EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016: Warbirds - Sea Fury, Spitfire and Yak-9

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience continues into our final month of our year-round coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 with more warbirds.  Here we feature three Allied fighters that made great contributions to World War II and post-war military service: The Hawker Sea Fury, Supermarine Spitfire and Yakovlev Yak-9.

This Hawker Sea Fury is an FB.11 fighter-bomber that saw virtually no military service.  Produced in 1951 and designated for a foreign military contract that was cancelled, it was released to a museum and later civilian owners in the mid 1960s.  It was donated to the Commemorative Air Force in 2005, and is currently based in Memphis, TN.
      

This Spitfire Mk. IX was produced in 1944 and served during World War II, including the D-Day Allied Invasion of France.  It flew escort during the return of the Belgian government from exile, and then served post-war in the Netherlands.  It was on outdoor display for decades, and was sold to Texan Raybourne Thompson in 1994.  Ten years later, it flew again and several years later it became part of the Texas Flying Legends Museum. 

The Yak-9 arrived on the Russian Front in 1942, in time to make an impact on the Battle of Stalingrad.  It was heavily armed, and served in fighter escort and attack roles.  Over 16, 700 were produced, including post-war export models.