1949 Hawker Sea Fury FB11 These are basic Hawker Sea Fury stats- Weight: Empty 9,240 lbs., Max Takeoff 12,500 lbs. Wing Span: 38ft. 4.75in. Length: 34ft. 8in. Height: 15ft. 10.5in. Performance: Maximum Speed: 435 mph Ceiling: 34,300 ft. Range: 680 miles The history of this airplane-- N71GB was originally brought over from Iraq by Talichet and Jurist in the 1980's.  The fuselage was "used" but the wings and tail section were "new" according to logbooks.  The aircraft was originally an FB-11, but has the slightly larger MK-20 horizontal stabilizer and was built up by George Baker who retained it as his personal airshow aircraft calling it "Sky Fury".   As were most of these aircraft from Iraq, the original Bristol-Centaurus engine was removed and replaced with the Wright "Cyclone" R-3350-26, basically a Skyraider engine.  The aircraft passed through several owners and has been raced at Reno several times.  It is a competitive aircraft taking second place in the unlimited silver when last raced in 2005.  The oil cooling system has been reworked by Nelson Ezell.   The fuel system on N71GB has been simplified to incorporate one large newly installed fuselage tank of 140 gallons and only one reserve integral wing tank.  Two 90 gallon drop tanks can be used for longer range flights. The other wing tanks have been converted to spray bar cooling water on the left side, and ADI fluid on the right.  The instrument panel has been modernized with recent digital nav/coms, GPS, HSI, fuel flowmeter and other safety features.    In preparation for the 2008 Reno event, the ADI system is being "tweaked", and the forward ring cowl and spinner smoothed and re-painted. Owner/Pilot, Robin Crandall is a practicing Orthopedist (hence the name Sawbones), as well as an accomplished pilot. He can often be seen flying his SNJ with the performance team- T-6 Thunder. Pilot, Ray Dieckman is an experienced air racing pilot who flies a wide range of aircraft, including his own Bearcat, as seen here during the Thunder Over Michigan air show in 2007. For more information and past photos of N71GB-- Warbird Registry JetPhotos.net Courtesy Aircraft Sales