Sea Venom Wz944, Restoration

[Rich G]

Hello to all. My name is Rich Grinnell and I help run a small air museum in Southwestern Utah. In the next few months we will have Sea Venom WZ944 here with us. Our goal is to get it back in the air where it belongs.

Because we are a museum, I would like to know more about the 944's history. I would love to hear from crew members and pilots that had anything to do with it. If you have pictures, I would appreciate that as well. We would like to tell her story.

I am also wondering if anybody knows where I can get accessories for the aircraft. I am interested in ladders, covers, tow bars and jury struts. Any condition would be fine. If you know of anything and would like to help please let me know.

I am also interested in manuals. Specifically the FAW 53 AP 4360 C Volumes 1 & 6. If anybody has PDF copies they would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to Ontario, Oregon this Sunday to look at the aircraft and would gladly post some photos of the airplane if anyone is interested.

Thank you!

[Martin Edwards]

G'day Rich
It would certainly be great to see another Sea Venom flying again.
Hopefully you receive the information that you are seeking.
Any photos of WZ944 would be most welcome as we have none at all.

[Ghostrider870]

Rich
I have a full set of manuals for the Sea Venom and I have restored several
including two runners
I'm restoring WZ-897 at the moment and have access to the bits you seek.
Could you contact me via PM please
Cheers
Steve Long

This post has been edited by Ghostrider870 on May 15 2015, 08:38 PM

[Joe Barr]

I have a couple of photos of WZ944 but the system doesn't seem to want to upload them!

Joe

[Luig]

Joe, Your photos have to be less than 250Kb in file size and only one photo per post AFAIK. However there may be other issues. I'm interested also in any Venom photos you may have.

Good news on the SEA VENOM front in the USofA. 'GhostRider' knows all about them as he indicates.

I was lucky enough to fly some of them (stripped of radars and gunsights) for the last year or so of their lives until Dec 1970 - mostly flying Fleet Support, towing banners for our new A4G Skyhawks to shoot at and the DELMAR TARGET for our ships to fire at - for about 100 hours - never aboard HMAS Melbourne. And then they were gone.

A goodly bunch of F.A.W. Mk 53 Sea Venom info from my perspective is here:

Spaz Sinbad page on Microsoft OneDrive
FOLDER: Sea Venom F.A.W. Mk. 53 PDF 08 Aug 2014

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=CBCD63D63407...340707E6%212066

PLEASE DO NOT LEFT mouse click on any file to allow the native PDF viewer here (or on GoogleDrive) to view any PDFs. Please right mouse click on a PDF to DOWNLOAD it first then view it with the latest Acrobat Reader suitable for your Operating System.

I'll actually make another Venom specific PDF to upload since the one available there is a bit old now. Also on GoogleDrive there should be stuff....

FOLDER: PDFs & Videos Various RAN FAA

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BwB...ZDhMOHZZUGxXQ2M

SeaVenomRANFAA08aug2014pp351.pdf (230Mb)

[Martin Edwards]

Joe, if you have trouble uploading the photos here may I suggest http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/uploaded/
Thanks
Martin

[Luig]

Latest version of the Sea Venom excerpts on OneDrive etc:

FOLDER: Sea Venom F.A.W. Mk. 53 PDF 08 Aug 2014 & 16 May 2015 update

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=CBCD63D63407...340707E6%212066

Sea Venom Mk53 FAW RANFAA 16 May 2015 pages 365.pdf (276Mb)

This post has been edited by Luig on May 16 2015, 06:04 PM

[Luig]

Forgot to record (I'll guess a book) from whence photo of 873 - WZ944 comes from but anyway it is an example of one of the few flyable Venoms available in 1969-70 when I last flew them. I'll check dates - first last.

Attached Image

[Luig]

It was a long time ago now and I will say that only one example 873 was flying at the end Dec 1970 so I will say that 873 was the last Venom flown (by Pete Cox - sadly now deceased) a few days after my flight with PO Max Poole (Delmar Target Operator) but no Delmar on this flight - just a 'keeping in practice flying the Venom sortie' as per my log book page. SCT = Staff Continuation Training (I was 'staff' on VC-724 at that time).

This post has been edited by Luig on May 17 2015, 10:26 AM

Attached Image

[Luig]

Another slightly larger version of the Sea Venom PDF at 400 pages has been uploaded to GoogleDrive. It is now on the earlier OneDrive page and will be in the same folder/URL above: [same download method as above - The Extra Pages are about a Sea Venom Accident with supporting information.]

FOLDER: PDFs & Videos Various RAN FAA

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BwB...ZDhMOHZZUGxXQ2M

Sea Venom Mk53 FAW RANFAA 16 May 2015 pages 400.pdf (285Mb)

This post has been edited by Luig on May 17 2015, 10:24 AM

[Rich G]

Hello all from the US! Sorry for the lack of posts, been really busy.

We have made the decision to truck 944 the 360 miles to the restoration facility. That was a tough decision but in the end financially it was the correct one. Once t the new location we will have the time to go through it correctly so we can prep it for flight.

We are still looking for parts, specifically anything that has to do with the nose gear. We need new tires, and inner tubes. It would be real nice to have a second or third wheel assembly as well.

I would still like to see any other photos if the aircraft if you have them.

Luig, it is really cool that you flew Sea Venoms. It's even way better that you actually flew ours. I would love to hear more about your experience.

I have been in touch with Steve Long. I can't even begin to tell you what a big help he has

[Luig]

Not sure what you want to hear but it is great you have been in contact with Steve Long. Sadly a lot of the CHIEFs that at the time of the last flight who knew every corroded bolt on the old Venoms probably are not on the internet these days. Some people on this forum may be able to help you with spare parts but other than that I do not know much else. I gather you have flying manuals and maintainer manuals for reference?

I can answer specific questions if my memory is able to do so but such things are fading now - it was a long time ago and I have only some 105 hours on them. To me with some 264 hours on Vampires the Venom was more like a better Vampire, more thrust, better engine response, better brakes, slightly more sluggish handling, with that much bigger wing, and the view out the front of the Sea Venom is bad, especially in the circuit. And of course NEVER stall the aircraft close to the ground because the Ghost engine still takes time to spool up, even though it will not chug and splutter like the Vampire Goblin, because it is well engine controlled, but do not slam open the throttle nevertheless (like modern jet FADEC engines). The throttle could be opened quickly though.

IF you have any Vampire time then be aware of the danger of jumping from a Vampire to Venom and vice versa due to the SPEEDBRAKE lever in the Venom being the Low Pressure Fuel Cock in the Vampire. Many a time (and we were warned about this severely) my hand strayed to the fuel lever in a Vampire after I had been flying the Venom for a few hours earlier. However the embedded (from RAAF flying instruction) method of punching down the speed brake control in the Vampire, with a closed fist, really helped with that issue. Otherwise one never touch the low pressure fuel cock in the Vampire.

I scared myself one day doing one of my endless circuit variations (I liked to practice circuits more than anything else). Flapless and low trying to nail the numbers I got inadvertently very close to the stall being just a tad too low on finals with the engine spooling up to full power as I touch down. My intended touch and go turned into a full stop. I had had enough that day. :-)

Years ago now I was in contact with a Venom maintainer at the South Australian Museum (where ever it is). The Venom there was being restored so if you can contact them they may be another source of advice and spares?

This post has been edited by Luig on Sep 28 2015, 01:58 AM

[Luig]

FAW Mk53 Sea Venom 'Ramjet' Aerobatic Team 724 Squadron

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC9fyTMPVKo

GIF Graphic below is made from a 724 Squadron Line Book from early 1960s. The now defunct GOLDEN FLEECE petrol company sponsored the 'RAMJETS' especially providing fuel when the RAMS travelled around Oz with their aerobatic display.

This post has been edited by Luig on Nov 20 2015, 06:20 AM

Attached Image

[Rich G]

WZ944 is coming along. Within the next month she will be pulled in the hangar and work will be started. Trucking the plane went very smooth with no problems being encountered. We have a plan to replace the flexible lines on the aircraft, new brakes and a new canopy.

In the next couple of months we will be launching a website along with all the usual social media sites. A friend of mine is in discussion with monthly magazines as well.

We are in need of help. We would like to know the history of 944 so we could have that info available on our website. So if you can help, or know of somebody that could, we would be very grateful.

On another note, we are leaving on the 18th to go see another Sea Venom, WZ903, that has seemed to disappear. We are looking at the possibility of acquiring that airframe so we have a parts source for 944. It's unfortunate but it seems she doesn't have the rudders, horizontal and elevators. Without those it would be impossible to get her back in the air.

All our photos of the airplane are too large to add here. I will post some more on the website so you can view them.

[Luig]

'RichG' you are welcome to use any material in the PDFs mentioned or any text of mine here. And Good Luck.

[Rich G]

Thanks Luig!