The design that became the Hawker Sea Fury goes back to a 1943 requirement for a Fleet Air Arm fighter based on the Hawker Tempest. First flown in 1945, the new Fury design began military flight trials and entered service with No. 778 squadron. The Fury, along with the Grumman Bearcat and P-51 Mustang, marked the epitome of piston-engine fighter design before technology focused on jets.

The Fury, and navalized Sea Fury, were instant hits with the British military, as well as foreign countries such as Germany, Burma and Iraq. The design also leant itself to a modification for a second cockpit and dual controls. The two-seat "training" version of the Fury matched the high performance of the FB II version. The British Navy ordered 60 of the two-seaters and designated them T Mk.20.

"September Pops" is one of those aircraft. After military service in Britain, a majority of the
T Mk.20's were sold to the Duetsche Luffarht Beratungsdienst company in Germany. The trainers were painted red and utilized as target tugs and artillery spotters for the Luftwaffe.

Mike Brown bought this aircraft from Jack Rogers in March of 1996. Sanders Aircraft performed a ground-up restoration and modified the Fury with a Wright R-3350 engine swinging a Skyraider propeller. Completed in 1998, the aircraft was finished in a two-tone blue scheme. Mike Brown named the airplane "September Pops," and set his sights on racing at Reno.

When he debuted at the races, Mike Brown quickly made a name for himself with his own style of flying. "Low Down Brown" was asked to fly just a touch higher while on the race
course. His aggressive style and hard charging demeanor marked him as a future champion. Mike Brown ended up placing fifth in the gold race.

After racing at Tunica in 2005, Mike Brown flew "September Pops" to Texas Aerocolor to have this new paint scheme applied. The new scheme received rave reviews upon its arrival at the 2005 National Championship Air Races at Reno, Nevada. In 2006, Dan Vance flew "September Pops" to a first place finish in the Unlimited Class Silver Race Sunday afternoon with a speed of 405.749 mph.

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