Hawker Hotspur question

[tomo pauk]

Seems like sources don't agree about the dimensions of the Hotspur's wing - Wikipedia says that wing was of same area as what Heney had (342 sq ft), supposedly the Henley was turned into the turret fighter and thus Hotspur is born. Granted, Wikipedia quotes sources 40-50 years old. However, a passing look at wing shape and span, the undercarriage, and high speed figure points out that wing is probably the same as on the Hurricane (257.5 sq ft), ie. without the inboard 'plugs' that Henley had.
If someone can shed some light on this, I'd thank in advance

 

[ThomasP]

The BAE website says the Hotspur's wingspan was 40' 6". The decreased wing span vs the Henley's 47'10.5" was intended to improve speed and maneuverability. The wing area of the Henley was 342 ft2 vs the Hotspur's 263 ft2 (both including the fuselage).

The outer wing panels on both aircraft were the same as on the Hurricane, but the Hotspur's inner wing structure was different, with a span of 9' 7.5" vs the Hurricane's 9' 1.5" (between joint pin centers).

The fuselage and center wing section of the Henley were significantly different from the Hotspur's, with the Hotspur's fuselage significantly wider in order to accommodate the turret in a streamlined section.

 

[tomo pauk]

Thank you. Fuselage was also much shorter than of the Henley.
It is probably safe to say that Wikipedia entry about it is one of the worse references one can have about the Henley.

 

[ThomasP]

I have seen the length of the Hotspur listed as 32'10.5", but not from an official source. I am not saying it is wrong, just not confirmed authoritatively.