire in 1973. As a potential but rather difficult restoration object it changed owners many times. Only when acquired by Tim J. Manna, in November 2001 did the long-term restoration gain momentum. The aircraft made its first post-restoration flight on 3 May 2006 in North Weald, almost exactly 60 years after its maiden flight.

Copyright © 2009 Malcolm Auld

This video and audio material may not be reproduced in any form (except as an embedded video on any other website), without written permission.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Supermarine
• Seafire
• Rolls
• Royce
• Griffon
• Fleet
• Air
• Arm
• FAA
• Royal
• Navy
• Kennet
• Aviation
• Warbird
• Flying
• Shuttleworth
• old
• warden

[Skyraider60]

Where is this?

[auldm]

Shot at Shuttleworth Collection Old Warden and Fleet Air Arm Museum Yeovilton. Airworthy Aircraft belongs to kennet Aviation

[yodaisahamster]

what a beautiful, incredible aircraft

[TopGunSGA]

@Brian517W It's actually a griffon engine

[Brian517W]

Make the Merlin Motor sound recording a little louder because it sounds so sweet!

[sn0le]

The colourscheme and the teardrop canopy makes this Seafire look like a Spitfire and a P-51D Mustang had sex and made a baby. :)

I know the Spitfire XIV (and models after it) came with teardrop canopy, but I think the Spitfire looks the best with the "original" canopy.

[Euli63]

Great! A fantastic video!

[gopherbar]

Just so gorgeous...this is a fantastic plane, i would love to own one..maybe one day.

[Idratherbeflying89]

What an absolutely gorgeous aircraft.

[ejlister]

How mad do you think they'd be if you jumped in a cockpit and started one up?! hehe!

[cobrachoppergirl]

You'd be surprised, in the air a Spitfire and a BF-109 don't look all that different. There's a video on here somewhere of two of them flying side by side.