BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Hawker Hurricane II vs. Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX Pilot 〉〉 Charles E. Edmondson, 451 Squadron RAAF In August of 1941, while stationed in Egypt, I was thrust into the cockpit of a Hawker Hurricane and was given some words of advice by my instructor. “You’ll find the controls on this kite to be more sensitive to anything else you will ever fly—if you survive long enough, laddie!” And boy, was he ever right! The cockpit on the Hurricane was nice and snug and the forward visibility was not bad at all. But the problems started when I pushed the throttle forward. With a 1,030-horsepower Rolls-Royce Merlin engine dragging me down the desert, it felt as if I was on a roller coaster as I went up and down while my…

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Flight Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2024

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