1918 2018TIMESTIMES
1918 2018TIMESTIMES
AN ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF A HURRICANE USED IN WARTIME RADAR TRIALS
TESTING
78 FLYPAST June 2018
F
ew Hawker Hurricanes were
painted as distinctively as our
subject, Mk.I P2992, which
flew with the RAF’s 527 Squadron.
The unit was formed to carry out
radar calibration flights during
World War Two.
Painted in an overall red-orange
finish, the aircraft was used in
instrumentation trials from
Hornchurch, Essex, during 1943.The eye-catching colouring assisted
ground observers to pinpoint its
precise position in relation to radar
readings.
The squadron was formed at Castle
Camps on the Cambridgeshire and
Essex border in June 1943, before
moving to Snailwell in February of
the following year, and then to Digby
in Lincolnshire during April 1944. Its
motto was ‘Silently We Serve’.It should be noted that the precise
colour scheme worn by this aircraft
is the subject of some debate – the
illustrations here are an artist’s
impression, based on the available
information. These colours are likely to
have been non-standard and possibly
unique to this aircraft. Hurricane
P2992 remained with the unit until
June 1944 when it was withdrawn
following an engine fire.Artwork
Hawker Hurricane
Mk.I P2992 of 527
Squadron in late 1943.
ANDY HAY-2018