Aviation Archive 54 - Hawker Aircraft.pdf

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Hawker
AIRCRAFT
Biplanes to Jump Jets
10 0 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y S P E C I A L
21
ISBN 978-1-913295-26-4
9 781913 295264
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ISSUE 54
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INTRODUCTION
3
HAWKER AIRCRAFT
100th Anniversary Special
H
Biplanes to Jump Jets
arry Hawker was just 31 when his name was given to
a new company that emerged out of the embers of
Sopwith Aviation in 1920. This fast-living Australian was
a mechanic, pioneering aviator, air racer, test pilot, racing driver
and entrepreneur, all rolled into one. Now, he was also the famous
‘face’ of an exciting new enterprise, partnered with the likes of such
luminaries as Thomas Sopwith and Fred Sigrist. But tragically within
a year he was dead and H. G. Hawker Engineering Co Ltd had lost its
leading light.
It was not flying per se that killed Hawker, but his health. He had
been suffering from tuberculosis of the spine and it appears that while
executing a tight turn during a test flight, he suffered a haemorrhage
and died before the aircraft crashed. Thus passed the man whose name
would become immortalised by the likes of the Hurricane and
Harrier. But that was all in the distant future and his death was
a devastating blow to a fledgling company living in an age of
wood and canvas biplanes. Today at Brooklands, the cough of
radial engines spluttering into life has long been replaced by
a soundtrack of clattering shopping trolleys, but 100 years ago it was
a very different story. Bounded by the famous banked race track, the
airfield near Weybridge was the hub of Hawker’s flying activities. It was
here that its early designs were put through their paces, trying to score
lucrative RAF contracts. Their inspiration came from nearby Kingston
where the company’s head office and drawing offices were sited. It was
the pen of a young highly talented draughtsman, Sydney Camm, that
began to turn the fortunes of the company round, his considerable
influence coming to the fore in the Hawker Hart, an aircraft that gave
birth to countless variants and which formed the backbone of the RAF
during the inter-war period. From the Hart came the Fury, from the Fury
came the Hurricane, an iconic monoplane that helped turn the course
of World War Two. By now Hawker was truly pushing the boundaries of
technology, pioneering aircraft construction techniques and matching
them to the most powerful engines of the day. The uncompromising
Sea Fury conquered the air by sheer brute force, but even its might was
no match for the sweeping aerodynamic curves of the fashionable new
jet fighters, epitomised by the elegance of the Hawker Hunter. Elegance
is not a term often applied to Hawker’s most exalted fast jet, but why
do you need elegance when you can shock the world by taking off and
landing vertically… and fly backwards? The Harrier, née Kestrel, was the
last ‘true’ Hawker aircraft before the name was dissolved into Hawker
Siddeley and, ultimately, British Aerospace. One of the greatest names in
aviation had all but disappeared, but in its 40-year existence it had taken
aviation from biplanes to jump jets. This is that story…
AVIATION ARCHIVE SERIES
In this 54th issue of ‘Aviation Archive’, we salute the 100th anniversary
of the formation of Hawker Aircraft. We have selected 38 of the most
significant aircraft it produced throughout its 40-year history. The types
are listed chronologically under date of production. ‘Hawker Aircraft’
features stunning photographic coverage, including many exclusive
and rare shots drawn from the archives. For their kind assistance with
this issue, we would like to thank: Barry Guess and Helen Jordan of BAE
Systems Heritage.
Front cover:
Hawker Hurricane IIc LF363 of the Battle of Britain Memorial
Flight being flown by Sqn Ldr Mark ‘Suggs’ Sugden.
John Dibbs/The Plane Picture Co
Aviation Archive Series
Hawker Aircraft
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Editor:
Allan Burney •
Design:
Philip Hempell
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Group CEO:
Adrian Cox •
Chief Publishing Officer:
Jonathan Jackson •
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Publisher:
Mark Elliott •
Head of Publishing:
Finbarr O’Reilly •
Distribution:
Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000 •
Printing:
Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Normanton, UK.
All rights reserved. The entire content of Aviation Archive is © Key Publishing 2021. Reproduction in whole or in part and in any form whatsoever is strictly prohibited without the prior permission of the Publisher. We are unable to guarantee the
bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information
in response to any advertisements within this publication. Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ. Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website: www.keypublishing.com
ISBN:
9781913295264
4
CONTENTS
HAWKER AIRCRAFT
100th Anniversary Special
Biplanes to Jump Jets
5
6
7
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
17
18
24
25
25
26
30
32
34
36
40
40
40
41
44
46
54
54
55
56
63
68
74
78
80
81
88
90
HAWKER HISTORY
DUIKER
WOODCOCK
CYGNET
HEDGEHOG
HORNBILL
DANECOCK
HORSLEY
HERON
HARRIER
HAWFINCH
HART
TOMTIT
F.20/27
HOOPOE
FURY
NIMROD
DEMON
OSPREY
AUDAX
P.V.3
P.V.4
HARDY
HIND
HECTOR
HURRICANE
HENLEY
HOTSPUR
TORNADO
TYPHOON
TEMPEST
SEA FURY
SEA HAWK
P.1052
P.1072
HUNTER
KESTREL
HARRIER
KER 100
5
HAWKER HISTORY
F
ollowing the bankruptcy of the Sopwith
Aviation Company, former company
test pilot Harry Hawker joined three
other Sopwith colleagues (T.O.M Sopwith,
Bill Eyre and Fred Sigrist) and purchased
the assets of the old company and formed
H.G. Hawker Engineering Company in 1920.
Tom Sopwith commented at the time that ‘to
avoid any muddle, if we had gone on building
aeroplanes and called them Sopwiths then
there was bound to be a muddle somewhere
and so we called the company the H.G.
Hawker Company – I didn’t mind as he (Harry
Hawker) was largely responsible for our
growth during the war’.
Hawker’s first indigenous design, the Duiker,
proved unsuccessful and never progressed
passed the prototype stage. Undeterred, the
company produced the Hawker Woodcock
which, although rejected as a first prototype,
received an order for 10 aircraft from the RAF
for a modified and improved Mk II. Eventually,
the RAF ordered a further 52 examples, giving
the new company much needed finances.
A number of successful and innovative
designs followed and H.G. Hawker grew in
both size and reputation. One of the most
outstanding products of the inter-war years was
the Sydney Camm-designed Hawker Hart family
of aircraft and its derivatives such as the Hawker
Audax, Hawker Hind and Hawker Demon, of
which nearly 3,000 were produced.
On 18 May 1933, H.G. Hawker Engineering
Company underwent a change of name to
Hawker Aircraft Limited and it quickly took
advantage of the Great Depression to acquire
Gloster Aircraft Company during February
1934. However, the newly formed Hawker
Aircraft Ltd was short-lived and just one year
later (1935) it merged with The Armstrong
Siddeley Development Company Limited.
The union included aircraft manufacturer
Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd
and the substantial AV Roe & Company.
Despite the new company being registered as
Hawker Siddeley Aircraft, after the merger the
individual components continued to operate
under the trade names of Hawker Aircraft, Sir
WG Armstrong Whitworth and Avro. Under the
Hawker Aircraft banner, the company produced
a number of now legendary aircraft, most
notable of which was the Hawker Hurricane of
Battle of Britain fame. After World War Two, the
introduction of the jet engine led to the classic
sweeping lines of the Hunter.
Hawker Aircraft continued to produce
designs under its own name as part of Hawker
Siddeley Aircraft, from 1955 a division of the
Hawker Siddeley Group. The ‘Hawker’ brand
name was dropped, along with those of the
sister companies, in 1963. The Hawker P.1127
was officially the last aircraft to carry the brand,
though it was often applied to the resulting
Harrier, considered by most to be the last true
‘Hawker’ aircraft. As the world’s first operational
V/STOL jet fighter, Harry Hawker would have
been proud of his legacy.
Harry Hawker
Harry Hawker was both an adventurer and daredevil who loved racing cars at Brooklands
and appearing at various Aerial Derbies around the country. He was born on 22 January 1889
at Moorabbin, Victoria in Australia, the son of a blacksmith. As an 11-year-old, he helped to
build car engines and eventually qualified as a mechanic. In 1910 he travelled to Diggers Rest,
north-west of Melbourne, to see the first public demonstrations of powered flight made in
Australia, and decided to travel to England to become involved in aviation, arriving in May
1911. In England, Hawker obtained a job with the Mercedes company in January 1912 and
then to Austro Daimler. During this time, he spent much of his spare time at Brooklands,
then the hub of British aviation, and in June 1912 he got a job as a mechanic for the Sopwith
Aviation Company. He soon persuaded Sopwith to teach him to fly, and succeeded in making
his first solo flight after only three lessons. He was awarded his Royal Aero Club pilot’s licence,
No 297, in September 1912. Having established his name as an aviator, he became chief test
pilot for Tom Sopwith. He was also a regular competitor in motor car and motorcycle races at
Brooklands. After World War One, he attempted to fly across the Atlantic ‘in under 72 hours’,
but the engine on his specially built Sopwith Atlantic failed after just 14�½ hours. Luckily, he
and navigator Kenneth Grieve were rescued by a passing freighter. Hawker was killed on
12 July 1921 when his Nieuport Goshawk
crashed while he was climbing away from
Hendon Aerodrome while practising for
the Aerial Derby. Medical examination
led physicians to believe that Hawker had
suffered a haemorrhage, brought on by spinal
tuberculosis. King George V sent a message
of condolence, asserting: ‘The nation had
lost one of its most distinguished airmen’.
Hawker’s name would live on in the company
that was to shape aviation history.

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