Hawker Hurricane Mk XII

Developed as a monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane fighter, the Hurricane incorporated several relatively novel features – such as retractable undercarriage – which, while uncommon for the era, became critical to successful wartime fighter designs. Although Britain’s Air Ministry was initially skeptical of Hawker’s Interceptor Monoplane, they did purchase a prototype in late 1934, and eventually ordered the aircraft into production during 1936.

By the time WWII broke out in Europe, the Royal Air Force (RAF) had 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons in service. When production ceased in July 1944, some 14,487 aircraft had been produced, primarily in the UK and Canada. The Canadian Car & Foundry (CCF) plant in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario built 1,451 Hurricanes, but a few examples were also constructed in Belgium and the former Yugoslavia. 

The Museum’s Hurricane (c/n 56022) is a Canadian-built example. It joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as s/n 5667 in early February 1943 and served initially with No.129(F) Squadron at RCAF Dartmouth near Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving with the unit to the newly-opened RCAF Goose Bay in Newfoundland during April 1943. Here the aircraft served in a Coastal Defence role, patrolling the Atlantic and making sure the massive aerial ferry route through the station remained secure. RCAF 130(F) Squadron acquired 5667 when they replaced 129(F) at Goose Bay in September, 1943. When that squadron disbanded at the end of March 1944, their Hurricanes flew to Bagotville, Quebec to become part of No.1 Operation Training Unit, instructing new pilots in the art of single engine fighter combat. With the RCAF’s reduced need for training fighter pilots in late 1944, nearly all of their Hurricanes retired to reserved storage, however 5667 was spared this ignominious end, moving to Saskatchewan to help engage the menace of Japanese balloon bombs then floating across Canada’s west coast. Hurricane 5667 remained in Saskatchewan until its retirement during the summer of 1945, being sold surplus to a local farmer in April of the following year. There the Hurricane sat as a more or less complete airframe until Neil Rose bought her in 1965, slowly restoring the aircraft to flying condition over the following 30 years. Other than the fabric covering, and wooden formers, the aircraft is almost completely original, including its Packard-built Merlin 29 engine.

Pilot Officer John Kenneth Haviland, DFC: The Hurricane is painted to represent an example which an American named John Kenneth Haviland flew with No. 151 Squadron, Royal Air Force, during the Battle of Britain. “Ken” was the only American-born pilot to both see combat in the Battle of Britain and survive WWII. After the war, Haviland continued his education, earning a degree in mechanical engineering at London University and, later, a PhD in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at MIT. He joined the University of Virginia faculty in 1967, teaching first in the Hampton Roads area and then in Charlottesville over his 24 year career as a Professor of Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Haviland died in 2002.