Hawker Hellion

[arkon]

very cool

[ChernayaAkula]

<...> let us see what transpires!

Something great, that's what!

[deathjester]

The Hellion story didn't have an auspicious start - Hawker was having terrible trouble with its new fighter, slated to be called the Typhoon.  The Rolls Royce Vulture engine it was originally to use spent more time on fire than in the air, the replacement, the Napier Sabre, was proving too complicated to even keep running.  To cap it all, the airframe itself showed weakness in some manouvers, losing the entire tail assembly in some cases! 
  To say there was an air of despondency at Hawkers would be quite an understatement, however, things were about to improve drastically.  Despairing over the engine choices available, Sydney Camm sent a member of his design staff over to Rolls Royce, to enquire about Vulture project shortcomings, and any possibility of wringing yet more power out of the Merlin.  It was while waiting for his appointment that the designer got into conversation with a young engineer on the Crecy project, and the rest, as they say, is history.  He rushed back to Hawkers, and once Camm heard about the prospect of a 5000hp+ engine, he immediately started work on a fighter that could handle that amount of power.  He had some further good fortune when he happened upon Some of Jack Northrop's papers on flying wings, and swept leading edges in particular.  This, he reasoned, would allow his new fighter to have blazing speed, and better agility at high speeds!

It didn't take long for people to sit up and take notice of the new plane, especially the Australian Purchasing Commission  - a couple of full bore flypasts had them signing on the dotted line, and within a few months the Hellion, as it was soon named, was quickly in action against Japanese forces.....

[GTX]

Wow!!!

[deathjester]

Epilogue -
Autumn Airshow 2011,
Duxford, Cambridgeshire

The crowd cheered appreciativley as the Belgian airforce F-16 roared away in full afterburner at the end of its display.  As the man made thunder abated, and peoples hearing returned, the tannoy crackled to life once more.  "And now, ladies and gentlemen,  a display from Duxford's own pair of Hawker Hellions, and these particular fighters...." The anouncement went on, partly drowned out by the angry howl of two RR Crecy's at full power; and while the crowd gazed up at the up at the two warbirds, only a few people wondered why the aged Japanese gent in the wheelchair, on the front row with his family, scowled so mightily as the fighters roared past....

[deathjester]

Erm, it is finished now!

[NARSES2]

  Especially love the epilogue 

[Rheged]

Especially love the epilogue 

Both the build and the backstory are  superb!

[deathjester]

Thanks guys, I thought you'd like the epilogue!!