Hawker Hurricane IIB Second World War fighter plane flying at an armed forces day airshow.
The Hurricane IIB gained prominence at a time when RAF Fighter Command went over to the offensive following the end of The Battle of Britain during which it had been used as a defensive fighter in the version. The 'Hurri-bombers', as they came to be known, bravely carried the fight to the European mainland in late 1941 and early 1942, initially armed with a pair of 250lb bombs and later with two 500lb bombs, together with an up-rated armament of twelve Browning .303 inch machine guns from the original eight. The history of BE505 is one which begins at the Canadian Car & Foundry Company factory in 1942 as construction number: CCF/R20023. CCF produced some 1,451 Hurricanes under license in the early years of World War II. On completion this Hurricane joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and served as a home based fighter for the duration of the war. At the end of her military service she was refurbished to 'as new' condition and then sold off to the private sector, as were most surviving RCAF Hurricanes at that time. Many became much needed 'hardware stores' donating their parts to keep the tractors and machinery running on the many enormous farms of the Canadian prairie. BE505 was lucky and remained substantially whole, re-discovered by Tony Ditheridge in Canada in the 1990's with most major components intact. Returning to the UK, restoration work began in earnest in 2005 at Hawker Restorations facility in Suffolk. The comprehensive restoration was completed in January 2009 and saw this rare Hurricane rolled out in her fighter-bomber configuration resplendent in the markings of BE505, a Manston based Mk IIB operated by 174 (Mauritius) Squadron in spring, 1942. Her first post-restoration flight took place from North Weald on January 27, 2009, and it joins the other Hangar 11 aircraft in making appearances at airshows and events in UK and Europe.
Size: 4220px × 2797px
Location: Essex, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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