Tim Percy, an oil industry professional and pilot residing in the UAE, will be making a captivating presentation on April 16, about the restoration of a WWII Seafire aircraft, once piloted by his father Captain Terrence Percy, touching upon its history, rediscovery and the decade-long restoration process to bring it back to flying condition. “This is a story for everyone… We will use the 462 to carry the memory of what an extraordinary aircraft it is and what rich history Britain has in naval aviation,” he tells Hubert Vaz in an exclusive chat. Excerpts:

As a proud son of Captain Terrence Percy, a daring seaman who saw action with the British Pacific Fleet during the invasion of Okinawa and later ran the Royal Golf Club of Belgium, what was your key motive behind getting his Seafire XV restored and renovated?

I grew up with my father as a senior officer, first as Naval Advisor to the British High Commission in New Zealand, and later when he was CO at Yeovilton in the UK. He actually opened the Yeovilton FAA museum under the auspices of the late Prince Phillip. Unlike many others who fought in the war, my father was always interested to discuss his experiences. But I was always surrounded with historical aircraft, the smell of Jet fuel, WWII exploits and his stories. The acquisition of the 462 was purely accidental. But once it was established that this was his aircraft, there seemed no reason not to pursue the task, and who would not want to own a Seafire!

Having acquired rights over the aircraft in 2014, what was your immediate goal – restoration of the aircraft or nostalgic possession of a historic relic that stands testimony to your illustrious lineage?

The idea initially was that the previous owner Wes Stricker (who had bought it from the Burmese Government at auction) would restore 462 as he had already completed PR-503. However, once it became apparent that he would not and the opportunity presented itself for me to take over the project, I evidently jumped at the chance. Thus 462 arrived in the UK in April 2014 to start the restoration as will be seen in the presentation.

What is your background as a pilot? Did you want to make the Seafire flight worthy so as to get a feel of Capt ‘Pablo’ Percy’s heyday in service?

I only managed to find the time to learn to fly in 2000 and have accumulated around 500 hours mostly on Cessna/Robin type aircraft. However, I have now progressed considerably in PT-17 Stearman and T-6/SNJ/ Harvard classic combinations, the latter being the aircraft that will provide me with sufficient experience to manage the Seafire. But there is still a long way to go. The Seafire/Spitfire combination is every pilots dream to fly, but managing zero forward visibility, a delicate undercarriage, and 1900HP under the hood is no mean feat.

Can you briefly share the various stages of the restoration process over the past decade?

This will be dealt with in detail in the presentation. In short, Airframe Assemblies in the Isle of Wight rebuilt the fuselage framework, Kennet Aviation at Old Warden are managing most of the rest, and of course, Rolls Royce for the power plant. It’s an extremely complex affair.

What were the key hurdles faced by you in acquiring as well as getting the Seafire restored?

The Rolls Royce Griffon VI being the first of the Griffon variants (after the Merlins) and being a short block Griffon manufactured in limited numbers, finding parts is next to impossible. Other difficult items include an original seat, the undercarriage selector, the auxiliary gearbox, and not the least, the spade grip handle on the stick itself.

Currently is it ready or some final restoration is yet pending?

We have about fifteen months to go, I believe.

From the lay man’s perspective, how interesting or educative will your presentation be? Are you going to share technical details or the emotions behind it that would spark some intrigue about a bygone era?

This is a story for everyone. Yes, there is a technical aspect, but it is designed so that the layman can understand and appreciate the beauty of this aircraft and follow the extraordinary story that goes with it.  This is done through film, slides, music, anecdotes, and more.

Can you share brief details about some key missions of this Westland-built Seafire XV which is said to have also served with the Burmese Air Force, and recovered from Rangoon in 1998?

The 462 was sold to the Burmese air force in 1952. There is no history available to us of its operations there. My father operated 462 as squadron Commander in 1946 aboard HMS Venerable. This was post war in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), Singapore, and Hong Kong, as per his pilots’ log book.

Did Capt Terence share any interesting stories about him in the cockpit of the Seafire with you? Were you inspired to follow suit?

All we have is the picture of him exiting the cockpit from the 802 Squadron line book. There are many other interesting stories from this private pilots’ diary, but not enough time to recount them all. My own career is not that of a pilot. I am in the oil drilling business. I started my career in 1980 on the rigs in the North Sea, then opened Woodhouse in Dubai in 1985. This month will be my 40th year in Dubai.

What do you plan to do with the restored aircraft? Would it serve as a crucial relic of WWII to inspire/train/educate the new generation of Air Force pilots?

I am an ambassador for the Navy Wings Heritage Trust that maintains vintage aircraft working to preserve Britain’s great naval aviation heritage. We will use 462 to carry the memory on of what an extraordinary aircraft it is and what rich history Britain has in naval aviation.

Would you like to attribute the credit of the restoration process to any particular individual/firm?

There are many people, and these are listed in the presentation. Mainly, Tim Manna and the team at Kennet Aviation.

How much did the entire restoration cost you? Do you expect any returns from this priceless witness of WWII in the long run?

There is no price, and no expected returns, other than to witness one of the most beautiful aircraft ever to grace the skies to return to flight. That will be the best reward!