How NHS surgeon gave war plane a new life
A BATTLE of Britain Hurricane stuck in a bog for five decades has been immaculately restored – and is back in the air.
The ambitious £2million project was masterminded over two years by neurosurgeon Peter Kirkpatrick.
And the Mk1 Hawker Hurricane returned to the skies for the first time in 79 years, at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, with the good doctor at the controls.
The fighter plane still contains 35 per cent of the original parts and is one of only 14 still flying.
Peter, 57, said: “Restoring this plane, and being able to actually fly it, is a dream come true.”
The Second World War craft – RAF no V7497 – was shot down over Canterbury, Kent by a German pilot in 1940.
It plummeted into marshes where it lay undiscovered until the 1990s, when it was found and excavated by metal detectorists.
The decaying frame was bought by Peter, who handed the painstaking task of rebuilding the warplane to specialists Hawker Restorations, of Milden, near Sudbury in Suffolk.
The company has worked on all the Hurricanes still airborne.
The stainless steel joints were kept but the mechanics had to replace a number of parts.
Peter spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on the project and is one of three stakeholders who met the £2million cost, with Hawker Restorations retaining a 25 per cent share. He raised his share through remortgaging the home he shares with his wife Leisha.
Peter, who learned to fly while he was a medical student in the 1980s, added: “I believe passionately in the history of these aircraft and the role they played in the war.
“Thanks to the courage of the young men who flew them, we enjoy much of what we enjoy today. To be able to fly a Hurricane is a huge privilege. “Though the Spitfire may have garnered more attention, it was the Hurricane that was the real workhorse of the war.
“The Battle of Britain statistics prove it was the plane that predominantly saved the day. “My first solo flight was fantastic and a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives all those years ago. Without them, we would have lost the war.“
Peter regularly flies his Pitts Special stunt aircraft at displays – but when he has built up more hours in the Hurricane, he intends to take it to public displays. He is even considering leaving his job at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to fly the 350mph plane at shows around the world.
He said: “In some respects, flying is like surgery – there is very little room for error. Both involve the hand and eye co-ordination and in the end it comes down to having to make very rapid life-ordeath decisions.”
Peter, whose 13-year-old son Elliott is already learning to fly, added: “I’ve dedicated my life to the NHS but it’s changed. It has become more like a factory. I love the NHS but I increasingly feel it is time my other passion, flying, has a chance. Now might be the right time to move on.”
Peter had lessons from Stuart Goldspink, Hawker Restorations chief test pilot, before first flying his Hurricane in September.
IT’S well done to neurosurgeon Peter Kirkpatrick who has had a Second World War Hurricane aircraft restored. He is a great example of British ingenuity as was the fighter plane itself in the 1940s.