HAWKER HURRICANE I

R4118

Hawker Hurricane I R4118 (G-HUPW) is the only airworthy Hurricane to have taken part in the Battle of Britain and is perhaps the most historic Second World War fighter to have survived the conflict. The Hurricane originated from the drawing board of the legendary Sir Sydney Camm, who went on to design other iconic fighters like the Tempest, Hunter, Harrier, and many others. The Hurricane first flew in November 1935 and entered service just over two years later. The type is often considered something of an ‘unsung hero’ throughout wartime – it was often overlooked in favour of the more glamorous Spitfire yet performed a wider range of roles arguably more effectively. Its largely fabric fuselage was easy to repair in the event of battle damage and whilst the thick wing of the Hurricane might have prevented it reaching the same speeds as a Spitfire, it provided the aircraft with impressive turning performance and gave the pilots who flew it great confidence. Despite over 14,000 Hurricanes being constructed, only around 16 remain in an airworthy condition today. Part of the reason for this is the sheer number of man hours required to reconstruct a Hurricane; approximately double what would be required to get a Spitfire back in the air.

R4118 was constructed at the Gloster factory in 1940, and that August was delivered to 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron. This was halfway through the Battle of Britain, and for the remainder of the conflict this airframe flew 49 sorties from RAF Croydon. During that time R4118 destroyed or damaged five enemy aircraft. On 22nd October 1940, this Hurricane was herself shot down – the damage was considered repairable and the aircraft was back in service by January 1941 based at Dyce with 111 Squadron. Much of the aircraft’s flight time at this point was spent performing North Sea patrols with combat occurring from time to time. As newer Hurricanes came into service, R4118 eventually became a training mount with 56 & 59 OTUs. The airframe was a victim of three major incidents during that time, each requiring a rebuild – hitting a snowbank on one occasion and colliding with a lorry on the runway on another! In December 1943 the Hurricane was shipped by sea to India for further training use but remained inside its container in Bombay until 1947. At this point the aircraft was demobbed and donated to the Varanasi university for engineering instruction.

In 1982, businessman and restorer Peter Vacher was touring India cataloguing Rolls Royce cars that had been owned by maharajahs, when he saw the remains of an aircraft parked in a compound. The wood and fabric had rotted away, and the wings, tailplane and propeller lay on the ground but he recognised it as a wartime fighter and posed for a picture in the dilapidated cockpit. He noted the registration was R4118 and upon returning home, discovered this very aircraft had served in the Battle of Britain. Peter kept thinking about the Hurricane and in 1996 made an offer for the aeroplane. It took 5 years of negotiation and bureaucracy before R4118 came home to the UK in 2001. A restoration back to flight began immediately with Hurricane specialists Hawker Restorations who ensured the aircraft was returned to its exact Battle of Britain configuration with the original type Merlin III engine, correct (decommissioned) armament and Irish linen covering. The aircraft flew again after restoration in late 2004 following the painstaking rebuild.

In 2005 the aircraft was reunited with several surviving pilots who had flown R4118 during their careers, including Battle of Britain pilot Bob Foster who had damaged two Ju88s and helped destroy another in that very aeroplane. The Hurricane has appeared at air shows ever since and is always well-received, not least because of the airframe’s exceptional pedigree. In 2015, Peter Vacher put the aeroplane up for sale. There were fears this Battle of Britain machine could be sold abroad but the aircraft was purchased by British aviation enthusiast and entrepreneur James Brown. James formed a group around the aircraft, Hurricane Heritage, and has since learnt to fly and display R4118 himself. The aircraft now spends time between its two bases at White Waltham airfield in Berkshire and Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire, where it is maintained by the Aircraft Restoration Company.