HAWKER HURRICANE I R4118, G-HUPW


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HAWKER HURRICANE I R4118, G-HUPW

Hawker Hurricane I R4118 (G-HUPW) is the only airworthy Hurricane to have participated in the Battle of Britain and is one of the most historic surviving Second World War fighters. Designed by Sir Sydney Camm, the Hurricane first flew in November 1935 and entered service just over two years later. Despite being overshadowed by the Spitfire, the Hurricane played a crucial role in the war, performing a wide range of roles effectively. Its fabric fuselage was easy to repair, and its thick wing provided impressive turning performance. Today, only around 16 airworthy Hurricanes remain out of the 14,000 originally built.

R4118 was constructed in 1940 and delivered to 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron during the Battle of Britain. It flew 49 sorties and destroyed or damaged five enemy aircraft. Shot down in October 1940, it was repaired and returned to service in January 1941. It later served as a training aircraft and experienced several incidents requiring rebuilds. In 1982, Peter Vacher discovered the remains of R4118 in India and eventually brought it back to the UK in 2001. After a meticulous restoration by Hawker Restorations, the aircraft flew again in 2004.

Since then, R4118 has appeared at air shows and has been well-received by aviation enthusiasts. In 2015, it was purchased by James Brown, who formed Hurricane Heritage and learned to fly and display the aircraft himself. Today, R4118 is based at White Waltham airfield in Berkshire and Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire, where it is maintained by the Aircraft Restoration Company.


Operator: Hurricane Heritage and Aircraft Restoration Company
Pilot: Mike Collett
Manufacturing date: 1942
Serial number: 1374