JOAN Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 ...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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousFO98 Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 This is news to me Joan Never realised that any Hurris had the frames painted silver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 This is news to me JoanNever realised that any Hurris had the frames painted silver Hi Paul and the rest.... unrestored Finnish Hurricane, note interior structure colour. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 This is news to me JoanNever 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Eisenman Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Your question is about the cockpit, no other structural part, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOAN Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share Posted December 31, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) 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 December 31, 2010 by Edgar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOAN Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share Posted December 31, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Hello gentlemen, Hurricane I is currently under restoration in Finalnd and I asked from my friend about colour of structure and he told that tube structure is aluminum paint and seat is also aluminium no green. Br. Vesa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOAN Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 MANY THANKS ALL !! ...AND HAPPY NEW YEAR ! O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Hi, I got some pictures from unrestored cocpit and this plane is untouched since 1943. Br. Vesa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonlanceHR Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Thank you Vesa! Especially for the headrest and rear bulkhead photo. I presume that this plane never had the pilot armour? Vedran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOAN Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avro683 Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Reasonably early Hurricane, fabric wing, DH prop, wrecked in France, this a German ebay photo, posted up on the defunct LEMB. 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, again, early Rotol, all visible framework aluminium back plate dark, framework light, early Rotol Probably a Rotol, note just visible splintered blade this is an earlier plane, note DH Prop and straight aerial pole, and just visible cockpit detail this is a very early Hurricane, fabric wing, two blade prop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 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. 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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