Air & Space Smithsonian – September 2019

There’snoroadsidesignforSandersAeronauticsin

Ione,a remote,bucolictowninnorthernCalifornia

GoldRushcountry.Theonlyhintthatyou’rein

thevicinityis a derelictT-33parkednearDennis

Sanders’house.Anotherindication,if you’relucky,

isthesoundofa HawkerSeaFurybuzzingthe

runwayoftheairfieldnearbyat 400 mph.Inthe

1980s,theSandersnamebecamesynonymouswith

SeaFurys.Thefamilycurrentlyfliesthree,hasa

fourthawaitingrestoration,andhasworkedon

nearlya dozenmore,includingcelebratedrace-

planessuchasFurias,CriticalMass, andSeptember

Fury. “Wedidn’tsetouttobecometheSeaFury

guys,”Sanderssays.“Butyoudoone,youdotwo,

andthentheyallseemtoflockhome.”

FirstamongequalsisDreadnought, thebrawny

warbirdthatchangedthegamewhenit debutedin

1983 attheNationalChampionshipAirRacesin

Reno,Nevada.BuiltbyDennis’father,Dreadnought

wona seriesofshowcaseracesinthemid-1980s

andhasbeena fanfavoriteeversince.Lastyear,

aftera three-decadedrought,it returnedtothe

winner’scircle.LikeitssignatureSeaFury,the

Sandersfamilyis stillmakinghistory.

WhenFrankSanderswaskilled—theT-33jet

trainerheflewinairshowscrashedduringa

trainingflight,alsokillinganotherpilotinthe

backseat—hiscompanywasa successfulwarbird

restorationfirmthatalsodidaninternational

SEA FURY

24 AIR & SPACE airspacemag.com