Thought these might be of interest.
First one is my late father Lt Rusling (not Rustling!) hanging out of the cockpit of WF 616.

Then a better shot of the same aircraft taken at Bardufoss,Norway

Note how clean the aircraft is.
This one shows the characteristic and oft misrepresented exhaust stain

Now more shiny aircraft at Gibralter, no chips here,this is the navy!

Finally one for the historians. A line up of 801 squadron and the back of another shiny airscrew. The geeky officer third from the left on the back row is a Lt (later rear admiral) E Anson. He went on to captain the old HMS Ark Royal. My mother saw him in a documentary about the ship. Her rather uncharitable comment-"good grief that's Ted Anson. He's lost his hair"

Cheers
Steve

Great pictures. Thanks for posting them. Naval Aviation (all countries) is one of the most interesting parts of aviation history. The care that must be taken with the aircraft is unimaginable (salt air, unfriendly physical environments, etc.).
Thanks,
Matt

Steve - some great photos there. Thanks for sharing them.

That Ark Royal documentary wouldn't be the BBC's 1976 production "Sailor" would it?

- Steve

Not sure what the documentary was called. I think it finished with the great ship being sailed off to be broken up.
I've obviously seen these pictures many times, at least once with my dad who sadly died very young some time ago. I've just noticed that in the Norwegian pictures the aircrafts' spinners are a much darker colour than the EDSG upper surfaces. I have a picture of an aircraft (155 - VR930) from the same squadron at Halfar in Malta the previous year and the spinner colour definitely matches the upper surfaces.
I'm guessing the Norwegian colour is black. I hope so because I've just primed my version of I53 - "the best cab on the rank" according to my dad's caption! I'm going with a black spinner unless someone knows better.
Anyone have any idea why they would change the colour?
I'm glad you guys have enjoyed the photos.
Cheers
Steve

Hi Stona
The photos are great, thanks for posting them for everyone to see.
I reckon your building more Sea Furies than I build P-47's
Actually, I have the Trump 1:72 Fury in the stash and I'm looking forward to building it.
Nige

Ho,Ho, I think not Nige! I'm only on my third one. Just looking at my latest which is masked and entirely grey with no canopy or dangly bits and it looks not completely unlike a jug!!! Mind you being the Hobbycraft kit it is only an approximate representation of a Sea Fury! Good enough for me Aunty.
Cheers
Steve

I had the luck to see one from the top of Ben Lawers flying low level up Glen Dochart.
just last summer. I think it must have been for an airshow.
Black with a bright arrow flash along the body
It went up and down the glen a few times before heading off. Beautiful shape and noise
far more romantic than those tornadoes ripping up the highland skies.

Some day, you know, someone will say that about the Tornado - "remember those lovely old things that were held up by aerodynamics and made a proper noise, not like these Whizz-Bangs, oh the good old days, you could buy five thousand Mars Bars for a shirt button ..."

The documentary was indeed Sailor - I remember the repeat in 1984.

Admiral Anson - was he any relation of the admiral after whom the battleship was named?

I'm guessing that the battleship was named after Admiral George Anson (1697-1762). He famously made a four year circumnavigation of the globe (1740-1744) and got back in time to beat the French at the first battle of Finisterre in 1747. Much more importantly he has several pubs named after him.
I don't know if Ted Anson was related but my mum reckons that he was "well connected" in the Navy. She also , less politically correctly, says that he was always going to be an admiral - so maybe!
Cheers
Steve