97-691: Shoreham Airshow took place annually in the late summer at Brighton City Airport (commonly known as Shoreham Airport), on the south coast of England. It was organised by volunteers from the local branch of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA), and held in aid of the RAFA Wings Appeal. The airshow began in 1989. It had flying and static displays by a variety of aircraft such as fast jets, military helicopters, aerobatic aircraft and historic aircraft. There were ground displays by organisations such as local flying clubs and
194-504: A Watts two-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller. Flight commented of this arrangement: "Many have expressed surprise that the Hurricane is not fitted with variable-pitch airscrews". The original two-bladed propeller was found to be inefficient at low airspeeds and the aircraft required a long ground run to get airborne, which caused concern at Fighter Command. Accordingly, trials with a de Havilland variable-pitch propeller demonstrated
291-752: A decision in December 1936 to replace the Merlin I with the improved Merlin II, which resulted in many detail alterations. Merlin I production ended after 180 were built. This engine had been prioritised for the Fairey Battle light bomber and the Hawker Henley , a failed competitor to the Battle briefly adapted as a target tug which shared common elements with the Hurricane design. By the following December,
388-452: A lease and took ownership of its operations, which at the time was named Shoreham Airport, taking over from Albemarle. Once the takeover was completed, the airport was officially renamed as Brighton City (Shoreham) Airport. In August 2019 Cyrrus acquired a 25 year lease from Brighton & Hove City Council to operate the airport Annually between 2015 and 2017, Wild Life Festival, a live music event developed by Disclosure and Rudimental
485-458: A live runway camera and a licensed restaurant called The Hummingbird Restaurant and Cafe . The airport houses Northbrook College 's engineering department – a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Aerospace and Aviation. A number of aerospace and aviation and non-aviation commercial businesses have offices and workshops on the airport site and along the perimeter road. The largest operator
582-655: A number of manufacturers were to repair and overhaul battle-damaged aircraft including Hurricanes. Some of these were later sent to training units or to other air forces. Factories involved included the Austin Aero Company 's Cofton Hackett plant and David Rosenfield Ltd, based at Barton aerodrome near Manchester . The Canadian Car and Foundry of Fort William, Ontario , Canada was a major Hurricane manufacturer, producing them from November 1938 after receiving their initial contract for 40 Hurricanes. The facility's chief engineer, Elsie MacGill , became known as
679-519: A pattern for Canadian Car and Foundry , one for Iran, one for Poland, three for Romania and 12 for Yugoslavia. All the built for export aircraft were taken from the RAF order and so all originally had an RAF serial. Further exports were done in the final four months of 1939 and early 1940. Hurricane production was increased as part of a plan to create a reserve of attrition aircraft as well as re-equip existing squadrons and newly formed ones such as those of
776-681: A prototype to the September proposal was placed on 21 February 1935. At the time the armament was two Vickers Mark V machine guns in the fuselage and one Browning machine gun in each wing. Work on stressed skin outer wings to replace the fabric covered ones began in July and the contract was altered in August to include another set of wings with eight guns in them; the guns were to be either Vickers or Brownings. These wings were delivered in June 1936. By
873-475: A reduction in the Hurricane's take-off run from 1,230 to 750 ft (370 to 230 m). Deliveries of these began in April 1939: this was later replaced by the hydraulically operated constant-speed Rotol propeller, which came into service in time for the Battle of Britain. Then, with tail trimmer set, throttle and mixture lever fully forward... and puffs of grey exhaust smoke soon clearing at maximum r.p.m. came
970-464: A stalling speed of 57 mph (92 km/h) (only marginally higher than the Gladiator biplane), the last achieved using its flaps . In the course of further testing, it was found that the Hurricane had poor spin recovery characteristics, in which all rudder authority could be lost due to shielding of the rudder. Hawker's response to the issue was to request that spinning tests be waived, but
1067-413: A wooden mock-up had been finished, and although a number of suggestions for detail changes were made, construction of the prototype was approved, and a new specification (F.36/34) was written around the design. In July 1935, this specification was amended to include installation of eight guns. The mock-up conference with Air Ministry staff was on 10 January 1935 at Kingston. The ministry order to purchase
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#17327795292161164-598: Is listed grade II*. The airport is 1 NM (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) west of Shoreham-by-Sea at Lancing in the Adur district of West Sussex. It is situated immediately to the south of the A27 road , between Brighton and Worthing , and immediately to the north of the West Coastway railway line. The first aviator to fly there was Harold H. Piffard in 1910; a memorial garden celebrates his flight. The aerodrome
1261-557: Is Flying Time Aviation, providing integrated commercial pilot training, with a fleet of Diamond Aircraft DA40s and DA42s. The visitor centre features exhibits about the airport's history and area aviation history, a library and archive of related historic materials and guided tours of the airport. The airport is served by Shoreham-by-Sea station on the West Coastway Line , 1 mile (1.6 km) distant. A halt , Bungalow Town Halt , had been opened in 1910, just in front of
1358-647: Is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain in 1940, but the Hurricane inflicted 60% of the losses sustained by the Luftwaffe in the campaign, and fought in all
1455-622: Is located in the Shoreham by Sea in West Sussex , England. It has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. Founded in 1910, it is the oldest airport in the UK and the oldest purpose-built commercial airport in the world still in operation. It is now owned by Brighton City Airport Ltd (BCAL). The 1930s Art Deco terminal building designed by R Stavers Hessell Tiltman
1552-622: The Auxiliary Air Force . Expansion scheme E included a target of 500 fighters of all types by the start of 1938. By the time of the Munich Crisis , there were only two fully operational RAF squadrons of the planned 12 to be equipped with Hurricanes. By the time of the German invasion of Poland there were 16 operational Hurricane squadrons as well as a further two more that were in the process of converting. On 24 August 1939,
1649-624: The Belgian Air Force , and it was intended to arm these aircraft with four 13.2 mm (0.52 in) Browning machine guns . Three were built and two flown with this armament by the time of the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940, with at least 12 more constructed by Avions Fairey armed with the conventional eight rifle calibre machine gun armament. The Hawker Hurricane is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. The primary structure of
1746-449: The Hart , but enhanced by livelier controls, greater precision and all this performance. Roland Beamont describing his first flight in a Hurricane as a trainee pilot. Camm's priority was to provide the pilot with good all-round visibility. To this end, the cockpit was mounted reasonably high in the fuselage, creating a distinctive "hump-backed" silhouette. Pilot access to the cockpit
1843-519: The Meuse , at Maastricht . The escort consisted of eight Hurricanes of 1 Squadron, with Squadron Leader P. J. H. "Bull" Halahan in the lead. When the formation approached Maastricht, it was bounced by 16 Bf 109Es from 2./JG 27 . Two Battles and two Hurricanes (including Halahan's) were shot down, two more Battles were brought down by flak and the fifth bomber had to crash-land. The 1 Squadron pilots claimed four Messerschmitts and two Heinkel He 112s , while
1940-709: The PV-12 , which went on to become famous as the Merlin . In August 1934, a one-tenth scale model of the design was produced and sent to the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington , where a series of wind tunnel tests confirmed the aerodynamics were satisfactory, and in September 1934 Camm again approached the Air Ministry. This time, the Ministry's response was favourable, and a prototype of
2037-630: The Royal Navy known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications including an arrestor hook near the tail, enabling operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 units had been completed in Britain and Canada, with others built in Belgium and Yugoslavia. During the early 1930s, when Hawker Aircraft company developed
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#17327795292162134-666: The Supermarine Walrus were also based for search and rescue duties. In December 1941 a detachment of Hawker Hurricane fighters from 245 Squadron arrived at Shoreham to support the Tangmere-based squadrons. By August 1941 the fighters had moved on and only the 277 Squadron remained in the search and rescue; the Lysanders were replaced by the Boulton Paul Defiants in May 1942. In February 1943
2231-635: The de Havilland Tiger Moth which were later supplemented by the use of the Hawker Hart and Hind . With the start of the Second World War imminent, the training school moved away from Shoreham in August 1939. The airfield started the Second World War in civilian hands until a detachment of Westland Lysanders of 225 Squadron arrived in July 1940 to undertake coastal patrols. With the nearby RAF Tangmere damaged by air raids
2328-495: The "Interceptor Monoplane" was promptly ordered. In July 1934, at a meeting chaired by Air Commodore Arthur Tedder (director of training), the Air Ministry Science Officer Captain F.W. "Gunner" Hill presented his calculation showing that future fighters must carry no fewer than eight machine guns, each capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute. / Hill's assistant in making his calculations
2425-582: The "Queen of the Hurricanes". The initiative was commercially driven, but was endorsed by the British government. Hawker recognised that a major conflict was inevitable after the Munich Crisis of 1938 and drew up preliminary plans to expand Hurricane production at a new factory in Canada. Under this plan, samples, pattern aircraft, and design documents stored on microfilm were shipped to Canada. In 1938/39
2522-641: The AASF when the order to move to France was received and the home station HQs, 71, 72 74–76 Wings. In response to a request from the French government for the provision of 10 fighter squadrons to provide air support, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding , Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command, insisted that this number would deplete British defences severely, and so initially only four squadrons of Hurricanes, 1 , 73 , 85 and 87 , were relocated to France, keeping Spitfires back for "Home" defence. The first to arrive
2619-676: The Advanced Air Striking Force (No. 1 to Berry-au-Bac , north-west of Paris; No. 73 to Rouvres ) while two more, No. 85 and No. 87, formed 60 Wing of the Air Component, BEF. While the two squadrons of No. 60 Wing had their Hurricanes painted in the standard colour scheme and markings of Home-based fighters, those of No. 67 Wing differed considerably. It was probably because No. 1 and No. 73 Squadrons were operating in close proximity to French fighter squadrons that these units painted red, white, and blue stripes over
2716-445: The Air Ministry placed its first order for 600 aircraft. On 26 June 1936 the Air Ministry approved the type name of "Hurricane" that had been proposed by Hawker, and an informal naming ceremony occurred the following month during an official visit by King Edward VIII to Martlesham Heath. It was significantly cheaper to produce than the Supermarine Spitfire and took 10,300 person hours per airframe to produce, compared to 15,200 for
2813-486: The Air Ministry refused the request; the situation was resolved by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), who established that the aerodynamic problem had been caused by a breakdown of the airflow over the lower fuselage, and could be cured by the addition of a small ventral fairing and extension of the bottom of the rudder. This discovery had come too late for the changes to be incorporated in
2910-547: The British Air Ministry issued Specification F.5/34 in response to demands within the Royal Air Force (RAF) for a new generation of fighter aircraft . Earlier, during 1933, British aircraft designer Sydney Camm had conducted discussions with Major John Buchanan of the Directorate of Technical Development on a monoplane based on the existing Fury. Mason attributes Camm's discussions with figures within
3007-486: The British government gave Hawker the clearance to sell excess aircraft to nations that were likely to oppose German expansion. As a result, there were some modest export sales made to other countries; at the earliest opportunity, a former RAF Hurricane I was dispatched to Yugoslavia for evaluation purposes. Shortly after this evaluation, an order for 24 Hurricane Mk.Is for the Royal Yugoslav Air Force
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3104-518: The British government gave orders partially to mobilise and No. 1 Group RAF ( Air Vice-Marshal Patrick Playfair ) sent its 10 Fairey Battle day-bomber squadrons to France, according to plans established by the British and French earlier in the year. The group was the first echelon of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) and flew from bases at Abingdon, Harwell, Benson, Boscombe Down and Bicester. The group HQ became
3201-469: The Defiants were replaced by Supermarine Spitfires and in April 1943 the airfield became a practice camp for RAF Regiment gunners in the anti-aircraft role. Lysanders appeared again but this time to tow targets for the regiment's gunners. A gunnery training dome built on the northern perimeter of the airfield is still there. In April 1944 No. 345 (Free French) Squadron arrived with Spitfires to support
3298-811: The Fighter Interception Unit with the Bristol Beaufighter moved to Shoreham although they had problems with the grass runway. In October 1940 422 Flight arrived with the Hawker Hurricane operating as night-fighters. By October 1941 both units had moved away from Shoreham. The airfield was regularly attacked during July and August 1941 and the next unit to arrive was No 11 Group Target Towing Flight in October 1941. Westland Lysanders were used to tow targets for fighter squadrons to practice air-firing. Lysanders and later
3395-539: The French campaign, and delivered great praise for his aircraft's performance: Throughout the bad days of 1940, 87 Squadron had maintained a proficient formation aerobatic team, the precise flying controls and responsive engines permitting precision formation through loops, barrel rolls, 1 g semi-stall turns and rolls off half-loops ... My Hurricane was never hit in the Battles of France and Britain, and in over 700 hr on type I never experienced an engine failure. While
3492-538: The Hurricane remained in use in theatres of operations where reliability, easy handling and a stable gun platform were more important than performance, typically in roles like ground attack. One of the design requirements of the original specification was that both the Hurricane and the Spitfire were also to be used as night fighters . The Hurricane proved to be a relatively simple aircraft to fly at night, and shot down several German aircraft on night raids. From early 1941
3589-460: The Hurricane was also used as an "intruder" aircraft, patrolling German airfields in France at night to catch bombers taking off or landing. By the middle of 1938, the first 50 Hurricanes had reached squadrons and, at that time, it had been assessed that the rate of production was slightly greater than the RAF's capacity to introduce the new aircraft, which had already been accelerated. Accordingly,
3686-452: The Hurricane's cantilever wing consisted of two steel spars, which possessed considerable strength and stiffness. The wing was described by Flight as relatively straightforward to manufacture, employing simple vertical jigs to attach the two spars, after which the wing ribs were installed using horizontal bolts, forming separate units between the front and rear spars. Hydraulically -actuated split trailing edge flaps were fitted to
3783-653: The Hurricane, RAF Fighter Command had just 13 squadrons, equipped with the Hawker Fury , Hawker Demon , or the Bristol Bulldog , all biplanes with fixed- pitch wooden propellers and non-retractable undercarriages. At the time, there was an institutional reluctance towards change within the Air Staff ; some senior figures were prejudiced against the adoption of monoplane fighter aircraft, while mid-level officers were typically more open-minded. In 1934
3880-428: The Hurricane. A fabric-covered wing was initially adopted in order to accelerate production, while a higher-performing stressed-skin metal wing was introduced in late 1939. The first production Hurricane I first flew on 12 October 1937, flown by Flight Lieutenant Philip Lucas and powered by a Merlin II engine. While a contract for 600 Hurricanes was received on 2 June 1936, deliveries lagged by roughly six months due to
3977-550: The North Sea. The Heinkels, which were flying at sea level in an attempt to avoid fighter attacks, had already been attacked and damaged by two Spitfires from 72 Squadron when six Hurricanes intercepted them. The Hurricanes shot down four of the enemy in rapid succession, 46 Squadron claiming five and the Spitfire pilots two. After his first flight in October 1939, Hurricane pilot Roland Beamont subsequently flew operationally with 87 Squadron, claiming three enemy aircraft during
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4074-496: The RAF, such as Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley , as having provoked the specification and some of its details, such as the preference for armaments being installed within the wings instead of within the aircraft's nose. An outline of the "Fury Monoplane" armed with two guns in the wings and two in the nose and powered by the Goshawk engine was prepared and discussed with Roger Liptrot of the Air Ministry in December 1933. The design
4171-737: The RCAF ordered 24 Hurricanes to equip one fighter squadron, 20 of which were delivered, and two were supplied to Canadian Car and Foundry as pattern aircraft but one probably did not arrive, while the other was returned to Britain in 1940. The first Hurricane built at Canadian Car and Foundry was completed in February 1940. Canadian-built Hurricanes shipped to Britain participated in the Battle of Britain . Overall, some 14,487 Hurricanes and Sea Hurricanes were produced in England and Canada. The majority of Hurricanes, 9,986 were built by Hawker (who produced
4268-619: The Sahara to the Middle East theatre and, to save space, some Royal Navy aircraft carriers carried their reserve Sea Hurricanes dismantled into their major assemblies, which were slung up on the hangar bulkheads and deckhead for reassembly when needed. In contrast, the contemporary Spitfire used all-metal monocoque construction and was thus both lighter and stronger, though less tolerant of bullet damage. With its ease of maintenance, widely set landing gear and benign flying characteristics,
4365-427: The Spitfire, which had many parts formed by hand, with English wheels . As war was looking likely, and time was of the essence in providing the RAF with an effective fighter, the authorities expected there to be problems with the more advanced Spitfire, while the Hurricane made use of well proven manufacturing techniques. The service squadrons were also already experienced in maintaining aircraft structurally similar to
4462-574: The Western Star ", " Death in the Clouds " and " Lord Edgware Dies "). External shots of the airport were also used in the films The Da Vinci Code and Woman in Gold . The airport was used in the feature-length documentary Angel Without Wings and A Dark Reflection . [REDACTED] Media related to Shoreham Airport at Wikimedia Commons Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane
4559-420: The acceptance of the final multi-gun wing armament. By March 1936, the prototype had completed ten flying hours, covering all major portions of the flight envelope. Early testing had gone reasonably well, especially in light of the trial status of the Merlin engine, which had yet to achieve full flight certification at this time and thus severe restrictions had been imposed upon use of the engine. In early 1936,
4656-507: The airport continuously for over 90 years. Brighton City Airport's aircraft fuelling service is operated as a department of the Rescue and Firefighting Service. There are three large mobile fuel bowsers for delivering both avgas and jet fuel to aircraft, including a service (accompanied by fire appliances) for fast delivery of fuel to police and coastguard emergency helicopters without disengaging their engines. Fuel technicians are attached to
4753-508: The armed forces, and of classic cars and vehicles. The show raised more than £2 million for the RAFA over 25 years. Following the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash , it was announced in January 2016 that the 2016 event was cancelled, and it has not been held since. Brighton City Airport Brighton City Airport ( IATA : ESH , ICAO : EGKA ), also commonly known as Shoreham Airport ,
4850-493: The border, fell in flames about 10 mi (16 km) west of Toul . Mould was the first RAF pilot to down an enemy aircraft on the European continent in the Second World War. According to Mason, the experiences gained in these early engagements proved invaluable in developing tactics which became tried and tested, and rapidly spread throughout Fighter Command. On 6 November 1939, Pilot Officer Peter Ayerst from 73 Squadron
4947-631: The campaign. They attacked one of three Dornier Do 17s from 4. Staffel/ KG 2 that were flying over their airfield at Rouvres-en-Woevre . The Dornier went away unscathed, while Orton was hit by defensive fire and had to force land. On the same day the Hurricane squadrons claimed 42 German aircraft, none of them fighters, shot down during 208 sorties; seven Hurricanes were lost but no pilots were killed. On 12 May several Hurricanes units were committed to escort bombers. That morning, five Fairey Battle volunteer crews from 12 Squadron took off from Amifontaine base to bomb Vroenhoven and Veldwezelt bridges on
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#17327795292165044-465: The city of Brighton & Hove. The pre-war municipal hangar was listed Grade II in July 2007. The airport is used by privately owned light aeroplanes, flying schools, and for light aircraft and helicopter maintenance and sales. A number of operators provide flying lessons, sight-seeing and pleasure flights, including the experience of flying in two T-6 Harvard World War II training aircraft . On 2 May 2014, Brighton City Airport Ltd (BCAL) acquired
5141-423: The course of RAF trials, despite the problems with the Merlin engine, which had suffered numerous failures and necessitating several changes, enthusiastic reports were produced on the aircraft and its performance. The trials had proved the aircraft to possess a maximum level speed of 315 mph (507 km/h) at an altitude of 16,200 ft (4,900 m), climb to 15,000 ft (4,600 m) in 5.7 minutes, and
5238-405: The end of August 1935, work on the airframe had been completed at Hawker's Kingston upon Thames facility and the aircraft components were transported to Brooklands , Surrey , where Hawker had an assembly shed; the prototype was fully re-assembled on 23 October 1935. Ground testing and taxi trials took place over the following two weeks. On 6 November 1935 the prototype K5083 took to the air for
5335-547: The engine cowling which used lightweight metal panels instead. Camm had decided to use traditional Hawker construction techniques instead of more advanced options, such as a stressed-skin metal construction. This form of construction resembled that of earlier biplanes and was already considered to be somewhat outdated when the Hurricane was introduced to service . The Hurricane was initially armed with an arrangement of eight remotely-operated wing-mounted Browning machine guns, intended for conducting rapid engagements. The Hurricane
5432-413: The engine; detachable cowling panels allowed access to most of the engine's areas for maintenance. Installed underneath the fuselage, the liquid-cooled radiator has a rectangular opening to its aft; this is covered by a hinged flap, allowing the pilot to control the cooling level. An atypical feature for the era was the use of Tungum alloy pipes throughout the cooling system. Initially, the structure of
5529-544: The entire height of the rudders on their Hurricanes in a similar manner to the standard French AF National markings. As the French squadrons were not familiar with the British use of code letters, and there could have been cause for error in aircraft identification, both Hurricane squadrons removed their squadron identification letters, leaving the grey-painted aircraft letter aft of the fuselage roundel. The decision to adopt these special changes in markings seems to have been made at 67 Group HQ (the immediate command authority for
5626-404: The fabric ones was that the metal ones could carry far greater stress loads without needing as much structure." Several fabric-wing Hurricanes were still in service during the Battle of Britain, although a good number had had their wings replaced during servicing or after repair. Changing the wings required only three hours work per aircraft. The Hurricane had a inward-retracting undercarriage ,
5723-491: The firefighting watches and work the same shift pattern Due to its listed period facilities and art deco main building, Brighton City Airport has been used by film-makers seeking to portray a small town airport, or also for historical reconstructions of airport scenes from the 1930s onwards. The airport has appeared in the Netflix TV series The Crown and three episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot (" The Adventure of
5820-582: The first four aircraft to enter service with the RAF had joined No. 111 Squadron , stationed at RAF Northolt . By February 1938, No. 111 Squadron had received 16 Hurricanes. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, over 550 Hurricanes had been produced equipping 18 squadrons, with 3,500 more on order. During 1940, Lord Beaverbrook , the Minister of Aircraft Production , established the Civilian Repair Organisation through which
5917-474: The first production aircraft, but were introduced upon the 61st built and all subsequent aircraft. In early 1936, the Hawker board of directors had decided, in the absence of official authorisation and at company expense, to proceed with the issue of the design drawings to the production design office and to start tooling-up for a production line capable of producing a batch of 1,000 Hurricanes. In June 1936
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#17327795292166014-402: The first time at the hands of Hawker's chief test pilot , Flight Lieutenant George Bulman . Bulman was assisted by two other pilots in subsequent flight testing; Philip Lucas flew some of the experimental test flights, while John Hindmarsh conducted the firm's production flight trials. As completed, the prototype had been fitted with ballast to represent the aircraft's armament prior to
6111-410: The fuselage was a Warren truss box-girder with high-tensile steel longerons and duralumin cross-bracing, which were mechanically fastened rather than being welded . Over this, a secondary structure composed of wooden formers and stringers covered with doped linen gave the fuselage a rounded section. The majority of the external surfaces were linen, except for a section between the cockpit and
6208-425: The fuselage, synchronised to fire through the propeller arc. By January 1934, the proposal's detail drawings had been finished, but these failed to impress the Air Ministry enough for a prototype to be ordered. Camm's response to this rejection was to further develop the design, introducing a retractable undercarriage and replacing the unsatisfactory Goshawk engine with a new Rolls-Royce design, initially designated
6305-478: The inner end of the wings. This wing was predominantly fabric-covered, like the fuselage, although some lightweight metal sheets were used on the inner wing and its leading edge . The majority of the flight control surfaces , such as the Frise-type ailerons , also had fabric coverings. An all-metal, stressed-skin wing of duraluminium (a DERD specification similar to AA2024) was introduced in April 1939 and
6402-450: The late summer of 1940". Present at the meeting was Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley of the Air Ministry's Operational Requirements branch, who played an important role in the decision. In November 1934, the Air Ministry issued Specification F.5/34 which called for new fighter aircraft to be armed with a total of eight guns. However, by this time, work had progressed too far to immediately modify the planned four-gun installation. By January 1935,
6499-432: The lead. Mölders and Leutnant Hans von Hahn shot down the Hurricanes of Sergeant R. M. Perry and J. Winn for no loss. In May 1940, Nos. 3, 79 and 504 Squadrons reinforced the earlier units as Germany's Blitzkrieg gathered momentum. On 10 May, the first day of the Battle of France , Flight Lieutenant R. E. Lovett and Flying Officer "Fanny" Orton , of 73 Squadron, were the first RAF pilots to engage enemy aircraft in
6596-474: The main building. In 1935 its name was changed to Shoreham Airport . The station closed in 1940. Various air taxi companies are based at the airport. Brighton City Airways operated out of the airport to Paris Pontoise airport but ceased operations in 2013 after encountering problems setting up a point of entry at the French airport. The South East Air Support Unit formerly operated from Brighton City Airport. Previously Sussex Police Air Operations Unit ,
6693-432: The main undercarriage units being housed in recesses in the wing. Hinged telescopic Vickers-built legs are attached to the bottom boom of the wing's forward spar, but with a angled pivot to allow the strut to be perpendicular to the thrust line when extended and angle rearwards when retracted to clear the forward spar. A hydraulic jack actuated the undercarriage. Two separate hydraulic systems, one being power-operated and
6790-558: The major theatres of the Second World War. The Hurricane originated from discussions between RAF officials and aircraft designer Sir Sydney Camm about a proposed monoplane derivative of the Hawker Fury biplane in the early 1930s. Despite an institutional preference for biplanes and lack of interest by the Air Ministry , Hawker refined its monoplane proposal, incorporating several innovations which became critical to wartime fighter aircraft, including retractable landing gear and
6887-567: The more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's Interceptor Monoplane in late 1934, and the prototype Hurricane K5083 performed its maiden flight on 6 November 1935. The Hurricane went into production for the Air Ministry In June 1936 and entered squadron service in December 1937. Its manufacture and maintenance were eased by using conventional construction methods so that squadrons could perform many major repairs without external support. The plane
6984-572: The name Brighton Hove and Worthing Joint Municipal Airport. The new terminal building was built in 1936 and was designed by Stavers Tiltman in the Art Deco style. The terminal building is still in use and was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1984. In 1937 one of the local flying schools received a contract to train pilots for the Royal Air Force and was known as No. 16 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School initially using
7081-411: The opening months of the war were characterised by little air activity in general, there were sporadic engagements and aerial skirmishes between the two sides. On 30 October 1939 Hurricanes saw action over France. That day, Pilot Officer P. W. O. "Boy" Mould of 1 Squadron, flying Hurricane L1842, shot down a Dornier Do 17 P from 2(F)/123. The German aircraft, sent to photograph Allied airfields close to
7178-460: The other hand-operated, are present for the deployment and retraction of the undercarriage; in the event of both failing, pilots can release the retaining catches holding the undercarriage in place, deploying the wheels to the 'down' position using weight alone. A wide wheel-track was used to allow for considerable stability during ground movements and to enable tight turns to be performed. The prototype and early production Hurricanes were fitted with
7275-495: The preparations for the Normandy invasion ; the squadron was active on D-Day over the beaches and escorting glider formations. No 345 Squadron moved out in August 1944 and 277 Squadron in October 1944 and the airfield went into care and maintenance and was little used for the rest of the war. The airfield was bombed several times and a Messerschmitt Bf 109 was shot down by ground fire during one such attack, crash-landing near
7372-576: The prototype was transferred to RAF Martlesham Heath , Suffolk , to participate in initial service trials under the direction of Squadron Leader D.F. Anderson. Sammy Wroath, later to be the founding commandant of the Empire Test Pilots' School , was the RAF test pilot for the Hurricane: his report was favourable, stating that: "The aircraft is simple and easy to fly and has no apparent vices" and proceeded to praise its control response. In
7469-549: The rejection of the P.V.3 proposal, Camm started work on a new design involving a cantilever monoplane arrangement with a fixed undercarriage, armed with four machine guns and powered by the Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. The original 1934 armament specifications for what evolved into the Hurricane were for a similar armament fitment to the Gloster Gladiator : four machine guns; two in the wings and two in
7566-496: The repaired Municipal Hangar. Beagle Aircraft Ltd (British Executive & General Aviation Ltd) was formed at Shoreham on 7 October 1960 and design drawings were begun a few weeks later for a new prototype twin-engine light transport aircraft. Built as the Beagle B.206 X at Beagle's Rearsby factory near Leicester, this promising new type was completed at Shoreham and first flown by John Nicolson on 15 August 1961. Beagle Aircraft Ltd
7663-413: The surprise! There was no sudden surge of acceleration, but with a thunderous roar from the exhausts just ahead on either side of the windscreen, only a steady increase in speed... In retrospect that first Hurricane sortie was a moment of elation, but also of relief. Apart from the new scale of speeds that the pilot had to adapt to, the Hurricane had all the qualities of its stable, secure biplane predecessor
7760-401: The terminal building. A B-17 Flying Fortress crash-landed at the airfield after being damaged during a raid on Germany . The consequent damage to the old guardhouse on the north side of the airfield can still be seen. The landing area was entirely grass until a tarmac runway was built in 1981. In 1949, F G Miles Engineering Ltd moved to Shoreham from Redhill Aerodrome and soon occupied
7857-522: The two squadrons involved) to suit local circumstances. The Hurricane had its first combat action on 21 October 1939, at the start of the Phoney War . That day, "A" Flight of 46 Squadron took off from North Coates satellite airfield, on the Lincolnshire coast, and was directed to intercept a formation of nine Heinkel He 115 B floatplanes from 1/KüFlGr 906, searching for ships to attack in
7954-575: The type at Brooklands from December 1937 to October 1942 and Langley from October 1939 to July 1944), while Hawker's sister company, the Gloster Aircraft Company , constructed 2,750. The Austin Aero Company completed 300 Hurricanes. Canada Car and Foundry produced 1,451 Hurricanes. However those shipped to Britain were often incomplete airframes and about 80% were delivered without an engine. In 1939, production of 100 Hurricanes
8051-439: The unit moved in summer 2007 to Dunsfold Park , west of Gatwick Airport , before moving to its present base at Redhill Aerodrome in autumn 2013. The Shoreham Airport Rescue and Firefighting Service provides a professional fire-fighting capability at the airport during operating hours. Headed by a senior airport fire officer, the service's two watches (Blue Watch and Red Watch) man two fire appliances. The service has operated at
8148-566: The wood and fabric covering without exploding. Even if one of the steel tubes were damaged, the repair work required was relatively simple and could be done by ground crew at the airfield. Damage to a stressed skin structure, as used by the Spitfire, required more specialised equipment to repair. The old-fashioned structure also permitted the assembly of Hurricanes with relatively basic equipment under field conditions. Crated Hurricanes were assembled at Takoradi in West Africa and flown across
8245-445: Was 73 Squadron on 10 September 1939, followed shortly by the other three. A little later, 607 and 615 Squadrons joined them. Owing to the Hurricane's rugged construction, ease of maintenance and repair in the field, and its docile landing and take-off characteristics, coupled with a wide-track undercarriage, it was selected to go to France as the principal RAF fighter. Two Hurricane squadrons, No. 1 and No. 73 , formed 67 Wing of
8342-437: Was aided by a retractable " stirrup " mounted below the trailing edge of the port wing. This was linked to a spring-loaded hinged flap which covered a handhold on the fuselage, just behind the cockpit. When the flap was shut, the footstep retracted into the fuselage. In addition, both wing roots were coated with strips of non-slip material. An advantage of the steel-tube structure was that cannon shells could pass right through
8439-465: Was held at Brighton City Airport. The airport hosted the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) Shoreham Airshow for around 25 years. On 22 August 2015, a Hawker Hunter jet fighter taking part in the airshow crashed onto the A27 road just outside Brighton City Airport, killing 11 people, and the show has not been held since. There is one terminal building at the airport, together with flight indicator boards announcing all arrivals and departures,
8536-495: Was his 13-year-old daughter Hazel Hill . Of the decision to place eight machine guns in fighters, Claude Hilton Keith , at the time assistant director of armament research and development, said "The battle was brisk and was carried into very high quarters before the implementing authority was given. My Branch had made out a sound case for 8-gun fighters and if this recommendation had not been accepted and we had been content with half-measures, it might indeed have gone ill for us during
8633-562: Was initiated in Yugoslavia by Zmaj and Rogožarski . Of these, 20 were built by Zmaj by April 1941. Recognising that the supply of British-made Merlin engines might not be guaranteed, it was decided to fit one of the Yugoslavian Hurricanes with a Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine instead. This aircraft was flown in 1941. In 1938, a contract for 80 Hurricanes was placed with Fairey's Belgian subsidiary Avions Fairey SA for
8730-481: Was nationalised in late 1966 and taken over by the British Motor Corporation but later entered receivership in late 1969 and soon closed down. In 2006, due to mounting debts the airport was sold by the local authority to a property company on a 150-year lease. It was intended that the airport would provide increasing commercial flight activity for the conurbation on the coast nearby, particularly
8827-620: Was officially opened on 20 June 1911. The first flying school opened in 1913. During the First World War the aerodrome was used by the Royal Flying Corps . It was the departure point for some of the earlier flights, using Blériots and BEs , to join the conflict across the Channel . The aerodrome became an airport for the adjacent towns of Brighton, Hove and Worthing. It was officially opened on 13 June 1936 under
8924-534: Was rapidly procured prior to the outbreak of the Second World War; in September 1939, the RAF had 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons in service. It was relied upon to defend against German aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe, including dogfighting with Messerschmitt Bf 109s in multiple theatres of action. The Hurricane was developed through several versions: bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers , and ground support aircraft as well as fighters. Versions designed for
9021-797: Was received; this was followed by the purchase of a production licence for the Hurricane by Yugoslavia. Yugoslavian Hurricanes saw action against the Luftwaffe during the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 by the Axis powers . To the end of August 1939, 14 Hurricanes had been sent to Poland (SS Lassel left Liverpool on 30 August 1939 heading to Constanza in Romania, these planes never reached Poland and ultimately were sold to Turkey ), seven ex-RAF Hurricanes had been sent to South Africa, while another 13 ex-RAF Hurricanes were sent to Turkey, 13 Hurricanes had been built for Belgium, 21 for Canada including one as
9118-618: Was reworked with the PV.12, following detailed work working drawings of the "Interceptor Monoplane" were begun in May 1934. The complete design was presented to the Air Ministry on 4 September. Camm's initial submission in response to the earlier fighter specification F.7/30 was a development of the Fury, the Hawker P.V.3 , However, the P.V.3 was not among the proposals which the Air Ministry selected to be built as prototype to official contract. After
9215-726: Was the first to clash with a Messerschmitt Bf 109 . After the dogfight, he came back with five holes in his fuselage. Flying Officer Cobber Kain , a New Zealander, was responsible for 73 Squadron's first victory, on 8 November 1939 while stationed at Rouvres . He went on to become one of the RAF's first fighter aces of the war, being credited with 16 kills. On 22 December, the Hurricanes in France suffered their first losses: three, while trying to intercept an unidentified aircraft between Metz and Thionville , were jumped by four Bf 109Es from III./JG 53, with their Gruppenkommandeur , Spanish Civil War ace Captain Werner Mölders , in
9312-402: Was typically equipped for flying under both day and night conditions, being provided with navigation lights, Harley landing lights , complete blind-flying equipment, and two-way radios . Upon its entry to service, much of the performance data was intentionally concealed from the general public, but it was known that the type possessed a speed range of 6:1. A simple steel tube structure supported
9409-420: Was used for all of the later marks. "The metal skinned wings allowed a diving speed that was 80 mph (130 km/h) higher than the fabric-covered ones. They were very different in construction but were interchangeable with the fabric-covered wings; one trials Hurricane, L1877 , was even flown with a fabric-covered port wing and metal-covered starboard wing. The great advantage of the metal-covered wings over
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