At Scone NSW work progresses on Hawker Hurricane C/N 60372, C-FDNL, Mk XII / IIB Serial No 5481.
The Hurricane fuselage was sent to Matt Webber and the team at Luskintyre Aircraft Restoration last year. This is so that the fuselage woodwork could be refurbished and new cloth added to the fuselage, as it had been some time since the aircraft was fully restored. This work has been extensive as all the woodwork has been replaced in the process and the rear upper cockpit framing rebuilt. This work is now near completion and all the new stringers on the fuselage have also been fitted. The next stage will be the fitting of the fabric “bag” to the fuselage and doping of the fabric and finally the painting of the structure.
November 2014
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- Hurricane 5481
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- Hurricane rear view
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- Hurricane 5481 interior
The decision to send the fuselage to Luskintyre was an easy choice as Luskintyre Aircraft Restoration has an enviable reputation for wood and fabric work and is within easy commute of Scone for reference and comparison purposes. Pays Air Service is also very busy with work proceeding on its current Spitfire restoration project Mk9 MH603 and maintenance on the other aircraft in the Warbird fleet, so it makes a lot of sense to outsource the work where appropriate.
Once Matt and his team complete the work on the fuselage, the aircraft will then be transported for the short (for Australia!) distance of 110Km back to Scone where all the parts will again be united and the aircraft will be prepared for its first Australian flight. Obviously whilst the Hurricane is dismantled the opportunity was afforded to go through the aircraft completely to ensure it is in as new shape when it takes to the air again. The wings and tail surfaces have also all been stripped of paint and inspected at Scone and await repainting.
April 2015
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- Hawker Hurricane 5481
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- Hurricane side view
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- Hurricane 5481 interior
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- Hurricane rear view
While there are lots of options for aircraft color scheme, no decision has yet been finalized as to its final finish. We anticipate the unveiling will be a well-kept secret, although we are quite sure there will be an Australian connection.
As always there is no hard and fast rule as to when the first flight will take place but as the work advances one would suspect it will occur within 12 months. We certainly hope so!
Warbirds Online thanks the owner of the Hawker Hurricane, Ross Pay and his team, as well as Matt Webber and the team at Luskintyre Aircraft Restoration for their continued help in giving us access to news about this great Warbird.
© John Parker 2015