WHAT AIRPLANE IS THIS?

What can be said about this famous aircraft that has not already been written a dozen times? Developed in 1934 as a private venture by the Hawker Company and designed by Sydney Camm, The Hawker Hurricane was one of WW II’s most versatile fighter aircraft. However, the Hurricane pictured is probably among the breed’s most famous, even though it never flew in combat. For it was the 12,975th, and last, Hurricane ever built.

This design, destined to become the Royal Air Force’s first monoplane fighter, first flew on November 6, 1935. Following the construction principles of its day, the Hurricane prototype had fabric covered wings and rear fuselage plus a fixed-pitch, two-blade propeller. Imagine trying to harness all of the Merlin engine’s 1,030 hp using just two propeller blades that could not be adjusted. It sounds strange to us today, but constant speed propellers with adjustable blades were “too new” for most militaries in 1934. The equally famed Spitfire started life with just a fixed, two-blade, wooden propeller!

Even though the RAF did not ask for a monoplane fighter, the prototype’s performance was so outstanding that the RAF wrote a specification, F.36/34, just so they could order 600 of the revolutionary fighter. The production Hurricane grew aluminum covered wings and turtle deck, the top fuselage section behind the canopy. A three-bladed, adjustable metal propeller was also quickly added and the combat Hurricane was born.

The Hurricane first went into action before WW II started. Twenty four were sent to Yugoslavia in 1938 and twelve went to Finland in 1939. Although unconfirmed, some of the Yugoslavian Hurricanes are said to have flown recon missions over Germany in the summer of 1939 (WW II started 9/3/39). The Finish used their Hurricanes to defend their homeland against the Soviet Union’s invasion, but by then the first shots of the war had been fired. Also by then, the Hurricane was serving in France, the Spitfires being held home in reserve.

The days of “The Few” were also the Hurricane’s glory days. The summer of 1940 brought the German Luftwaffe to the shores of England, poised to cover the invasion, should it ever happen. Each good flying day, from late June to September’s end, thousands of German aircraft attacked England and the same 700 fighter pilots defended it. Even though the Spitfire became famous, the Hurricane actually carried most of the defensive burden. Far more German aircraft were destroyed by Hurricanes than by the Spitfire. Since the usual procedure was for the Hurricanes to attack the bomber stream while the Spitfires distracted the escorting fighters, The Hurricane saved England from more bomb damage than any other aircraft.



From Belgium (they had 15 of them) and France in 1939 to North Africa and the Far East in 1940-41, the Hurricane fought everywhere stemming the tide of the Axis’ (Germany, Italy and Japan) advance. After holding the line in the early, doubt-filled days of the war, in 1942 the Hurricane went on to become a much respected ground attack aircraft while newer aircraft maintained air superiority. The Soviet Union used almost three thousand Hurricanes. Even Portugal used Hurricane II C’s.



This aircraft filled a lot of roles. Photo 1 is of an all-black Hurricane Mk II C night fighter, operated by the RAF’s No. 87 Squardron, just rising above the clouds at dusk, ready for its night patrol. Photo 2 is a Mk XII using fixed landing gear with skis. This Canadian-built version protected the supply convoys sailing the North Atlantic routes.

Some Hurricanes had their landing gear completely removed. These fighters were catapulted from merchant ships far out to sea to defend against attacking German Condor long-range bombers. After the flight, the pilot had to ditch the fighter in the cold North Atlantic where freezing water temperatures allowed only 5-10 minutes of consciousness.

After leaving the sinking airplane, the pilot was supposed to grab a rope dangling from the side of the merchant ship moving by at 7 mph, for the ship could not stop to pick him up. Miss the rope and the pilot would have a difficult day. And this was not volunteer duty. The pilot was assigned to it and did it. Is it any wonder the English so respected their Hurricane pilots?



Somewhat less hazardous ocean duty used Sea Hurricanes operating from aircraft carriers. Photo 3 shows a Sea Hurricane catching the No. 2 wire on the HMS Argus in early 1943. (British carriers had only three wires, not four like American ships, so the “two wire” was the preferred one to catch.) At least this pilot had someplace to land, unlike the catapult Hurricane drivers.
Photo 4, while a Sea Hurricane, is actually a restored aircraft. Photographed in 1991, this Hurricane is painted in the colors of a land squadron, the RAF’s famed No. 71. One of three Eagle Squadrons, composed only of American pilots, No. 71 was among ”The Few” leaving contrails and gun smoke in the English skies in that fierce summer of 1940.

More rugged and a better gun platform than the Spitfire, the Hurricane won the hearts of the English. It must have been an emotional moment as the very last Hurricane accelerated down Hawker’s runway on its way to the RAF. But, with traditional English understatement, the only external sign borne by this aircraft was the small legend just under, and behind, the canopy: “The Last of the Many.”

As for the clues:

All Hawker Furies were bi-planes:
The Hurricane actually was the replacement fighter for the Hawker Fury. The contest aircraft obviously is not a biplane.

The Seafire Mk 47 was similar to the Mk 21 Spitfire. It shared the Mk 21’s bubble canopy and had a giant oil cooler housed in a large cowling under its big Rolls Royce Griffon engine:

The Hurricane never had a bubble canopy and does have fairly graceful nose contours. Strangely, the Hurricane did “grow” to have a bubble canopy and large chin coolers becoming the Hawker Tempest/Typhoon series. But these were entirely different aircraft.

The Dewoitine D 520’s entire cockpit structure was located behind the wing’s trailing edge:

This famous French Fighter, you might see it as a contest aircraft some day, had its pilot compartment “way back there” near the tail. The contest photo aircraft has the canopy just about at wing-center.

The English people were emotionally attached to their Hurricane fighters that helped save England during the Battle of Britain. When the last one was made, they painted a special name on the aircraft in honor of all those Hurricanes, and their brave pilots, that had gone before it:

The contest aircraft has a special name on the side that is clearly visible if the photo is expanded, as can all Sport Aviator photos, by “clicking” on it. Since the clues eliminate all the other answers and the Hurricane has a special name fitting this clue, then it must be the correct answer.

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