Aviation News — February 2018

of warbird ownership, I undoubtedly (and

perhaps luckily) was blissfully unaware of

the challenges and costs of operating such a

magni cent and unique aeroplane.

“With the bene t of two full years’

ownership under my belt, and having

experienced both a hydraulic failure and

cracked cylinder block on our rare Merlin III,

I’m certainly more clued-up on how eye-

wateringly expensive warbird operation can

be. Despite this, the privilege and honour

of being the custodian of R4118 remains

undiminished.

“The 2018  ying season promises to be

particularly exciting, not least because I

hope to achieve my childhood ambition of

actually  ying a Hawker Hurricane. However,

between now and then, there’s lots of work to

be done; both in terms of  ying training and

some signi cant maintenance we need to

conduct on R4118 over the winter.”

James wishes to be best prepared to

 y such an historically precious aircraft,

and decided buying a Harvard would give

him an excellent platform to gain valuable

hours on a big, tailwheel aircraft, with the

complex systems he would experience in

the Hurricane. Late in 2015, ‘Checker Tail’

(its pseudo-US military marking at the time),

arrived from where it was previously based

in Stockholm, and was sent to Gloucester for

paint stripping and application of a new look

following some engineering work.

It is now resplendent in its former RAF

markings and serial FE511 and James – who

lives in Oxfordshire – put the aircraft to good

use during last year’s season.

He said: “My training progressed steadily

throughout 2017. At the start of the year,

my logbook contained around 500 hours

of single-engine piston time, mostly in

Cessna and Pipers. With their modern

handling characteristics (and handy tricycle

undercarriage), these aeroplanes bear little

resemblance to the 6,000lb Hurricane I’m

aiming to  y next year. So, with this in mind,

my focus throughout the season has been to

solo our Harvard and start building hours.

“Our insurers have asked for a minimum

of 50 hours solo Harvard time before I  y

the Hurricane and, because R4118 is such a

unique aeroplane, I’ve set myself a personal

goal of double this: 100 hours solo in the

Harvard before I even think about  ying

R4118.”

At the time we spoke to James, he

had notched up around 30 solo hours in

the Harvard and was gradually building

con dence.

He added: “Initially staying in the White

Waltham [near Maidenhead] circuit, I

gradually stretched my  ights: a trip around

The Needles; up to Oxford and Wellesbourne

to  y friends; a visit to Old Warden to see

R4118 (that one was truly memorable); and

even some gentle aerobatics. All of the

time [I am] acutely aware of the Harvard’s

reputation for biting the unwary and

overcon dent, but all of the time revelling in

the view of the roundels on my wings over the

English countryside.

“This really must have been what it felt

like for Battle of Britain legends like Geoffrey

Wellum and his colleagues as they  ew over

Oxfordshire in the months before The Battle.

The challenge of learning to  y the Harvard

has melted away to leave only a love of  ying

this iconic aeroplane.”

Under James’ ownership the aircraft was

 rst displayed at Old Warden on October 25,

2015. It was also displayed in 2016. He said
      the Hurricane’s season last year was largely
      successful attending ten airshows in the UK
      with few technical issues. It was displayed
      by Stu Goldspink, Dave Harvey, Keith
      Skilling and Frank Chapman. A hydraulic
      modi cation made in 2016 after not one,
      but two hydraulic pump failures, performed
      faultlessly. “With the exception of an electrical
      failure just as R4118 was about to depart for a
      display at Cosford, the aeroplane performed
      without a hitch. Without a hitch, that is, right
      up until August 27,” James said.
      “After a misty start, it promised to be a
      beautiful late summer’s day and R4118 was
      scheduled to display at Little Gransden,
      Cambridgeshire. To make the most of
      the good weather, the team at Hurricane
      Heritage (the company set up by James to
      support the aircraft) met early that morning
      to conduct the pre- ight [checks], and Dodge
      Bailey [Chief Pilot at The Shuttleworth
      Collection] took the opportunity to  y a
      short practise display in order to maintain
      currency on the aircraft. His display was a

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 45

Left: A wingman’s typical view of R4118

when on patrol over southern England

during the Battle of Britain.

The aircraft is now based on the grass

air eld of Old Warden that is more

forgiving for landing and taking off

compared with a hard runway.

42-46_hurricaneDC.mf.indd 45 05/01/2018 14:13