Hawker Typhoon - Resurrecting a Forgotten Legend

Arjen

Arjen

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hawkertyphoon.com

Hawker Typhoon RB396 – Resurrecting a Forgotten Legend

HTPG is a registered charity in the UK that is raising funds to restore a Hawker Typhoon, RB396, to airworthiness. Become part of something special.
hawkertyphoon.com hawkertyphoon.com

Website of The Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group, which aims to put a Typhoon into the air again.
 
Few Typhoons survive because they only served with four air forces: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. They were all retired at the end of World War 2 because they were considered obsolete.
Later versions survived longer becasue they were exported more widely and served well into the 1950s.
A dozen Tempests survive because they were exported more widely to: India, New Zealand and Pakistan. Most of the surviving Tempests were from Indian Air Force stocks
Some (land-based) Fury were sold to the Iraqi Air Force and were well-preserved by that country's dry climate. Sea Furys were exported to Australia, Burma, Canada, Cuba, the Netherlands and Pakistan.
Finally, most of the surviving Sea Fury airframes are from the Royal Canadian Navy.
 
I believe the main reason for there not being many Typhoon survivors was because more than 2 out of every 3 was lost to combat or accidents. Yes, superseded, but still formidable, the minority of the total airframes produce, many damaged or worn out were then scrapped. Close to 50% of those pilots who qualified to fly Typhoons lost their lives.

The Tempest never saw the same operational intensity and so was nowhere near as abused come the time of the big post war wind down.
 
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GTX said:
riggerrob said:
A dozen Tempests survive because they were exported more widely to: India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Click to expand...
Errr...you want to check that?
Click to expand...

Tempests were assigned to 486 Royal New Zealand Air Force Squadron in April 1944. Initially they flew "armed recce" ground attack missions over France and the Low Countries. During June 1944, they were assigned to intercept V-1 buzz-bombs. RAF and RNZAF Tempests intercepted more than 600 V-1s, a third of total V-1 kills. After V-1 launch sites were over-run by advancing ground forces, Tempests were re-assigned to ground attack missions in support of Operation Market Garden (September 1944).
I doubt if RNZAF Tempests flew combat anywhere outside of Western Europe (1944 and 1945) and doubt if the RNZAF flew any back home after WW2.
A single Tempest was being restored in NZ, but it recently moved to Kelowna, B.C. Canada to complete restoration.
 
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Understood Tempests were flown by the European based No. 486 (NZ) Sen though this was part of the RAF and thus I would challenge if this really constitutes an export. Maybe splitting hairs I know...

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