Hawker Hurricane

[Wurger]

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!

 

[Snautzer01]

 

[stona]

Didn't bring his parachute back though did he...the naughty boy

More seriously, he looks in better shape than you'd expect for someone who had been through such an ordeal.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Wayne Little]

Good stuff.

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[johnbr]

Hurricane V7504 on CAM ship IN Halifax May 1942

 

[johnbr]

Hawker Sea Hurricane Mark I, V6733, of the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit, on the fo'c'sle catapult on board Catapult Armed Merchantman (CAM ship) SS EMPIRE DARWIN, in a convoy heading for North Africa. Note the flaps pre-selected in the take-off position. The catapult was angled to starboard over the ship's bows to prevent the blast from its rockets hitting the superstructure, and to reduce the risk of the pilot being run over by the ship, should the aircraft ditch after launch.
3rd August 1941: The first Condor shot down by a Hurricat

 

[johnbr]

Flt Lt D R Turley George and FO Fenwick in front of their Sea Hurricane Mk IA

 

[Wurger]

 

[johnbr]

hawker.hurricane.mk.v. I have read this the last Mk.

 

[johnbr]

"The last Hurricane variant developed in the UK, the Mk.V was an experimental development of the Mk.IV, employing a ground-boosted Merlin 32 driving a Rotol four-blade propeller. The first aircraft, KZ193, was first flown by the test pilots P.G. Lucas and F.H.S. Fox on April 3, 1943. Only two Mk.V's were built, the other being NL255, both being converted from Mk.IV's.

KZ193 was subjected to a heavy trials program at Langley, fitted with an 1.57 in (40 mm) Bofors cannon under each wing, but later in the year both aircraft were delivered for Service evaluation at Boscombe Down. The ground-boosted Merlins proved of little advantage and on return to Hawker Aircraft each was reverted to Mk.IV standard."

 

[johnbr]

Women work on the production line of Hawker Hurricane aircraft during WW2

 

[johnbr]

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Airframes]

Looks like #34 is a group of re-enactors. Note the apparent age of each person, the six-stack exhausts, and the tail of a Spitfire in the background.

 

[stona]

The catapult on terra firma must be the one erected at the MSFU at Speke on July 6th 1941. The first one was erected at Farnborough by the Experimental Catapult Flight of the R.A.E. It was only suitable for Fulmars.
The man in charge of the Farnborough catapult was a Mr. Crowfoot, famous for his bowler hat, and he came too Speke to oversee the new catapult, along with Squadron Leader Louis Strange (DSO, MC, DFC from WW1 and 49 years old) who would subsequently run all launches at Speke. He was the first pilot to be launched from the Speke catapult. He landed to tell the assembled pilots

"If an old boy like me can do it,it won't mean a thing to lads like you."

The first launch was not without some problems. One account recorded that it was

"a great occasion which was witnessed by everyone who could possibly attend. Squadron Leader Strange did a magnificent launch in which the blast screen suffered severely, being partially stripped of its metal facing, the woodwork set on fire, and the whole being left in a shaky condition. After this exhibition of what the firing of the catapult could do in the way of blast, the screen was greatly strengthened."

Different times!

I suspect the photograph of the launch from a ship might have been taken in Canada. It was common practice for the aircraft to fly off at the end of a crossing. Initially they were craned off, then transported for maintenance, but flying off proved much quicker and more fun.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Airframes]

Yep, Louis Strange was one heck of a character. A Colonel in the RFC in WW1, and a very early pioneer of early powered flight, who was still active in the early part of WW2, flying a Hurricane down a village street in France, to escape from Bf109s, before the evacuation in 1940.
Instrumental, if not the founder of the first parachute school at Ringway (now Manchester International Airport), and central to the development of British Airborne Forces.
His story is wonderfully covered in the book 'Flying Rebel', by Peter Hearne, a tale that Hollywood would love, but the average 'Joe Public' would hardly believe, and definitely worth reading.

 

[johnbr]

Three views of a Hurricane II (1941) with two over-wing long barreled 20mm cannons, and also a 451 RAAF sand and spaghetti camouflaged Hurricane with the same over-wing setup in North Africa.

 

[johnbr]

One of several Soviet Union Hurricanes converted to a two seater with a rear gun position
A Persian (Iran) advanced trainer Mk IIc type converted in 1946, initially with open cockpits.