94 The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017
I
t is unlikely that those gathered at
the Hawker Siddeley airfield at
Dunsfold, Surrey, on the evening of
21 August 1974 to watch the Hawk’s
maiden flight would have imagined that
the latest Hawker design would still be
in production more than 40 years later.
In those intervening years, more than
1,000 Hawks have been delivered and
new developments of the design are
still in train.
XX154, the first Hawk took to the air
for a 53-minute flight before landing at
dusk. The first flight routine was typically
cautious but the handling proved fine
with no untoward difficulties and a
second flight was made the following
afternoon.
The origins of the Hawk
The RAF’s specification for a Jet Provost
replacement had required a subsonic,
single-engined, tandem-seat aircraft with
a raised rear seat for the instructor. Both
the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and
Hawk – 40 years
of refinement
XX154, the first Hawk made its maiden
flight on the evening of 21 August 1974
from Dunsfold. (BAE Systems)
The first Hawk is still in service and flying with the Empire Test Pilots School at Boscombe Down. Here it is at
Fairford in July 2015. (Author)
