The Fairey Firefly was a two-seat carrier borne fighter. Designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Company the Firefly MK.1 entered service with the Royal Navy in late 1943. The type was used in combat in both the European and Pacific theatres. With the end of World War Two the Royal Navy continued to operate the later versions of Firefly. The Royal Navy’s Firefly MK. 5 also saw combat in both the Korean War (1950-1953) and during the Malayan Emergency.
The type was also exported to many nations like Canada, The Netherlands and Australia. In 1948 The Firefly Mk.V entered Australian service with the Royal Australian Navy. And were operated by 816 and 817 Squadrons from the RAN aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney. In mid-1951 the RAN was advised that Sydney would deploy to Korean waters to support United Nations operations in the Korean War. The RAN Fireflies flew their first sortie on 4 October 1951 and over the next four months 2366 sorties were flown from the carrier. A total of four Fireflies were lost, or damaged beyond repair, on operations in Korea before the last sortie was flown on 25 January 1952.
Following the signing of the Armistice, on 27 July 1953, hostilities ceased on the Korean Peninsula but post-Armistice maritime patrols were required to ensure that peace was maintained. HMAS Sydney deployed to Korean waters again with its Fireflies from November 1953 until June 1954. No Fireflies were lost during this deployment. The Firefly was phased out of RAN service in 1955. With the Fairey Gannet entering service with the RAN. Four Fireflies were converted to dual cockpit aircraft for pilot training and another two to target towing aircraft for fleet support duties. Before the type was retired from Royal Australian Navy.
THE KIT
This classic 1966 Airfix kit has not been available since the year 2000. Which needs to be brought back under the Airfix Vintage Classics range. In typical Airfix fashion it is an easy kit to make. I ended up altering my model into the colors of a RAN Target tug aircraft. But with a twist the completed kit was glued onto a stand. Made into a plinth for a scale model gate guardian aircraft diorama. As for the decals they were a mixture of spares and DIY decals.
Until next time thank you for watching this video. And good luck with all your ongoing projects.
From
Shuttle Factory Scale Models