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Newsletter 12
Spring 2006
Updated on 25Feb2006
Published by the Hawker Association
for the Members.
Contents © Hawker Association

Contents
Editorial
Arado crescent criticisms
Association ties
Beyond the Harrier
Christmas lunch
Col. John Driscoll
Comet to Hawk
Double testimonial
Hawk news
Hawker people news
Indian Harrier
Kingston heritage project
Members
News of members
Not boring at all
Programme 2006
RAF Harrier story
RN CVF carrier and F-35b
Sea Harrier finale
Sea Fury racers
Sopwith stories
Thomas Allan Collinson
Who's who?  
CHRISTMAS LUNCH
 
Once again a very good time was had by some sixty Members who enjoyed an excellent traditional three course lunch with mince pies and coffee. The YMCA staff produced tasty dishes with good vegetables, and served with skill and speed.

Chairman Ambrose Barber opened the proceedings and after lunch, John Glasscock, our President, gave an address in which he thanked the Committee for their work during the year and entertained the company with a couple of very good jokes. Harry Fraser-Mitchell plugged the Association tie and Cliff Bore promoted his new book; both were successful in making a number of sales!

Percy Collino was especially thanked for organising the lunch again. He was helped by Jan White who also assisted in Percy's raffle. The takings went towards a Christmas Box for the Hawker Centre staff. Ron, who puts out the chairs, screen and so on for all the meetings, and tidies up afterwards, was given a bottle of Scotch.
SEA FURY RACERS

Of the nine starters in the September 2005 Reno Unlimited Gold Race seven were Sea Furies. The eight lap race over 67 miles was won by a Grumman Bearcat, 'Rare Bear' at 466.3 mph but the Sea Furies took second to eighth places at speeds from 448.8 - 397.9 mph; the ninth entrant, a P-51D failed to finish.

The fastest Sea Fury, 'Dreadnought', a two-seat Mk20 owned by Brian Sanders, like nearly all racing Sea Furies, has had its Centaurus replaced, in this case by a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major, 28 cylinder, four row radial as used in the B-50 Superfortress and the Stratocruiser. Known as the 'corncob' because of its layout it has been tuned to give around 4000 hp.

Others have been fitted with the Wright R-3350 Turbo-Cyclone, 18 cylinder, two row radial, as used in the B-29 and Super Constellation. Airframes are also sometimes quite drastically modified with clipped wings and tiny, low profile canopies, although 'Dreadnaught', apart from a longer cowling and taller fin looks standard.