STEVEN HOWE COLLECTION
No. 6947. Supermarine 395 Seafire Mk.XVII (G-KASX c/n FLWA 25488)
Photographed at Shuttleworth (Old Warden) Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, UK, June 3, 2007, by Steven Howe

Supermarine 395 Seafire Mk.XVII

10/31/2007. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "This navalized version of the Spitfire was built by Westland Aircraft Ltd. at Yeovil and, with s/n SX336, handed over to the RN FAA on May 3, 1946. It was withdrawn from operational use in 1954, being eventually sold as scrap.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.

In 2001 it was sold to Tim J. Manna of Cranfield, a long term restoration was started and the aircraft was reregistered to G-KASX on October 30, 2003. It made the first flight after restoration on May 3, 2006. It is powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon Mk.VI engine, still fitted with folding wings and arrester hook for carrier operations, and finished in FAA colours with the original serial and coded VL/105."

Supermarine 395 Seafire Mk.XVII
(Norman Feltwell Collection)


Created October 31, 2007