…turns out to be the mystery Hurricane I keep banging on about. The plot thickens – shot down “over Deal” on August 30th/31st 1940, and crashed at East Sutton. Now at Hawker Restorations Ltd at Milden in Suffolk.
So how much was left? I can’t see a JCB-job being restored to fly (unless it’s a Spitfire – sorry folks, but I do wonder with some of these whether they’ve just jacked up the serial and pushed a new Spitfire underneath), but if it was repairable surely even today’s MOD would take less than sixty years to repair it?
I promise I’ll shut up and go away if I get a good answer!
Adrian
P.S. Can’t someone fly something good over Oxford? I grew up under Stansted in the 1970s so even the VC10s going into Brize are a bit dull. Mind you a Nimrod flew over the other day during an April shower – I knew it was wet, but you have to worry when the sub-hunters are flying over the Thames!
By: Yak 11 Fan - 23rd April 2004 at 22:29
In case anyone is interested there will be 2 possibly 3 Mustangs and 2 Harvards in Kent tomorrow, Headcorn may be a good place to spot them during the afternoon.
By: adrian_gray - 21st April 2004 at 16:43
Three Mustangs in close formation… All those lovely Merlin noises… SOB! I want my Mummy!
Have to keep my ears, eyes and bowels open then, won’t I!
Adrian
P.S. But I’d still like to know how much of G-HRLI was left after the crash – if it was one of those odd pilotless landings and it was rebuilt and went to Russia – maybe. But if it was a hole-in-Kent job…
By: Propstrike - 20th April 2004 at 22:46
My apologies, YK 11. ‘ loose vic’ was somewhat short of the mark!
By: Yak 11 Fan - 20th April 2004 at 22:40
They came out of Kemble and headed for Haningfield Reservoir near Chelmsford via Booker and Elstree. Some formation practice was carried out at Haningfield before all three went their seperate ways. Keep your eyes open you never know where you will see them next.
A pic from the day
By: Propstrike - 20th April 2004 at 22:27
I saw those three Mustangs, and they looked absolutely brilliant.
They went over Amersham at about 800ft, in a loose vic at about 3.45.
From the heading , I guessed they may have been making for N.Weald, and they were coming from the west, so perhaps out of Kemble……….? Just wondered.
By: Yak 11 Fan - 20th April 2004 at 17:50
3 Mustangs flew over Oxford on 7th December, didn’t yoy see them 😉
As I understand it you may well have an airworthy Hurricane down that way soon.
As for G-HRLI, together with many Hurricane Restorations these days new tubes woodwork etc are needed, however much of the stainless steel plates and many other parts are reused during restoration. If anyone can breathe life into a Hurricane project such as this the Hawker Restorations are the people to do it, the next project to come from them will be the most authentic Hurricane seen to date and is an absolute beauty.
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April 20, 2004 at 3:02 pm