Hurricane: The Plane That Saved Britain

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In support of its aim to return a de Havilland DH.98 to UK skies, The People’s Mosquito is both proud and delighted to announce our new patron, respected aviator and popular broadcaster Arthur Williams. The aircraft defending London that day were spearheaded by the Supermarine Spitfire, an iconic single-seat fighter plane which had only entered service a few months before the start of World War Two. The Spitfire was fast, sleek and very agile – but it was outnumbered two to one by another fighter, one often ignored in the popular retelling of the battle. It was the Hawker Hurricane, and most of the RAF squadrons flying over London that day were equipped with it. The Hurricane actually began life as a biplane, based on an earlier aircraft Hawker had built. Paul Beaver, an aviation historian and pilot, says: “If you look at the construction of the original aircraft, it had fabric-covered mainplanes [wings]. Fabric wings are very easy to repair, but they make it difficult to fly the plane robustly.”

Walker was keenly aware of the work of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), a pool of pilots who delivered aircraft from factories to airfields. With so many pilots needed for combat operations, the ATA drafted in any pilot who could fly a plane. Of the more than 1,300 pilots who flew planes to airfields, more than 160 were women. Hawker had ambitious export plans for the aircraft, assuming other countries’ air forces would be as impressed as the RAF. One famous aerobatic display at the Brussels Air Show in 1939 was breathlessly reported by aviation magazine Flight. The pilot? Richard Reynell. Though initially dismissed as a "folly", it did not take long to appreciate the advantages that the Mosquito's light wooden fuselage gave it over German rivals.Arthur’s love of sport, in particular wheelchair racing, was to open an entirely new chapter in his career when he joined Channel 4’s presentation team providing coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics. Since then, he has emerged as one of the most recognisable and popular aviation presenters in the UK and is often seen at the controls of his stunning 1943 Piper Cub. Most recently, Arthur completed his debut season working as guest commentator for The Blades aerobatics team as they thrilled an estimated three million spectators in the 2019 display season. The Mosquito connection Rob Bell is ready for action in a Sopwith Camel. (Image credit: Channel 5) British Planes That Won The War with Rob Bell episode guide The iconic planes were also used in one of the most famous wartime missions in British history - the Dambusters raid.They were flown at just 60ft and dropped ‘bouncing bombs’ which destroyed three of Germany’s dams in the Ruhr Valley. Lancasters were also used to divert attention away from the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasions."They were Britain’s most potent weapon,’ says Rob. ‘Without the bomber boys and the Lancaster, British history would have followed a very different path." Walker also flies passengers in a two-seat Hurricane, as well as a Spitfire. The people who opt for a flight in a Hurricane, she says, have often done their research about the aircraft’s role. “They’re doing it for completely different reasons than those flying in the Spitfire. They know what the Hurricane did.” But then Germans then turned their attention – mystifyingly – to Britain’s cities, hoping that indiscriminate bombing would cause widespread panic and force Britain to surrender. The Luftwaffe decided to throw every available aircraft into the offensive. It started on 7 September.

Channel 4 Paralympics presenter, former Royal Marines Commando and qualified pilot Arthur Williams presents this love letter to the World War II aeroplane he believes history has unjustly forgotten. While the names Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane have passed into legend, the De Havilland Mosquito languishes in relative obscurity. But for Arthur, the 'Wooden Wonder' is the plane that saved Britain. In this documentary, he meets the men who flew it, tells its extraordinary story and - 17 years after a fatal crash destroyed the last one to fly - travels to Virginia Beach in the USA to see if he can take to the skies in the world's only remaining flying Mosquito. Dir: Rob Coldstream; Exec Prod: Alistair Pegg; Prod Co: Blast Films
This project is marvellous. It’s going to take several years and a lot more money, but I’m so pleased that people in Britain will have the chance to see it fly once more. It was incredibly light and versatile, very different from the Halifaxes I had been flying before. We had to learn to fly a different way,“ said 100-year-old George from his home near Brighton.

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Widely remembered in its fighter role and unjustly left in the shade of the Spitfire, the Hurricane’s role was varied and pivotal: as a fighter, fighter-bomber, anti-tank aircraft and used at sea. Nor was its theatre of operations any less wide: it saw action in France from the beginning of the Phoney War to the outbreak of the Blitzkrieg, in the Battle of Britain, and then as far afield as Russia, Sumatra and Madagascar. The Mosquito was almost impossible to shoot down because it was faster than anything Germany had and operated at higher altitudes". In this intensely readable, spirited and classic account, Adrian Stewart describes all the Hurricane's roles, adventures and achievements. He recounts the exploits of the aircraft's outstanding pilots who contributed so much towards mastery of the skies and eventual victory. In this intensely readable, spirited and classic account, Adrian Stewart describes all the Hurricane’s roles, adventures and achievements. He recounts the exploits of the aircraft’s outstanding pilots who contributed so much towards mastery of the skies and eventual victory.

The riveting exploits of a fighter aircraft – and an underrated aerial hero of the Second World War Its biggest innovation was its lethal weaponry,’ explains Rob. "It was armed with two forward-facing machine guns, which gave the pilots a huge advantage in a dogfight. The Camel soon dominated the skies over Europe and gained a fearsome reputation."Here's our episode guide to British Planes That Won The War with Rob Bell which we will update regularly as we hear more on each episode... Seen here with his 1943 Piper Cub, Arthur has emerged as one of the most recognizable presenters on British television. The riveting exploits of a fighter aircraft - and an underrated aerial hero of the Second World War. During the early afternoon, British radar observers hunched over their screens started seeing something massive taking shape. From airfields across France, wave after wave of German bombers and fighters took to the air, forming up into one enormous formation over the English Channel. It was so large – nearly 1,100 planes – that it covered 800 square miles (2,072 sq km). The last time a force this powerful had threatened England was the Spanish Armada, 500 years before.