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Captain Alan Leahy CBE DSC RN

Joined the Royal Navy in 1943 as Naval Airman 2nd Class. he was trained by the US Navy as a fighter pilot flying Corsairs. Later he qualified as an Air Weapons Officer. He has served on the aircraft carriers Implacable, Illustrious, Theseus, Vengeance, Glory, Bulwark, Ark Royal, Victorious and Hermes. He commanded 738 (Seahawks), 803 (Scimitars) 700 Z and 809 (Buccaneers) and has flown 35 different types of aircraft. In 1953 he was awarded the DSC for operations over Korea flying Sea Furies in 801 Squadron from HMS Glory. He was the leader of the all red Royal Navy Seahawk aerobatic team of five aircraft at the 1957 Farnborough Air Show. He was made MBE in 1958. Amongst a variety of appointments he was Director of the Naval Air Warfare Division of the Naval Staff when the Royal Navy got approval for the Sea Harrier. His final appointment was as Commodore Clyde in command of HMS Neptune and the Faslane Submarine Base. He was appointed ADC in 1977 and promoted to CBE in 1978. Unfortunately Alan Leahy passed away on December 26, 2019.

Distinguished Service Cross

Buccaneer

Buccaneer The Buccaneer. Designed for high-speed, deep penetration attacks at ultra low level, the Buccaneer has always been immensely popular with its aircrews. The design may be old, but the concept was brilliant, and the Buccaneer still retains a unique combination of range, war load and speed, unmatched by any other aircraft in RAF service. Pressed into service during the Gulf War, Buccaneers finally proved in the most spectacular manner what many had known for years - that the only suitable replacement aircraft for the Buccaneer is another Buccaneer.

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Corsair Manufacturer : Chance-Vought Built : 12000

Corsair The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the finest naval aviation fighter of its era. Work on this design dates to 1938 and was headed-up by Voughts Chief Engineer, Rex Biesel. The initial prototype was powered by an 1800-HP Pratt & Whitney double Wasp radial engine. This was the third Vought aircraft to carry the Corsair name. The graceful and highly recognizable gull-wing design of the F4U permitted the aircraft to utilize a 13-foot, three-blade, Hamilton Standard propeller, while not having to lengthen the landing gear. Because of the rigors of carrier landings, this was a very important design consideration. Folding wings were also required for carrier operations. The F4U was thirty feet long, had a wingspan of 41 feet and an empty weight of approximately 7,500 pounds. Another interesting feature was the way the F4Us gear rotated 90 degrees, so it would lay flush within the wing when in the up position. In 1939 the Navy approved the design, and production commenced. The Corsair utilized a new spot welding process on its all aluminum fuselage, giving the aircraft very low drag. To reduce weight, fabric-covered outer wing sections and control surfaces were fitted. In May of 1940 the F4U made its maiden flight. Although a number of small bugs were discovered during early flight tests, the Corsair had exceptional performance characteristics. In October of 1940 the prototype F4U was clocked at 405-MPH in a speed test. The initial production Corsairs received an upgraded 2,000-HP radial giving the bird a top speed of about 425-MPH. The production models also differed from the prototype in having six, wing-mounted, 0.5 caliber machine guns. Another change was a shift of the cockpit about three feet further back in the fuselage. This latter change unfortunately made naval aviators wary of carrier landings with the F4U, due to its limited forward visibility during landings. Other concerns were expressed regarding a severe port wing drop at landing speeds and a tendency of the aircraft to bounce off a carrier deck. As a result, the F4U was initially limited to land-based USMC squadrons. Vought addressed several of these problems, and the Royal Navy deserves credit for perfecting an appropriate landing strategy for the F4U. They found that if the carrier pilot landed the F4U while making a sweeping left turn with the port wing down, that sufficient visibility was available to make a safe landing. With a kill ratio of 11 -to- 1 in WW 11 combat, the F4U proved superior in the air to almost every opposing aircraft it encountered. More than 12,000 F4Us were built and fortunately a few dozen remain in flyable condition to this date.

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Scimitar

Scimitar No profile available

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Sea Fury Manufacturer : Hawker Built : 860

Sea Fury Single engine Fighter of the Fleet Air Arm. maximum speed 460mph at 18,000 feet. maximum ceiling 35,800 feet and a range of 1040 miles. The Sea Fury was armed with four 20mm Hispano cannon in the wings and a bomb load of 2000ilb or 12 3 inch rockets under the wings. The Sea Fury was developed from the Hawker Tempest. With the Fleet Air Arm receiving their first aircraft to 807 squadron in August 1947. It continued in service until 1953, The Hawker Sea Fury was a carrier borne aircraft and most of its operational career was during the Korean War, where it was used as a ground attack aircraft. It also saw alot of aerial combat against the Mig-15 Jets. The total number of Sea Furies built was 860 aircraft.

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Sea Hawk

Sea Hawk No profile available

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Captain Alan Leahy CBE DSC RN Squadron details

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