Seabird Sunday ! ✈ 30/08/2026 Vickers Wellington in the Coastal Command (1940-45) Before the Vickers Warwick developed for the Coastal Command, here is the story of the RAF Bomber Wellington Mark IC, VIII, and tailored Gr.Mk. XI, XIII and XIV. The Wellington is a famous 2-engine bomber of the early years of the Bomber command … Read more
The Hawker Horsley first flew in March 1925. Designed by Roy Fedden and the team at Hawker Aircraft, this large single-engine, two-bay biplane hold the distinction of being the last all-wooden Hawker model. Maiden Flight was in March 1925, by Flt Lt P.W.S. Bulman. It was powered by a single Rolls-Royce Condor III engine. Tested … Read more
✈ 20/07/2026 Hawker Osprey (1930) The Hawker Osprey was the navalized carrier-borne version of the Hart, a versatile model powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel II engine for 168 mph (270 km/h). 103 were built, the last still used in the fleet air arm by 1944 as a trainer. Those deployed in Malta for ASW and … Read more
FAA 1923-31: 62 built. Another forgotten naval warbird, and arguably renown for its… interesting looks, was the most Blackburn of all, inventively named after the company. Answering the Specification 3/21 of 1921, this was to be solely a carrier-based reconnaissance and spotting aircraft. The company designed a fuselage optimized for that mission while wing and … Read more
Short Sunderland (1937) RAF Coastal Command & others: 777 built. As far as naval matters goes, the Short Sunderland, was the U-Boat’s worst nightmare, equal part and even more than the other allied angel of the Atlantic, the PBY Catalina. This was arguably the most successful Britis flying boat of WW2, for many reasons. Stdied … Read more
Supermarine Seagull (1921) RNAS/FAA 30 built. The Supermarine Seagull was a flying boat produced developed by Supermarine’s chief designer R.J. Mitchell, from the experimental Supermarine Seal II in 1920. In June 1921 the Seagull was evaluated but rejected, but was further developed as a private venture. In February 1922 this time it impressed the air … Read more
Carrier Based Multirole Fighter Fleet Air Arm, 1,702 built 1942-53. Fairey Firefly: As we just saw the Attacker class, which operated in the Pacific for some the new Fairey Firefly, let’s have a look on the last generation of WW2 British aircraft carrier multirole aircraft, the quite successful Firefly. It was essentially a replacement for … Read more
FAA, 2,602 built 1942-45 The Fairey Barracuda was a British torpedo and dive bomber used during World War II. It was designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Company and served primarily with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. The Barracuda entered service in 1943 and saw action in various theaters of the war, including … Read more
RNAS/FAA 1938-40: 98 built. The Gloster Sea Gladiator was a naval variant of the Gloster Gladiator, a British biplane fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Sea Gladiator was specifically designed for operations on aircraft carriers. Origins: The … Read more
Supermarine Seafire (1942-50) Fleet Air Arm. Mk.I to Mk.47 (2,646 built) The Supermarine Seafire is the naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire. A ruggerized version adapted for aircraft carrier use. It just followed the concept of the Hawker Sea Hurricane, as another, earlier navalised version of the second most popular British fighter of WW2. “Seafire” … Read more
