Hawker Sea Hurricane
Climbing out, just after take-off from its base of Old Warden. The Mk 1b 'Hurricat' was equipped to be launched by catapult from the deck of an aircraft carrier (often converted merchant ships) and also with an arrestor hook which enabled the plane to land back on the ship again. The earlier Mk 1a version had no tail hook, and if the pilot wasn't in range of a land base, he had to bail out and ditch the aircraft - presumably close to the mother ship so he could be recovered.
A stalwart of the Battle of Britain, more than 14,000 Hawker Hurricanes were built between 1935 and 1944.
Hawker Sea Hurricane
Climbing out, just after take-off from its base of Old Warden. The Mk 1b 'Hurricat' was equipped to be launched by catapult from the deck of an aircraft carrier (often converted merchant ships) and also with an arrestor hook which enabled the plane to land back on the ship again. The earlier Mk 1a version had no tail hook, and if the pilot wasn't in range of a land base, he had to bail out and ditch the aircraft - presumably close to the mother ship so he could be recovered.
A stalwart of the Battle of Britain, more than 14,000 Hawker Hurricanes were built between 1935 and 1944.