What's under the pilots seat in a Hurricane

Perhaps it was this?! 😀
http://cgi.ebay.com/RAF-CHAMBER-POT-WITH-EMBLEM-LETTER-OF-PROVENANCE_W0QQitemZ6601996486QQcategoryZ106154QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Apparently belonged to Stanford-Tuck, no less, so you never know!
Skipper

Probably worth a few bob seeing as it was owned by Batman.. LMFAO!! 😀

At least a couple of Battle of Britain pilots took a dog up on separate occasions in their Spitfires… Pat Hughes was one, as discussed on the Battle of Britain Society forum.

How they restrained the dog, I don’t know.

Not encouraged and not a good idea, but when has that stopped a fighter pilot?

Hurricanes were used to take an ‘extra’ pilot in the lap of the original pilot on a couple of occasions, as illustrated in the Battle of Britain film. I don’t know if it happened then, but IIRC it did in North Africa.

A certain Melvin Hiscock wrote and had a book published recently on the Hurricane, with all the photos a boy could want… I think it’s good, but then Melv knows where I live, too.

HTH.

In his mouth like normal people….

So where does the pilot put his sandwiches then? :confused:

There is no room for a dog beneath the seat, it would be the ultimate loose article and would directly impinge on the flying controls…not good! The Hurri has no floor, anything dropped goes to the lowest point, again not good. It just has two heel boards.

I thought as much – and thanks for clearing up the floor thing, I couldn’t remember if there was one or not!

Thank you. I got the impression it was an I shape, but i thought i would ask.

effectively a dumb bell shape

you sit between the spars, on top of them. There is no room for a dog beneath the seat, it would be the ultimate loose article and would directly impinge on the flying controls…not good! The Hurri has no floor, anything dropped goes to the lowest point, again not good. It just has two heel boards.

Thank you for clarifying the location of the spars. I had a feeling the seat was either on top of 1 or between 2 of them.
Oddball question now, whats the cross section of the spar?

you sit between the spars, on top of them. There is no room for a dog beneath the seat, it would be the ultimate loose article and would directly impinge on the flying controls…not good! The Hurri has no floor, anything dropped goes to the lowest point, again not good. It just has two heel boards.

It does seem by those photos there is not as a bit of space under there occupied by nothing.
Where abouts is the wing spar in relation to the seat?
Is there something structutral under the seat?

These pages and the continuing ones show detailed pictures of the Hurricane´s inner parts.
http://www.hawker-restorations-ltd.co.uk/G-KAMM.html
http://www.hawker-restorations-ltd.co.uk/MFPMk1.html
Regards,
Herbert

I’ve just realised something….

I dunno how well some of you know the book Piece of Cake (Derek Robinson), although it has been discussed here at great length from time to time, but there is a segment in the book which describes the CO flying with his dog IN the Hurri’s cockpit – presumably under the seat (I’m not sure if the Hurri has a floor, per se, but I doubt it).

So this, technically, could not happen?

“On a production Hawker Hurricane, what occupied the space directly under the pilots seat? IE between the bottom of the seat and the top of the radiator housing?”

Perhaps it was this?! 😀

http://cgi.ebay.com/RAF-CHAMBER-POT-WITH-EMBLEM-LETTER-OF-PROVENANCE_W0QQitemZ6601996486QQcategoryZ106154QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Apparently belonged to Stanford-Tuck, no less, so you never know!

Skipper

Not insane, there is some space in the wings

Rocketeer, thanks for the pics.

I think it would have been possible to fit fuel tanks in the inner weapon stations in each wing – ie the place in a Hurricane IIC where the inboard 20mm cannon would go. In a B and C wing Hurricane this would leave space for 2 X 20mm and 4 X .303 (i.e. equivalent to Spitfire Vb armament – the Brownings being in the outer stations where B wing Hurricanes kept 2 in each wing).

This would provide space for an extra 50 – 60 gallons of fuel, raising tankage from 94 gallons to about 150, giving 6 – 6 1/2 hours of endurance (from the usual 4 1/2) the fuel and tanks would weigh less than two Hispano cannon and ammunition.

With two 45 gallon drop tanks all up fuel would be in the region of 240 gallons and with two 90 gallon drop tanks we’d have 330 gallons giving 9 1/2 to 12 1/2 hours of endurance.

If this is completely insane, it would probably be a kindness to tell me now…

Credit, where credit’s due.

Fantastic project Tony.

Can you say yet which of your projects you are intending to bring to this years Cockpitfest? I missed the Hurricanes appearence.

Here we are…I will find some better ones later

I will post pix of the room under the seat of P3554 if you wish later.

That would be great if you have the time.

Many thanks.

Directly under the seat is the cross brace diagonal tubing from Jt C back to H1, this makes a V below the seat. Also there is the aileron torque tube, drum, elevator push rod and elevator crank….i.e. all the flying controls.
Also there is the back ends of the heel boards.
So there is negligible room below the seat. Also one would have to think of ways of servicing and repairing such a tank!
There are better places to locate such a tank (though only small and would give balance problems), however, in peacetime the range of a Hurri is sufficient.
If absolutely necessary I would pop on drop tanks…much nicer! I will post pix of the room under the seat of P3554 if you wish later.