Fly Navy Heritage Trust PRESERVING THE ROYAL NAVY’S AVIATION HERITAGE
Introduction The Fly Navy Heritage Trust is a Registered Charity that exists to enable the Royal Navy Historic Flight to display its iconic Fairey Swordfish, Hawker Sea Fury and Hawker/Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk at Air Shows across the United Kingdom and to increase public awareness of the glorious heritage of British Naval Aviation. We also support the Fleet Air Arm Museum based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton with its award winning displays and static aircraft; the largest Naval Aviation Museum in Europe and the Commonwealth. Finally the FNHT honours the sacrifice of Fleet Air Arm personnel past and present, through support to the Church of St. Bartholomew near to RNAS Yeovilton, the spiritual home of the Fleet Air Arm. Its Memorial Chapel houses the Fleet Air Arm’s Roll of Honour recording the names of over 6500 personnel who have given their lives over more than 100 years of Royal Naval Aviation, and its Royal Naval Cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
2
The Charity’s objectives are set out in our Declaration of Trust and Memorandum of Association and are: • To educate members of the public in the history, traditions and exploits of the Fleet Air Arm and the history of Royal Naval aviation generally. • To provide a memorial and tribute to the men and women who have flown, maintained or contributed in any way to the operation of aircraft in the Fleet. • To advance the effectiveness of the Armed Forces of the Crown by promoting the efficiency of aviation in the Royal Navy.
Background The FNHT has launched an appeal to restore a second Swordfish to airworthy condition, to join her sister aircraft as the only two flying Swordfish in the world. Throughout 2013 the nation is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, as seen during high profile public events in London and Liverpool during May. The battle against the U-boat threat was the hardest fought victory in history and it was one in which over 85,000 Allied seamen lost their lives. Crucial to these multi-national commemorative events, and to all future events, were the memorial flypasts by a Swordfish in tribute to all those who perished in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. The Swordfish played a vital role in the Battle of the Atlantic, flying from the pitching and rolling decks of converted merchant ships, in mountainous seas and bitter cold, defending convoys against attack by U-boats and flying some of the most hazardous missions imaginable during
3
the arduous six-year campaign. The significance of the proposal to restore the oldest surviving Swordfish in the world to full flying condition in order to fly in this and subsequent years’ historical events cannot be underestimated. Looking to the future, in 2014 we will celebrate the centenary of the formation of the Royal Naval Air Service, neatly juxtaposed with the future of carrier aviation embodied in the launch of the Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH. While in 2015 we will commemorate the centenary of the Royal Naval Airs Service’s first two Victoria Crosses.
Fairey Swordfish I W5856
Aircraft Information Fairey Swordfish W5856 is a priceless national treasure, a rare and poignant reminder of the extraordinary courage and bravery of the selfless young men who flew and maintained her and the great price paid to keep the ‘Atlantic life-line’ open. The aircraft was built in 1941 by Blackburn Aircraft and saw active service in the Mediterranean. In 1990 she was bought by the then British Aerospace who lovingly restored her to flying condition and gifted her to the Royal Navy. However, in 2003 she was grounded with corrosion in her wing spars. But with great generosity of spirit, apprentices at BAeSystems once again saved her, working in their spare time to build a new set of wings, a benefit in kind estimated to be worth in the region of £750K. Although naval aircraft are designed to withstand the exacting demands of operating at sea, the Swordfish was not built with the expectation of still being airworthy 70 years later. Keeping these valuable aircraft flying in their old age is a meticulous task and the engineering project work to restore Swordfish W5856’s 9 cylinder Pegasus radial engine, manufacture new pistons and rebuild and paint her in her original 1941 paint scheme, will be done by skilled specialist engineers.
3
Breakdown of Costs to get Swordfish W5856 flying again (VAT inclusive) Refurbishment of Pegasus Engine
£130,800
Manufacture of Pistons and associated fittings
£10,000
Engine rebuild contingency and emergent work
£20,000
Paint scheme (original 1941 colours) Technical engineering costs of rebuilding the aircraft to airworthy standard plus contingency TOTAL
£4,000 £35,200 £200,000
Market Information and Benefits Our Patron, His Royal Highness the Duke of York, is taking a personal interest in the project. Once the aircraft has achieved airworthy status, as approved by the Ministry of Defence, and potentially as early as late 2013, she will join her sister aircraft. As such she will attend Air Shows and events the length and breadth of the country, attracting audiences of up to 3 million annually and receiving strong image association with aviation and aviation-related brands. The Royal Navy Historic Flight forms a strong proponent for our National Heritage and receives regular recognition in all forms of national media. May’s Battle of the Atlantic events featured W5856’s sister Swordfish, LS326, on all major UK and European TV and radio channels and in all UK newspapers. We are planning a high visibility rededication ceremony in the Spring of 2014, renaming W5856 as the “City of Leeds”. Many Swordfish were built nearby at Sherburn-in-Elmet and the people of Leeds contributed a significant amount of money to her restoration. 5
Summary This prestigious and significant capital project will have a lasting impact raising the profile of the Nation’s Naval Aviation Heritage and securing the future of this remarkable aircraft on behalf of the Nation. Few people today realise the part played by the Royal Naval Air Service and Fleet Air Arm in the history of Great Britain and around the world, or the hazards, ethos and spirit of flying from ships at sea. The project is managed by the Chairman, Trustees and Directors of the Fly Navy Heritage Trust who have extensive experience in project management and preservation of historic aircraft, including Sea Fury T20 VX281 donated to the Trust by a benefactor in 2009. Current sponsors of the Trust include BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, AgustaWestland, Barclays Wealth, James Hambro & Partners and the Bremont Watch Company. Ambassadors include Nick Mason, Sir George Martin, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charley Boorman and Frederick Forsyth. Further information and a copy of the Trust’s Prospectus and the Annual Report and Accounts are available.
Fly Navy Heritage Trust fnht.co.uk
Fly Navy Heritage Trust, RNAS Yeovilton, Room 112, Unicorn House, Ilchester, Somerset BA22 8HW. Tel 01935 842005 email office@fnht.co.uk Registered Charity Number 1117272