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Gloster Hurricane cockpit colour ?


JOAN

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...I mean the tubular structure : silver dope or interior green for the first Gloster batch of 500 delivered ( especially the P2829, Exeter september 1940 ) ???

Until wich serial number the Hurricane have silver tubular paint ?...any idea ?

Thanks for your help.

O.

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This is news to me Joan

Never realised that any Hurris had the frames painted silver

Hi Paul

and the rest.... unrestored Finnish Hurricane, note interior structure colour.

013451.jpg

more here. looks like the front canopy section framework is aluminium too.

http://www.pienoismallit.net/galleria/referenssi_1536/

http://www.pienoismallit.net/galleria/referenssi_1295/

there is a great pic of Hurricane coded RO-P partly dissasembled which shows this quite well. I'd been looking at it for years before I made the connection though!

Hawker Restorations does most of it's rebuilds in Aluminium dope too.

But, I don't know when the switchover happened.

The Hurricane prototype had black japanned interior framework as well!

HTH

T

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This is news to me Joan

Never realised that any Hurris had the frames painted silver

I suspect that, after looking at period pics, apart from prototype they were possibly all silver, ditto Typhoon too (and maybe Tempest).

Andy

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Your question is about the cockpit, no other structural part, correct?

Yes Steven,

My question is about the cockpit tubular structure.Actually this question regarding all of the aerial machines used by the Royal Air Force, I presume...When was the switch from the silver dope to the grey green ?

What was the Air Ministry specification order to change the colour ( the quality of the corrosive protection ? a most efficient manufacturer's product ? ..why ?) and when it was applied.

The change was done probably during 1938...I want to make a Hurricane Mk1 with the big 9 in. fin flash, big fuselage roundels and bumpy black Rotol...the serials I saw send me directly to the first batch of 500 hurricane production made by Gloster (Pxxxx).So what was the colour of the cockpit here ??

I was very very surprised to see so few ( no joke here ! ) pictures of the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain...

Many thanks for your interrest and answers.

Cheers

O.

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Specification F.7/30, 1-10-31 for the "Single Seater Day and Night Fighter" prototype designated that the cockpit should be "painted internally with an approved grey-green paint," and some Hawker biplanes had green in (parts of) their interiors. The S6 seaplanes had green interiors, as did the Gladiator, so it was early 30s. I'd hazard a guess that the reason was simply pilot comfort; green has always been viewed as a restful colour.

Remember that the Hurricane was basically a structure of metal tubes, with everything built on to it; like the Spitfire, Hawker might have viewed it as internal structure, so it was painted silver. The Pilot's Notes, for the Hurricane II, show the tubes as much lighter than the main part of the cockpit, so it appears to have been general.

Edgar

P.S. Anyone caught taking unofficial photographs, during 1940, risked being put on a "fizzer," hence the shortage.

Edited by Edgar
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Specification F.7/30, 1-10-31 for the "Single Seater Day and Night Fighter" prototype designated that the cockpit should be "painted internally with an approved grey-green paint," and some Hawker biplanes had green in (parts of) their interiors. The S6 seaplanes had green interiors, as did the Gladiator, so it was early 30s. I'd hazard a guess that the reason was simply pilot comfort; green has always been viewed as a restful colour.

Remember that the Hurricane was basically a structure of metal tubes, with everything built on to it; like the Spitfire, Hawker might have viewed it as internal structure, so it was painted silver. The Pilot's Notes, for the Hurricane II, show the tubes as much lighter than the main part of the cockpit, so it appears to have been general.

Edgar

P.S. Anyone caught taking unofficial photographs, during 1940, risked being put on a "fizzer," hence the shortage.

Edgar,

Thanks ! it is clearer for me....when do you think Hawker understand the cockpit not as a structure but an "area" ? ( and so apply the specification to the production line..??)

Anyway what an interresting subject !

Many thanks for your help.

Cheers

O.

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Hi,

My understanding is that there was pilot armour added in Finland, but it wasn't orginal and was made in Finland. That was comment from one person in restoration team.

Br. Vesa

Vesa,

Thanks a lot !!! those pictures are new for me !

I have found three interresting period photos : the prototype with black tubular structure, the L2090 under repair at Cowley with silver dope structure including seat - head rest and panel side grey/green, and a wonderful picture of a IIC production line full grey/green.....

I will try to scan and post those photos.

Clearly the first batchs were silver doped.

The big question is WHEN the switch was made from silver to Grey/green ??????

Many thanks again for your pics.

O.

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  • 4 years later...

I thought I'd bump this thread up a bit for those of us building the new Airfix (and any other) Hurricane. There's some really useful pictures. Hope that's ok.

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Reasonably early Hurricane, fabric wing, DH prop, wrecked in France, this a German ebay photo, posted up on the defunct LEMB.

post-1-0-45959600-1409947291.jpg

Of note as it shows a dark backplate, along with a aluminium seat and framework.

IIRC Edgar posted up information about Spitfire finishes, that the cockpit were to be grey-green and the rest of the internals painted aluminium, and the Hurricane logic is that the internal framework is part of the structure, hence aluminium.

There are a lot of German photos of Hurricane wrecks in France in May/June 1940 that have been appeared on ebay Germany over the past few years.
While unfortunately for identification many of the fuselages have been stripped of fabric, they do consistently show that the internal framework as being a very light tone, which is how aluminium usually photographs.
Problem is finding shots which show the above detail clearly.
The following are all early Rotol plane, both Gloster and Hawker were building them, and no serial visible in most, but compare to the very clear above shot for contrast between grey-green and aluminium paint.
note the framework is all aluminium,
post-1-0-63237200-1368462242.jpg
again, early Rotol, all visible framework aluminium
post-1-0-32253400-1369594345.jpg
post-1-0-06903700-1370380464.jpg
back plate dark, framework light, early Rotol
post-1-0-63071600-1372189185.jpg
post-1-0-88724000-1380559338.jpg
post-1-0-31823300-1380916871.jpg
Probably a Rotol, note just visible splintered blade
post-1-0-54581100-1383160703.jpg
post-1-0-33354900-1394826792.jpg
post-1-0-96589500-1407012309.jpg
this is an earlier plane, note DH Prop and straight aerial pole, and just visible cockpit detail
post-1-0-05065200-1382378842.jpg
post-1-0-66135400-1397414929.jpg
this is a very early Hurricane, fabric wing, two blade prop
post-1-0-89078500-1387312446.jpg
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while looking through a book, I noticed a shot of very early Hurricane, like this, but anotehr shot (bottom of page 38 Hurricane, an illustrated history, though could well be the same plane?) , and the framework is quite dark

Quote

Monarch of the skies: King George VI with J.W. Gillan in 1938, as he is shown a Hawker Hurricane.

cfb55494b0841b8727363fdf56c92b64.jpg

11152698_1641799056050365_25222170095269

Note the fuel tank on the Finnish plane is aluminium coloured, as are the wheel hubs. Also of note are the exposed gun bays, also not aluminium. I presume this is interior grey-green.

This must be one of 111 sq planes, and as it's dated 1938, one of the first in service.

Give the last photo in previous post is also a fairly early aircraft, it seems there was a switch to aluminium at some point early on...but when!

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Also of note are the exposed gun bays, also not aluminium. I presume this is interior grey-green.

Possibly not, since they were lined with plywood on the fabric-winged Hurricane, which might have been painted green, but (more likely, perhaps?) simply varnished.

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