With 49 combat sorties, 5 enemy aircraft destroyed, and itself shot down in the Battle of Britain, Second World War Hurricane R4118 is historical
With 49 combat sorties, five enemy aircraft destroyed, and being itself shot down in the Battle of Britain, Hurricane R4118 is regarded as the most historic British aircraft to survive in flying condition from the Second World War. Listen to the heart-stopping sounds of the actual Rolls-Royce Merlin engine which flew over the skies of Britain in 1940. R4118 can be seen at airshows around the from April to October. The aircraft is available for that special private occasion, weddings, anniversaries, memorials and other events, with a simple flypast or full display. Hawker Hurricane Mark I, R4118, was delivered new to 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron at Drem on 17 August 1940. During the Battle of Britain it flew 49 sorties from Croydon and shot down five enemy aircraft. After being battle damaged on 22 October 1940, the aircraft was rebuilt and taken on charge by 111 Squadron at Dyce on 18 January 1941. There it was flown on patrol over the North Sea and was again in combat. Over the following two years it was used primarily as a training aircraft with 59 and 56 OTUs, and was rebuilt a further three times following major accidents, including hitting a lorry on the runway and being stuffed into a snowbank! In December 1943, R4118 was crated at Cardiff and shipped to India as a training aircraft. However it was never needed and remained in its packing case in Bombay until 1947 when it was struck off charge. It was donated to a university for engineering instruction. The fuselage was stood outside in a compound with the propeller, wings and tailplane laid on the ground. There it remained until June 2001 when Peter Vacher was able to conclude six-year-long negotiations and R4118 was loaded into a container. The aircraft has been restored to flying condition over three years. During its lifetime, it was fitted with no fewer than five Rolls-Royce Merlin III engines, and underwent four major rebuilds. It is still powered by a Merlin III. Seen here on take off
Size: 5520px × 3657px
Location: Shoreham, West Sussex, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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