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This Hawker Sea Fury Fighter Plane Traded Autocannons For Racing Decals

Aside from possibly the Grumman F8F Bearcat, the Hawker Sea Fury was the ultimate carrier-based piston engine fighter of the dying days of World War Two and the very early Cold War. With a massive radial engine and a full suite of high-caliber autocannons, the Sea Fury could down everything from German Bf-109s to North Korean MiG-15s.
Hawker Sea Fury Air Racing 10 photos
Photo: Boschung Global Ltd
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But this particular Sea Fury hasn't fired cannons or engaged in a dogfight for decades. It spends its days competing in air races across the globe. In racing run by sanctioning bodies like the Reno Air Racing Association, this number 99 Sea Fury is pitted against some of the fastest piston-powered airplanes ever constructed. Many of its rivals are also ex-warplanes.

Powering this sleek beast is a Wright R-3350 Duplex Cyclone 18-cylinder radial engine similar to the one found with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress strategic bomber. At 3,350 cubic inches (54.9 L), later variants like the ones used in modern Reno Air Raving cranked out as much as 3,500 horsepower. Though many Sea Furies came from the factory sporting British Bristol Centaurus engines, the conversion to the American Duplex Cyclone is especially popular for the type.

This airplane spent time based in the United States before it was flown over the Atlantic Ocean for semi-permanent storage at its current location in the Czech Republic in 2012. While this plane's been stationed in Europe, it has received a new communication, navigation, and avionics suite with tech from reputable companies like Garmin, Nav King, and Collins.

As it stands, there's not much stopping prospective buyers of this airplane from entering it in a sanctioned air race. The price for it all? Let's say Boschung Global Ltd in the Czech Republic doesn't hand out that information to anyone. You have to be a legitimate prospective buyer. One can only imagine that involves a thorough credit check.
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