PILOT REPORT

HAWKER HURRICANE

The Hurricane is an aircraft that feels strong, robust, and rugged; it inspires confidence in the pilot. It is an extremely stable aircraft, and it is easy to understand why wartime pilots said it was a good gun platform. That stability means that larger control inputs are needed to get the Hurricane moving, compared with other aircraft I have flown. The control forces are lighter in roll than in pitch, except at higher speeds when the ailerons become quite heavy. However, the roll rate is rather sluggish. When flying air displays in the Hurricane, I routinely flew with both hands on the control column “spade grip.”

When it comes to landing the Hurricane, lowering the flaps causes a pronounced nose-down change of trim and, as the pitch control is relatively sluggish and heavy, you need to be ready to catch it and add a significant amount of nose-up trim with the large wooden elevator trim wheel. Approaches to land are best flown more steeply than modern aircraft, probably about a four-degree approach angle, with a trickle of power applied and nicely trimmed, using the “crab” technique if there is a crosswind. It is wise to avoid closing the throttle too briskly in the landing flare, as that causes the nose to drop sharply, which will result in a bounce, something that the Hurricane is prone to. When all three wheels are on the ground, the Hurricane is relatively easy to keep straight, using the correct techniques of large pre-emptive rudder inputs, and the view forward over the sloping nose is quite good.