Hawker Hurricanes - IWM Duxford 'Best of 2021' Flying Day

Hawker Hurricanes, R4118 with pilot James Brown, and V7497 flown by Neil Oakman, at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford on 9th October 2021, during the 'Best of 2021' Flying Day.

Hurricane Mk.1, R4118, (G-HUPW), is the only Hurricane left that was involved in combat during the Battle of Britain.

Delivered to 605 Squadron on 17/8/40, R4118 went into battle against the Luftwaffe from her base in Croydon. In the hands of Bunny Currant, Archie Milne and Bob Foster, she flew 49 sorties, shooting down or damaging five enemy aircraft before she was battle-damaged and needed repair.

After extensive work she was taken on charge by 111 Squadron at Dyce in January 1941, where she flew on patrol over the North Sea and again saw combat. With newer types of enemy aircraft entering service at this stage of the war, the Mk1 Hurricane was becoming obsolete in front-line service, and R4118 became a training aircraft with 59 and 56 Operational Training Units.

By December 1943, with the threat of a Japanese invasion of India , R4118 was crated in Cardiff and shipped to India as a training aircraft. She was never needed and remained in a packing case in Bombay until 1947 when she was donated to Banaras Hindu University for engineering instruction.

There she stayed, slowly decaying in the corner of a courtyard, until retired businessman and restoration enthusiast Peter Vacher discovered her in 1995. The airframe was still in surprisingly good condition and, after a three-year restoration, it returned to the skies in December 2004.

Since her debut in 2005, R4118 has been acquired by Hurricane Heritage (James Brown). The Hurricane force destroyed more than twice as many enemy aircraft during The Battle of Britain, than all of our other defences combined.

The aircraft is the most historic British aircraft to have survived in flying condition from the Second World War.


Hurricane V7497:-
The original V7497 was manufactured by Hawker Aircraft Ltd in August 1940. It was first delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) No.20 Maintenance Unit (MU) at RAF Aston Down in Gloucestershire and then
went to 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron at RAF Kenley, on 19th September 1940. 501 was an RAF Auxiliary Air Force (AuAF) Squadron , made up of volunteer pilots who had already been heavily committed in combat in France and England prior to and during the Battle of Britain.

V7497's first use was for an uneventful patrol flown by Sergeant Cyril Joseph Saward on 24/9/40. It was used again over the next four days for six more operational sorties, before it was shot down by German Messerchmitt Bf109s over Kent on 28th September.

Just before 10am more than 120 enemy aircraft approached the Kent coast, with 70 crossing the coast in two waves and flying inland. The first wave of 30 flew towards Biggin Hill and 6 managed to reach London.

The second wave of 40 flew as far as Maidstone. Both waves were intercepted by RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes from 17 Squadrons, including 501 Squadron (RAF Kenley), 41 Squadron and 603 Squadron (RAF Hornchurch), 605 Squadron (RAF Croydon) and 66 Squadron (RAF Gravesend).

Flying towards the second wave were 6 aircraft from 605 Squadron, ahead and above twelve Hurricanes from 501 Squadron. They were attacked by 12 Bf109s from 8/JG26 and Pilot Officer Rogers in Hurricane V7497, was 'shot down', parachuted to safety and V7497 crashed near Maidstone.

On that day it was one of 16 RAF Fighter Command aircraft lost and 9 RAF pilots killed over south east England - 4 Spitfires, 2 Hurricanes lost and 4 pilots killed in this combat alone.

Surface wreckage was cleared from the site at the time. A 'dig' in the 1990s found significant remains buried quite deeply, due to the Hurricane's angle and impact speed when it crashed. Parts included the identity plates and many others, later used in its reproduction. These were acquired by Tony Ditheridge of Hawker Restorations and this Hurricane V7497 is the result of a 'full airworthy rebuild' - effectively a completely new Hurricane built around the original identity plates and other useable recovered parts, which are said to amount to about a quarter to a third of the aircraft. The Hurricane has been completed as close to its original condition as possible. This includes an original Merlin Mk.III engine which was restored, with modifications such as split cylinder banks and a modern oil filter system, designed to extend its operational life.

The new V7497 made its first flight at Hawker Restorations facility at Elmsett, Suffolk on 30th August 2018. It was then flown to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, where it is now based flying under the management of the Aircraft Restoration Company.

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[abcdefg]

An excellent display, and captured to perfection by your video Steve! There appears to be a great deal of difference in power between these 2 aeroplanes, not sue if that is due the engine type or pilot restraint, but a wonderful display anyway! Many thanks for posting. Chris B.

[thethirdman]

Nice shots of this critically important aircraft.

[derekbowbrick]

Excellent camera work. Thank-you.
P.S. I liked the story behind it as well.

[falconeaterf]

James Brown ! The Godfather of Soul flying a Hurricane?
I thought he died long ago. I am amazed.
Hu it down one

[thethirdman]

I just wish there was enough for a whole squadron fly past.