Hawker Demon sold to new owner in USA
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- Опубликовано: 28 фев 2024
- Demon Displays Ltd, Shuttleworth Collection based Hawker Demon, K8203, G-BTVE, has this month been de registered in the UK following sale to a new owner. Concurrently it has appeared on the United States Federal Aviation Administration civil register as N-1HD. The US registered owner is listed as 'Weeks Kermit A. Trustee' of Polk City, Florida.
As of 25th February 2024 the aircraft remains in situ in a hangar at the Shuttleworth Collection, as seen in the first part of this film.
The outdoor shots of the Hawker Demon in action were filmed at various times between 2016 and 2022.
This Demon wears the same 64 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF) colours, as it had when delivered to the RAF in 1937, from Boulton - Paul Aircraft Ltd. It's the only airworthy example of a Hawker Demon.
When the Hawker Hart bomber entered service in January 1930, it outperformed all other RAF aircraft, so the decision was made to procure a two-seat fighter version for use until the Fury was ready. Two modified Harts were produced as prototypes for evaluation. Powered by the supercharged Rolls Royce Kestrel V12 engine, each was equipped with two synchronised forward firing .303in Vickers machine guns and had the rear cockpit modified to accommodate a .303in Lewis gun and observer/air gunner. These were known as Hart Fighters, as were a further batch of 6 machines. The name Demon was adopted in 1932 and full production began shortly thereafter. The aircraft entered RAF service with No 23 Squadron in April 1933 and eventually equipped seven regular and five auxiliary squadrons. As the sole other operator, the Royal Australian Air Force purchased 64 machines.
The Demon was not a particularly successful fighter. Such was its speed that the rear gunner experienced considerable difficulty manoeuvring his gun against the slipstream. From late 1936 a number of aircraft built by Boulton-Paul were provided with a hydraulically operated Frazer-Nash turret shield in the rear cockpit and many earlier aircraft were retrospectively modified to this standard. This initiative greatly improved the rear gunner’s accuracy, but badly affected the performance of the fixed guns whenever the turret was pointed abeam.
The aircraft remained in service until late 1938, at which time its units were re-equipped with the Bleheim1F. It was obsolete by the time war broke out in 1939 but a few continued to serve as target tugs and communications aircraft. A total of 305 Demons were built with several surviving on static display in various museums around the world. This sole airworthy machine took to the air in June 2009 following an 18-year restoration.
It was the twenty-third aircraft delivered of a third production batch of 37, built by Boulton-Paul. It was taken on charge by the RAF on 27 October 1937 and went to 64 Squadron, RAF Church Fenton. It was later sent to 9 Maintenance Unit (MU), RAF Cosford and then to 9 Air Observer’s School, RAF Penrhos. It was struck off charge on 28 September 1940, but became a ground training aid at 1 Service Flying Training School, RAF Netheravon. It was finally disposed of to 413 (Aldershot) Squadron Air Training Corps, probably during 1943. The rear fuselage went into RAF Museum storage at RAF Cardington.
The previous owner acquired that Demon fuselage in July 1991 from Aero Vintage Limited, together with a fin, rudder and tailplane, elevators, a centre-section and some parts of the wings and undercarriage; some other components were rescued from a tip in Ireland. Restoration was entrusted to SkySport Engineering Limited, with the main criterion being that the finished aircraft should be historically accurate in every way. A great deal of time, especially during the early years, was spent in extensive research and development of ways to manufacture specialist components, some of it being carried out by sub-contractors; the Kestrel V engine was acquired in Australia.
K8203’s first post restoration flight was at SkySport’s base near Sandy, Bedfordshire, on 23/6/2009. Test flying was completed at RAF Henlow. The UK Civil Aviation Authority issued the Permit to Fly at the end of the following month and the restored aircraft made its airshow debut a few days later on 2 August at the Shuttleworth Collection’s Old Warden Airfield, where the Demon is still hangared.
On 21 March the 2010 ConRod Trophy was awarded to Tim Moore of SkySport Engineering for the company’s restoration and maintenance of the Hawker Demon. In September the aircraft won the 2010 Freddie March ‘Spirit of Aviation’ Trophy at the annual concours d’elegance at Goodwood, to which ‘about 25 of the world’s finest, most elegant, original and rarely-seen aircraft from the evocative pioneering days of aviation’, all in flying condition, are invited; the competition is judged primarily on the aircraft’s condition, originality and service history.
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I always loved how Hawker used the same tail from their late 1930s fighters for the Hurricane! Iconic. 😎
Was it true that the Hurricane was referred to as a monoplane Fury, or was it another Hawker biplane that basically lost one ste of wings and transformed into the Hurricane? Defibitely iconic!!
Beautiful plane. Big shame if its lost to Britain.
As long as it's preserved. I wouldn't trust this country to preserve much of anything these days mate.
@@haitolawrence5986if the rumours are true, it’s going to a certain Kermit Weeks in Florida.
If his record is anything to go by, it’ll be flown for a short while as a toy and then pushed into a hangar and left to languish.
It was restored and preserved in the U.K. very well, I dare say it won’t be kept as well in Florida.
that is really a super awesome aircraft.
Sad that this aeroplane will end up rotting with many other unique aeroplanes in a hanger in Florida, we cannot afford to keep loosing these these. Chris B.
It will be nice to think that won't happen. On a more positive note, it appears that Kermit Weeks' Hawker Tempest V may be coming to the UK for restoration to flight. See here - ruclips.net/video/e-38hE3Yd_M/видео.htmlsi=qcl9DVTqiNz4FEmS
@@HighFlight Yes Steve I watched that, but there is still the Mosquito and lots of other aeroplanes tucked away in storage, probably never to see the light of day again.
@@453421abcdefg12345 Chris, I do agree that it would be far better if they were all flying regularly for all to see, as well as the 'Fantasy of Flight' being open as a living, working museum of flight. Steve.
@@HighFlight I think the problem is that as these very rare aeroplanes come up for sale unless they are snapped up the chance will likely never come again, the problem there is that so many "log jam" into the hanger that there will never be time to restore them, the Lancaster recently purchased is an example, and the Mosquito has been gathering dust for many years, although it was airworthy when purchased, a real dilemma! Stay safe! Chris B.
@@453421abcdefg12345the Mosquito is on long term loan to the EAA museum. It was airworthy, the skins have delaminated now though and unless it gets the full Avspevs treatment, it will never fly again.
The Sunderland is another that flew into Weeks’ ‘care’ but that is unlikely to ever fly again.
It’s a tragedy to see so many rare, historically notable and beautiful British aircraft ending up as a rich American’s toys and then shoved into his toy box to languish when he gets bored of them and moves onto his next toy.
Most of them have zero relevance to the USA, no American is going to point at the Demon and say ‘My great grandfather flew those’.