Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>Hawker Hurricane>HA8607
Hawker Hurricane I SD-F, flown by Sergeant James "Ginger" Lacey, No. 501 Sqn., Gravesend, Sept 1940
General Background
The Hawker Hurricane was the first British single-engine fighter and the first single wing aircraft with retractable landing gear as well as an enclosed cockpit and 8 machine guns. The Hurricane went into operational service in December 1937 with the RAF 111 Squadron. The Hurricane is usually over looked as a major player in the BoB because of the Spitfire but 80% of the 1,792 German aircraft shot down were because of the Hurricane. There were 14,533 Hurricanes produced in all variants.
The Aircraft
When WWII began James Harry “Ginger” Lacey was a member of the RAF 501 Squadron and
served in France until Dunkirk when the British were forced out by the Germans. During the
Battle of Britain from July 10, 1940 until October 31 1940 Lacey scored 18 victories while flying
his Hawker Hurricane. By the end of 1940 Ginger had a total of 23.5 victories making him the
second highest scorer slightly behind Hurricane pilot Sammy Allard of the 85 Squadron. Lacey’s
final total was 28 destroyed and 9 damaged.
Specifications :
| Manufacturer : | Hawker Industries |
| Country : | UK |
| First Year of Service : | 1937 |
| Production: | 14,583 |
| Crew: | 1 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length : | 31.4 ft (9.57 m) |
| Wingspan: | 39.99 ft (12.19 m) |
| Height: | 13.12 ft (4.0 m) |
| Weight: | |
| Empty: | 4,982 lb (2,260 kg) |
| Maximum Takeoff: | 6,446 lb (2,924 kg) |
| Performance: | |
| Power plant: | 1 x Rolls-Royce Merlin III 12-cylinder Liquid-cooled Producing 1,030 hp |
| 2 Bladed Propeller | |
| Later Production Power plant: | 3,164 x Merlin III producing 1,029 hp with a Three-Blade Propeller |
| Maximum Speed : | 318 mph (511 kmh / 276 kts) |
| Maximum Range : | 460 miles (740 km) |
| Service Ceiling : | 35,991 ft (10,970 m) |
| Rate of Climb : | 2,520 ft/min (768 m/min) |
| Armament : | |
| Early Production : | Hard points – 2 |
| Machine Guns – 8 x 7.7 mm Colt-Browning in Wings | |
| Later production : | Machine Guns – 8 or 12 x 7.7 mm Colt-Browning in Wings |
| Hispano Canons – 4 x 20 mm in the Wings | |
| Optional: | Bombs Under-Wings |
| 2 x 250 lb | |
| or | |
| 500 lb | |
| 8 x Unguided Rockets Under-Wings | |
| 2 x 40 mm Canons Under-Wings |