Category: News

After almost 40 years at IWM Duxford, the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hawker Hurricane G-HURI officially moved to a new home with Old Warden’s Shuttleworth Collection on November 26.

The Hurricane, which is operated under the banner of the Polish Heritage Flight, was flown to Old Warden by Dave Harvey. Now on public display at the Bedfordshire attraction, the famous aircraft will continue to wear its distinctive 302 (City of Poznan) Squadron colour scheme, honouring the unit’s time at Duxford during the Battle of Britain and maintaining a visual link to a significant history.

The move to the Shuttleworth Collection ensures the aircraft will remain airworthy and regularly displayed. Ownership will remain with the Historic Aircraft Collection and their commitment to the Polish Heritage Flight continues.

Paul Ford’s Fokker D.VII reproduction G-FKKR made its debut flight from Duxford on November 21 with Dan Griffith at the controls.

Construction of the World War One fighter – which uses a downrated inverted de Havilland Gipsy Queen 30 engine in place of the type’s original six-cylinder Mercedes D.IIIa – began at Paul’s Jasta Binks Aviation facility at Derby during 2009. Arriving at Duxford on January 19, 2025, it wears the eye-catching lozenge and lilac scheme of Fokker D.VII OAW 4523/18, the personal mount of Lt Rudolf Stark during October 1918.

This welcome addition to the UK airshow scene is expected to appear at 2026 events alongside Paul’s Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker reproduction.

The first flight of L39 Aviation Ltd’s British Aerospace Hawk T.1 G-HAWC took place at St Athan in South Wales on December 2 with Dave Harvey and John Hurrel in the cockpit.

The former Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS) jet has been returned to flight by Horizon Aircraft Services.

Rolled out as T.1 XX342 in 1981, the Hawk was delivered to the ETPS at what is now MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, adorned in the operator’s famed ‘Raspberry Ripple’ scheme. It was used for both fast jet continuation and spin training until withdrawn in 2017. Acquired by L39 Aviation two years later, it was moved to St Athan and added to the UK civil register in 2020.

The company is working alongside the CAA on a permit to test flight programme – the Hawk will relocate to L39’s base at Blackpool Airport in Lancashire to complete its certification.