Fairey Firefly AS.5/TT.5 (WB271)  [@ RAF Duxford]

Designed by H.E.  Chaplin at Fairey the Firefly was derived from the Fairey Fulmar.   Powered by a Rolls Royce Griffon engine the type was a low-wing cantilever monoplane design with a retractable landing gear.   The prototype Firefly first flew on 22^nd December 1941 with the production of the Mk 1 getting under way from 26^th August the following year.  The first production aircraft was delivered from Fairey’s Great Western Aerodrome (now London Heathrow International Airport) to RNAS Yeovilton on the 4^th March 1943.

The type was a low-wing monoplane with a wide-track undercarriage and carried a crew of two (pilot and navigator/weapons officer in separate compartments).  Armed with four 20 mm guns mounted in the wings and sixteen 60 lb rockets or two 1,000 lb bombs the type was mainly used as a carrier based anti-submarine, reconnaissance and strike aircraft.  An interesting feature were the extending wing flaps, which when extended increased both the wing area and, in turn, their lift.  This last feature made the type docile during landings on aircraft carrier decks

Fairey Firefly AS.5/TT.5 (WB271)  [@ RAF Duxford]

Built as an AS.5 at Hayes, Middlesex, and delivered delivered to RNAS Culham, Oxfordshire, to be prepared for front-line duty.  RNAS Culham was an Aircraft Receipt and Dispatch Unit for the Royal Navy.  WB271 entered service with 814 NAS at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, in July 1949 and spent nine months at sea on HMS Vengeance.  About a year later WB271 was returned to Fairey for maintenance before being placed into storage at Anthorn, Cumbria.  During 1951 WB271 was sent to RNAY Fleetlands, Hampshire, for maintenance and preparation for possible use in the Korean War.  Shipped out to the Far East on aboard the Light Fleet Carrier HMS Warrior in November 1951 as deck cargo WB271 was re-assembled at HMS Sembawang on the northern tip of Singapore and placed into storage.  WB271 did not active device in the war but instead WB271 was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in March 1953 and served on the carrier HMAS Sydney with 816 NAS Squadron before conversion to TT.5 standard in 1957.  Between 1959 and 1962 WB271 saw service with 724 NAS and then 723 NAS who were both based at Naval Air Station Nowra, New South Wales.  Placed into open storage at Nowra and then Struck off Charge during 1966.  WB271 was purchased by members of 814 NAS from HMS Victorious, brought back to the UK on HMS Victorious during 1967 and presented to the Fleet Air Arm Museum for display.  In 1972 WB271 was restored to a flying condition and joined the Royal Navy Historic Flight.  The first flight was in December 1972 with WB271 painted in the Korean War markings of an 812 NAS aircraft, wearing the code 204 and port code R from HMS Glory’s air group.  On the 21^st April 1997 WB271 departed RNAS Yeovilton to under-go a full rebuild at BAe Dunsfold.  When Dunsfold was closed in 2000 WB271 was moved back to RNAS Yeovilton and work was continued by a team of 4 BAE-Systems employees on temporary deployment.  A number of problems beset WB271 following ground testis from February 2002.  Eventually WB271 returned to the air in early 2003 followed by the debut display at Yeovilton in May 2003.  Unfortunately WB271 was destroyed on the 12^th July 2003 in a flying accident at the Flying Legends Air-show at RAF Duxford.  Tragically both crew members were killed in the accident.  The above photographs were taken just prior to that fateful flight.

There were two main Mk 1 variants, the F.1 fighter (429 built) and the F.1A (376 built) which was later converted to F.R.1 (Fighter/Reconnaissance) standard with ASH radar.  Both variants were powered by either the Griffon XI or Griffon XII engine.   A limited number of other Mk 1s were converted to produce Night Fighters (NF.1 & NF.2), Trainers T.1 (unarmed and dual-control) and T.2 (cannon armed and dual-control) as well as the Target Tug TT.1 variants.   Both night fighter variants were F.R.1 conversions fitted with AI.  Mk 10 radar.  The radar pod was mounted beneath the engine of both variant but the N.F.2 had a longer nose.  Night Fighter Interception Unit (NFIU), 746 Squadron, which was based at Ford, West Sussex, were the first to receive the variant in May 1943.  Flying from RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, during late 1944 NFIU Fireflies undertook night patrols over the North Sea to counter V1 (Fieseler Fi 103) flying bombs [photograph below - @ Deutsches Technik Museum, Berlin] air-launched from Heinkel He 111s.

From July 1944 to January 1945 the Luftwaffe launched approximately 1,176 V1s from modified Heinkel He 111 H-22s of the Kampfgeschwader 3 (3^rd Bomber Wing).  To minimise detection the He 111 would be flown at exceptionally low altitude to the the launch point.  Upon arrival the bomber would swiftly ascend, fire the V1, and then rapidly descend again to the previous 'wave-top' level for the return flight.  For several seconds the He 111 was extremely vulnerable to night fighter attack as the launch lit up the area around the aircraft.

Fairey Firefly AS.4/TT.4 (VH127)  [@ Fleet Air Arm Museum]

The Firefly became operational in October 1943 on board the carrier HMS Indefatigable with 1770 Naval Air Squadron.  Fireflies provided fighter cover during the series of Fleet Air Arm attacks on the battleship Tirpitz in the summer of 1944 lying at anchor in Kaa Fjord and in January 1945, while deploying to the Pacific, they took part in the destruction of Japanese-held oil refineries in Sumatra.  In the Pacific theatre the Firefly proved to be a very versatile aircraft, operating as day and night fighter, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.  1772 Naval Air Squadron, operating from HMS Indefatigable, piloted during July 1945 the first FAA aircraft to fly over the Japanese mainland and on the 24^th July 1945 piloted the first British aircraft over Tokyo.

Fairey Firefly AS.4/TT.4 (VH127)  [@ Fleet Air Arm Museum]

Only one Mk 3 variant was built.  It was powdered by the Griffon 61 engine and the prototype first flew in 1944.  The first major post-war variant was the Mk 4, which in turn was replaced by the Mk 5.  Powered by the Griffon 72 the prototype F.4 (160 built) and FR.4 flew for the first time during 1944.  The Mk 5 variant included the F.5, FR.5, NF.5 and the AS.5 an anti-submarine variant equipped with American sonobuoys while the AS.6 carried British equipment and the AS.7 which first flight October 1951 was powered by a Griffon 59 engine.  An AS.5 conversion produced the T.7 which was a provisional anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training variant while the AS.5 conversion produced a trainer for the RAAF.  Later a number were converted into Target Tugs.  The U.8 (34 built) was a converted Mk 4 and the U.9 (40 built) was a converted Mk 5.

VH127 was built as an FR.4 and delivered to RNAS Culham, Oxfordshire, on the 27^th November 1947 to be prepared for front-line service.  During February 1948 VH127 was dispatched to 812 NAS at RNAS Ford, West Sussex.  However VH127 was soon returned to RNAS Culham via Fairey Aviation at Hamble in December.  On the 10^th May 1949 VH127 was transferred to 737 NAS at RNAS Eglinton, County Londonderry.  Placed into storage at Anthorn, Cumbria, on the 27^th October 1950, VH127 was then transferred to 737 NAS at RNAS Eglington on the 25^th May 1951 before arriving at Fairey Aviation, Ringway, on the 9th November 1951 for repairs and conversion to TT.4 standard.  After conversion VH127 was transferred to 771 NAS at RNAS Ford on the 26th May 1954 and then to 770 NAS, who were also at RNAS Ford, on the 18^th August 1955.  On the 24^th February 1958 VH127 was transferred to the Lossiemouth Aircraft Holding Unit and placed into storage.  Struck off Charge during the following March VH127 was declared an historic airframe on the 11^th December 1962.   VH127 arrived at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, by road during July 1963 and remained there on display until November 1972 when VH127 was taken to the Fleet Air Arm Museum (FAAM).  VH127 underwent engine trials with the Royal Navy Historic Flight from late 1979 to 1980 but spent most of the subsequent time until in storage at the FAAM store at Wroughton.  On 20^th May 1992 VH127 was placed on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

After WW2 the Firefly remained in service in both the UK and Australia.  Operating from light carriers, Fireflies carried out anti-ship missions during the Korean War and serving in the ground-attack role in Malaya.  The type remained in front line service with the Fleet Air Arm until the mid-1950s when replaced by the Fairey Gannet.  Exported to Canada, Australia, Denmark, Ethiopia, the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service, India and Thailand, a total of 1700 Fireflies were built with the last being delivered in 1956.