WWII Aircraft PT 2: Hawker Hurricane

[strollingbones]

blessed be are the souls of warriors.

 

[Diuretic]

RAF pilots scramble! (56th Squadron, Wessex RAF 1940)

The Firebirds, famous squadron from its days in the RFC right up through the 1960s when it was equipped with EE Lightings and formed the RAF display team for some yeas. Still in existence but now reformed as an op conversion squadron. Well named, they were always disbanded and re-formed.

 

[Doddsy2978]

Hi,

Just for the record, The RAF do not use ordinal indicators, as a rule, to name squadrons, preferring to just use, for example, "56 Sqn" or "Number 56 Sqn" if more formal. Also, No. 56 Squadron was active at least until the late eighties. I served with the Sqn around the mid eighties when it was equipped with the mighty fine MD Phantom F4M at RAF Wattisham in the Suffolk countryside.

As an aside, the Sqn had an American pilot. He was a brilliantly entertaining man who never tired of pushing the envelope or whinging (yeah Yanks do that too!) about the fact that the F4M did not have an integral gun.

OK! Whinge over! Thanks for an entertaining thread and giving the Hawker Hurricane some good press for a change. The poor ol' Hurric'n always seems to be in the Spitfire's shadow, even though the Hurricane proved to be the most effective and reliable fighter during the BoB. This was due, in part, to the fact that it was far simpler and quicker to repair when battle damaged. In many cases the Hurricane could be repaired overnight as opposed to the several nights required to repaire the stressed skin of the, more advanced (technology - wise) Spit.

Anyway, I hope you don't mind me sticking my oar in your thread. If you do - I apologise!

Ian

 

[psikeyhackr]

Sorry, my fave was the P-38 Lightning.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dnbm0vGM0E]YouTube - P-38 Lightning Tribute[/ame]

But technology is better than history. How about a Lightning design with turbo-prop engines. To hell with that piston junk.

psik