Tag: Hawker Hurricane

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RAF Museum Welcomes Newly Refurbished Spitfire, Hurricane Gate Guards

The Royal Air Force Museum in London has just welcomed back their Hurricane and Spitfire gate guards after a year-long restoration.

As previously reported, the reproductions were dismantled and transported to Michael Beetham Conservation Centre in Cosford in early 2017. During refurbishment, each aircraft was given a new livery “to reflect the rich and diverse history” of the London site when it was a working RAF station. The Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 now wears the colors of P2725 flown by Sgt. Ray Holmes of 504 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, while the Spitfire Mk XVI now represents TB288 as it appeared during its service with 601 Squadron.

The aircraft will reportedly be assembled over the coming days and positioned at the museum’s pedestrian and car park entrances.

Click below to check out photos of the restored reproductions following their arrival.

Continue reading RAF Museum Welcomes Newly Refurbished Spitfire, Hurricane Gate Guards

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World’s Only Flying Hawker Hurricane Mk IV Heading to New Home

Hawker Hurricane Mk IV (S/N KZ321/CF-TPM), formerly owned by Vintage Wings of Canada in Ottawa, has reportedly been sold and will be heading to its new home in Belgium.

As previously reported, the machine was built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. sometime after 1942 and delivered to No. 6 Squadron RAF in 1943, serving in Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia before the end of WW2. It was abandoned in Israel in 1947 and was recovered decades later from a Jaffa scrapyard by Warbirds of GB, Ltd., who returned it to the UK in 1983.

In 1991, the Hurricane was acquired by The Fighter Collection of the Imperial War Museum. Restoration by Hawker Restorations, Ltd. commenced in 2001 and the aircraft was returned to “zero hour condition” using original and refurbished parts. It performed its first post-restoration flight in 2003 and was operated by The Fighter Collection until acquisition by Vintage Wings of Canada in 2006. It is believed to be the only airworthy Mk IV in existence.

The Hurricane is the second machine from the Vintage Wings of Canada to be sold to a Belgium-based owner in 2018. Spitfire XVI SL721 was sold in February and has already arrived in the country. Future plans have not yet been announced.

(via Platinum Fighter Sales Photo: Peter Bakema via Wikimedia Commons)

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Only Battle of Britain Hurricane Finds New Home, Will Undergo Rebuild

After being based at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire for several years, Hawker Hurricane R4118 has found a new home at Duxford, where it arrived earlier today.

Recently the machine was found to have cracked cylinder banks and a damaged propeller hub. In order to return it to the air, the damaged banks will be replaced with newly overhauled units and a new hub will be manufactured. Additional work will reportedly see repairs made to the radiator, oil cooler and coolant header tank and the installation of newly recovered flying surfaces.

In light of these developments, the decision was made to move the aircraft to Duxford where experts at The Aircraft Restoration Company will carry out the rebuild. It is expected that R4118 will return to flight this summer and be placed on public display in one of the hangars at its new home. Continue reading Only Battle of Britain Hurricane Finds New Home, Will Undergo Rebuild

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A Two-Seat Hawker Hurricane is on the Horizon

Hawker Hurricane IIB G-HHII will reportedly be converted into a two-seater by UK-based Hawker Restorations, Ltd.

The aircraft was manufactured by the Canadian Car & Foundry Company in 1942 and served with the RCAF until 1944. It then passed through a succession of owners, including Tony Ditheridge of Hawker Restorations, who restored it to a fighter-bomber configuration in the markings of BE505 of 174 (Mauritius) Squadron. The machine was acquired by the Hangar 11 Collection in 2007 and performed its first post-restoration flight in 2009. After being offered for sale, the machine once again joined the Hawker Restorations family and performed a short flight from North Weald to its new home at Elmsett on January 19.

Warbird Lovers has reported that the modification to a two-seat configuration will take roughly a year, with the second seat being positioned behind the pilot’s seat with an elongated cockpit and canopy. It is said that the machine will retain its fighter-bomber appearance.

Future plans for the machine have not yet been announced. It is also unclear whether the conversion of G-HHII is related to the Hawker Restoration’s recently announced opportunity to own the “only two-seater Hurricane in the world.”

(via Warbird Lovers and Hawker Restorations, Ltd. Photo: Paul Nelhams via Wikimedia Commons)

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IWM’s Hawker Hurricane Gate Guard Returns With New Livery

Earlier today, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford returned their Hawker Hurricane gate guard to display with a new livery.

As pictured above, the reproduction previously wore the markings of P2954 of 302 (Polish) Squadron flown by Tadeusz Pawel Chlopik, RAF (Polish Air Force). The new colors represent V7467, flown by Douglas Bader of 242 Squadron, RAF.

Click below to check out a photo of the Hurricane’s new appearance.

Continue reading IWM’s Hawker Hurricane Gate Guard Returns With New Livery

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First Trailer Released For Upcoming WW2 Film “Hurricane” [Video]

Earlier today, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution released a new teaser for the upcoming film Hurricane, which reportedly tells “the untold true story of Squadron 303” and “the Polish fliers who found themselves fighting for the freedom of their own country in foreign skies.”

Flying Hurricanes for the RAF over Britain, they became a key component in the legend of ‘The Few’. Up against the might of the Luftwaffe they hoped that, by saving Great Britain from Nazi invasion, they were keeping the dream of a free Poland alive. In the lethal melee above England in that summer of 1940, they fought with a tenacity and skill that earned them the admiration of the whole British nation. The dogfights against superior planes cost some of the men their lives.

The story is experienced through the eyes of fighter ace and adventurer Jan Zumbach, played by Iwan Rheon (Game Of Thrones, Misfits, Inhumans) who discovers that “becoming the best in the RAF is a hollow victory for the Poles,” as “even in a man’s finest hour, cynical political manoeuvrings can destroy his hopes, strip away his dignity and lead him to a very dark place indeed.” Continue reading First Trailer Released For Upcoming WW2 Film “Hurricane” [Video]