RN Service History for Sea Hornet TT193

[robstitt]

Slightly outside RAF bounds, but grateful for a look-up for DH Sea Hornet TT193 in the Air-Britain publication, Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946 by Sturtivant, Burrow and Howard.

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is unable to help at the moment and there is some doubt that they would have the aircraft's movement card.

I know the aircraft and associated spares were purchased by William Ferderber from Overseas Disposals, British Ministry of Supply, on April 6, 1951, following completion of cold weather trials in Alberta, Canada.

Any other details welcome

TIA.

Robert

[COL BRUGGY]

Hi Rob,

From: Air-Britain's, Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946.

100 De Havilland D.H.103 Sea Hornet F.20 ordered 27.11.44 under Cont No Acft/4874/C.23(a) to Spec N.5/44, built at Hatfield and numbered TT186 to TT213, TT247 to TT295 and TT310 to TT332, TT186 to TT213 plus TT247 & TT248 (30 a/c) built, remainder cancelled. (Two 2,030hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 134/135).

TT193.

24.4.47 First Flight and TOC Controller of Supplies (Aircraft) at DH Hatfield.
26.4.47 Prepared for winterisation trials by 47 MU.
11.7.47 Crated for shipment to Winterisation Experimental Establishment (WEE) Canada.
9.12.48 To permanent CS(A) charge.
13.12.48 Commenced winterisation trials.
1.7.50 Sold to Spartan Air Services.
Became CF-GUO.
4.52 Sold to Field Aviation Services.
11.7.52 Crash landed after engine fire, Terrace, BC.
Scrapped due to lack of spares.

See:
Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946.
Sturtivant,Ray with Mick Burrows and Lee Howard.
Tonbridge:Air-Britain (Historians),2004.
pp.124-7 (TT193, p.125)

and from Air-Britain's, The Hornet File:

Sea Hornets - 32 Sea Hornet F.20/FR.22 produced by de Havilland , Hatfield - TT186-TT248.

TT193.

24.4.47 TOC Controller of Supplies(Aircraft) DH Hatfield.
26.4.47 Prepared for winterisation trials by 47 MU.
11.7.47 Crated for shipment to WEE Canada.
13.12.48 Commencement of winterisation trials.
1.7.50 Sold in Canada to Spartan Air Services .
Became CF-GUO.
4.52 Sold to Field Aviation Services.
11.7.52 Crashlanded after engine fire, Terrace, B.C,; lack of spares led to scrapping.

See:
The Hornet File.
Cooper,Lewis G.
Tonbridge Air-Britain (Historians), 1992.
pp.131-4 (TT193, p.132)

Furthermore:

From Putnam's, De Havilland Aircraft since 1909:

De Havilland D.H.103 Sea Hornet.

Sea Hornet F.Mk.20 TT193 completed 190 hours flying in its two years Service life up to July 1, 1950 with the Fleet Air Arm in the U.K. and with the R.C.A.F at Edmonton, Alberta. It was then acquired by Spartan Air Services Ltd., the Mosquito-equipped Ottawa survey company, and on June 28, 1951 was issued with a restricted C. of A. as a three-seat civil photographic aircraft CF-GUO, operating at the increased all-up weight of 18,700 lb. In the following April it was sold to Field Aviation Ltd. but on July 11, 1952 the starboard engine blew up while on a photographic mission in the Prince George area of British Columbia. After a successful forced landing at Terrace B.C., it was given away locally through lack of spares.

See:
De Havilland Aircraft since 1909.
Jackson,A J.
London:Putnam,1987 (3rd,ed.)
pp.439-440

Col.

[robstitt]

Many thanks, Col. More detail than I was anticipating.

A few points for the record:

Bill Ferderber was a Spartan Air Services pilot on a Canso at the time the Sea Hornet was sold off. It's his name on the Bill of Sale, ownership passing to Spartan through another Bill of Sale nearly two months later. I would assume there was some prearrangement for Spartan to ultimately acquire the aircraft as their facilities and resources were needed for the modifications while the camera operator during Ferderber's ownership was a Spartan employee.

The 190 hours flying quoted in the Putnam book must have been mostly accumulated in Canada rather than by the Fleet Air Arm as the aircraft appears to have gone from new through preparation to crating for shipment in fairly short order.

Spartan was a P-38 operator for high-level photography (~32,000-35,000ft) when the Sea Hornet arrived. It didn't begin to operate the Mosquito until 1955.

Spartan exchanged the Sea Hornet for two P-38 Lightnings belonging to Kenting Aviation who had decided not to operate the Lockheed type.

It was the port engine that failed, resulting in a forced rather than a crash landing.

The Sea Hornet sat in the open at the Terrace airport for a number of years, becoming plaything for local children. The airport manager eventually had it hauled away to the city dump where its remains were exhumed by an Alberta-based de Havilland aficionado. These remains are now in New Zealand awaiting restoration.

Robert

[COL BRUGGY]

Rob,

Interesting additions and corrections.

I should add the following from The Hornet File (p.117):

Winterisation Experimental Establishment, Edmonton, Canada.

Sea Hornet F.20 TT193 arrived for cold weather trials which commenced on 13 December 1948. Following completion of trials, the Navy did not consider the costs of shipping the aircraft back were warranted. TT193 was offered for sale with the stipulation that the aircraft was to remain in Canada. The Sea Hornet was eventually purchased at a rather modest outlay by W. Ferterber [sic] of Spartan Air Services, the transaction included a sizable quantity of spares, support equipment, spare Merlins, engine cylinder blocks, propellers and sundry parts. It has been suggested that members of the air racing fraternity in the U.S.A. had expressed some interest in acquiring the redundant Sea Hornet, which may account for restrictions imposed at the sale.
TT193, re-registered CF-GUO, was pressed into service for aerial survey and photography duties, operating mainly at 20,000 feet for half-inch to the mile photographic mapping duties. Some flights were made at 35,000 feet, the Sea Hornet's altitude performance being considered slightly inferior to a modified P-38 Lightning, equipped with turbo-superchargers and, not least, with provision for carrying a navigator. Ferterber was, however, very impressed by the Sea Hornet's cockpit, acceleration on take-off compared with being released from a catapult, the initial rate of climb, "when it climbed like a dingbat" - and it was exciting to fly.
During 1951 CF-GUO was sold to to Field Photographic Surveys in exchange for yet another P-38. After being sold, CF-GUO crashed when it suffered an engine failure whilst flying near Prince George, B.C. It is rumoured that parts of the wrecked airframe were used for instruction by a local High School.

Col.

[robstitt]

Thanks, Col. Appreciate the transcription effort.

Same notes apply re Kenting being the final operator through an exchange for two P-38s and the degree of severity of the incident at Terrace. Field Aviation and Kenting Aviation were both Hunting affiliates which might have been a source of confusion.

Ferderber had to both fly with great precision at altitude and navigate, with some assistance from the camera operator at his extremely cramped station behind the wing in the rear fuselage. Not an ideal setup, especially in the event of a major event during takeoff or landing.

Availability of type-specific Merlins and suitable props will be a key factor in the success of the proposed project.

http://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-res...n-project.html

Thanks again.

Robert