# Biblane Hurricane



## 4trade (Jan 21, 2013)

Wow....

A Hawker Hurricane, which featured a jettisonable top wing with integral fuel tanks, to reduce take-off distance with heavy loads, and to improve ferry range. The modification was implemented by F. Hills Sons and was designated the "Hillson FH.40". It proved too heavy to be serviceable.


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## Njaco (Jan 21, 2013)

Now that is cool and unusual! Thanks for posting!


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## stona (Jan 21, 2013)

Jettison upper wing.....and......stall 
Steve


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## Njaco (Jan 21, 2013)

stona said:


> Jettison upper wing.....and......stall
> Steve



I think thats all you have to do.... make a turn and you jettison the upper wing, whether you want to or not!!!


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## Wayne Little (Jan 23, 2013)

Just looks wrong to me....


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## Rogi (Jan 23, 2013)

Not bad, we can add that next to the "DB" Hurricane Yugoslavia built, in the weird section of the Hurri's History


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## 4trade (Jan 23, 2013)

> Not bad, we can add that next to the "DB" Hurricane Yugoslavia built, in the weird section of the Hurri's History



Hurricane have some weird mod´s history, like this open cocpit 2 seat Iranian trainer:


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## tyrodtom (Jan 23, 2013)

That looks heavily armed for a trainer, those surely aren't .303's sticking out of the wings.


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## Micdrow (Jan 23, 2013)

4trade said:


> Hurricane have some weird mod´s history, like this open cocpit 2 seat Iranian trainer:
> 
> View attachment 222623



The soviets also converted a few like this and if I rember right some had a rear manned gun.


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## Micdrow (Jan 23, 2013)

Yep found it


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## nuuumannn (Jan 23, 2013)

> That looks heavily armed for a trainer, those surely aren't .303's sticking out of the wings.



Hurricane IIc - 4 x 20 mm cannon as standard armament. There's another photo of the same aircraft with a canopy over the rear cockpit. Note also that the hump fairing and what was called the 'Dog Box' is gone completely from aft of the cockpit. The 'Dog Box' was a light ply fairing that was narrow enough to enable the canopy to slide backwards.

The removal of the hump was simple since it was light wooden formers, which were covered in fabric; the structure beneath being a welded steel tube cage stretching back to the rudder post.


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## RAGMAN (Jan 23, 2013)

didnt the hurricane come from a bi plane design?


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## tyrodtom (Jan 23, 2013)

It's got a lot of visual similarity to the earlier Hawker Fury, but when you look close it's just a family resemblance. All Hawkers of that time period had some similarities.


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## Wayne Little (Jan 24, 2013)

now i don't mind the 2 seaters...


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## N4521U (Jan 24, 2013)

Now that there Bipe would make a great mod for the cabinet!!!!

Found this 2008 post
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/best-late-biplane-fighter-13592-3.html


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## fubar57 (Jan 24, 2013)

While searching for RCAF Target Tugs, I found another picture but this one has the caption "with the RCAF" That can't be right, can it?(from wwiivehicles.com)






Geo


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## buffnut453 (Jan 24, 2013)

Nope, it can't be right...indeed, it isn't. The "slip wing" Hurricane was only ever flown in the UK with the RAF.


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## nuuumannn (Jan 24, 2013)

Although that Hurri (Hawker built Mk.I L1884) didn't ever fly with the RCAF, it did go to Canada as a pattern aircraft in 1939 before being returned to the UK. No doubt RCAF pilots got to fly it though. That might explain the caption.

The Hillson F.H.40 as it was known in this guise was operated under an Air Ministry contract with the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment in 1942 before the idea was canned. The slip wing Hurri was actually designed to enable the Hurricane to lift a greater load, but it was found that later variants could achieve the parameters required with external stores, so the slip wing idea was not necessary.


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## fubar57 (Jan 24, 2013)

Thought so. Just making sure. Thanks Buffnut.

Geo


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## fubar57 (Jan 25, 2013)

Never seen your post when I entered mine Nuuumannn. Thanks for the info. I typed in Hillson F.H.40 into google images and there is a fair bit of stuff out there.

Geo


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## Airframes (Jan 25, 2013)

Somewhere in a dusty box, I have some footage of this on VHS, and 'stills' showing the upper wing jettison trials - _if_ I can find it, I'll see if I can have it transferred to digital.


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## Wayne Little (Jan 26, 2013)

Let's hope you find it Terry...


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## buffnut453 (Jan 26, 2013)

Yeah, the whole concept of jettisoning that wing seems...well, scarily dangerous. Wonder what were the odds of the wing hitting the fin/tail?


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## Airframes (Jan 26, 2013)

From what I remember, that was a problem which had been considered, and I believe early trials showed a distinct possibility of this. However, the 'stills', from what I recall, show the top wing 'lifting' at the leading edge as it's jettisoned, with the next shot showing the wing quite high above the mid fuselage section, and the third shot showing it behind the aircraft, at the start of what could be described as a wing tip stall.
I'll dig through the stuff I still haven't un-packed after moving house fourteen years ago(!), and if it's not there, then it'll probably be at my ex-wife's house, in the loft somewhere!


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## nuuumannn (Jan 30, 2013)

No worries, Geo. So, Terry, what are you going to offer the ex-wife to go raid her loft?


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## Airframes (Jan 31, 2013)

Er... I'm still pondering on that one - especially as the 'loft' is actually in the roof void of a 350 year old cottage, and, seeing as I'm now knackered with Rheumatoid Arthritis, the chances of me squirming through the top of a cupboard, turning left in a space about 20 inches high, then clambering upwards through a small hatch, before crawling along the tree trunk used as a main beam, are fairly slim!


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