TrevorMcTavish.com

Wetaskiwin, AB, Canada - October 2019

It took two years of political fighting, a year of fund raising and six years of restoration, but on October 9, 2019, the City of Calgary's Hawker Hurricane rolled out for an unofficial semi-private viewing for members and supporters of the Calgary Mosquito Aircraft Preservation Society (CMS), the organization that had fought to retain both the City's Hurricane and de Havilland Mosquito, secured the funding, and managed the Hurricane's restoration.

The work performed by Historic Aircraft Services (HAS) brings Hurricane RCAF 5389 up to ground running, but not flying status, a decision made by the City of Calgary and encouraged by the CMS as the city is in no position to maintain vintage aircraft in flyable condition. Keeping the airplane on the ground also avoids having to install modern modifications that would detract from the plane's historical accuracy. As such, 5389 is now the most historically accurate Hurricane restoration in Canada.

As HAS is located in Wetaskiwin, arrangements were made to remove Hurricane RCAF 5418 from the Reynold's Alberta Museum and show the two planes together - something that had not happened since 1945.

Hurricane 5389 had been assigned to No.133 (Fighter) Squadron in 1941, while 5418 had gone to No.135 Sqd. Both protected Canada's west coast, making patrols from Patricia Bay and Boundary Bay, searching for the Japanese invasion force everyone expected would following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After an accident, 5389 was removed from service to be repaired in Vancouver. By this time, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks were replacing Hurricanes as Canada's home front fighters, leaving them to be placed in storage. 5389 became a training aid until 1945, when it was reactivated and sent to Swift Current, Saskatchewan to intercept any of the Japanese fire-bomb balloons that might drift overhead. Likewise, 5418 was also in Swift Current during this period.

After the war, both Hurricane 5389 and 5418 were declared surplus and sold to local farmers at rock-bottom prices (probably $25 to $50 each). 5418 ended up with Stan Reynolds, a Wetaskiwin businessman whose "I'll take anything in trade" at his auto dealership, netted him an impressive collection of all things mechanical.

5389 and another Hurricane were acquired in the early 1960s by Calgarian, Lynn Garrison, a young RCAF fighter pilot with aspirations of creating his own flying museum. For various reasons - steeped in politics and personalities - the museum failed and the Hurricanes were abandoned in Calgary. One ended up in England where it was restored, while 5389 remained in Calgary, where the local museum, lacking adequate finances, eventually tried using the Hurricane in a three-way trade that would have seen the City's Mosquito traded to an English collector in exchange for a restoration on the Hurricane.

The CMS fought this agreement, and convinced the City of Calgary to provide 50-percent of the funds needed to restore both planes locally. After which, they would return to the City of Calgary to be placed on public display.

HAS had begun restoring Hurricane 5418 in the 1980s, and it has remained on public display within the Reynold's Alberta Museum since it opened in the early 1990s. (Trevor McTavish)

Although it had stood in a farmyard for nearly a quarter century before Reynolds acquired it, 5418 was relatively intact, making the restoration a relatively simple (albeit time consuming) affair. (Trevor McTavish)

HAS chose to replicate the latter RAF daylight camouflage scheme of green and grey. Unfortunately the underside turned out a vibrant blue instead of grey, but it was recently said, 5418 will be going back into the paint shop for corrections. (Trevor McTavish)

No.135 Sqd. had its own mascot, a pugilist bulldog applied to all its Hurricanes. (Trevor McTavish)

Besides being a comparison between Canada's two west coast fighter squadrons, or early and late-war camouflage, 5389 and 5418 also represent a quarter-century of progress in HAS's restoration skills. (Trevor McTavish)

In the 1980s, the idea of "close enough" was still common-place in vintage aircraft restorations. Later, preservation became the goal, saving the patina a real airplane acquires in daily use. Only when something was too far gone would it be replaced - reproduced and refinished with absolute accuracy. This patina is almost always lost with flying restorations as everything has to be brought up to an airworthy standard. (Trevor McTavish)

In the case of 5389, one of those points of accuracy was the electrical system. Rather than replacing it with a far more user-friendly 24-volt system, HAS and the CMS agreed to retain the original 12-volt system. This makes 5389 unique among surviving Hurricanes.
(Trevor McTavish)

Even though remains of the green and grey daylight camouflage colours were found on 5389 wings, the decision was made to apply the original, early-war green and brown colours. This was done for two reasons: a) it would provide contrast between the City of Calgary's Hurricane and all the other Hurricanes in Canada, and b) while the latter scheme would have been correct, it wore the scheme while in storage, and with no squadron codes this would have made for a bland appearance. (Trevor McTavish)

That said, confirming the paint scheme was not a simple affair. Canadian-built Hurricane Mk.XIIs differed in many ways from their British brethren. Paints from North American sources were reported to appear slightly different. A team of historians, model makers, and researchers spent years looking for details, and were rewarded at the final months with an actual wartime photograph of 5389 that confirmed all their findings. (Trevor McTavish)

One detail in the markings that proved a real head-scratcher was the upper wing roundels. Were they the three-colour red, white, blue Type A, or the red and blue Type B? Photographs indicated that both were in use on the west coast in about the roughly the same quantity, but by luck, the photo of 5389 had been taken from a control tower, and clearly showed the Type A - mystery solved. (Trevor McTavish)

One of the many pieces sourced from abroad was a brand-new, 1940-something vintage armoured windscreen. A CMS member found it in England still in its wartime wrapping paper. (Trevor McTavish)

The machine guns were the biggest items missing from the Hurricane - having been removed before being sold in 1946. Replicas are available at a hefty price, but the CMS managed to obtain 12 original Browning .303s - all of which were manufactured before the Hurricane. Talk about accuracy - and a pile of luck. Interestingly, at least one of these machine guns was manufactured by the Inglis washing machine company. (Trevor McTavish)

After giving everyone a chance to examine 5389, CMS President Richard DB. takes a moment to say "Thank you" to the many supporters in attendance. Richard's connection with Hurricane (and most of the City of Calgary's airplanes) goes all the way back to his childhood. Interestingly, my father's connection pre-dates his, as he used to climb inside the Hurricane as a teenager shortly after its arrival in the City. Like all young boys, he pretended to be a heroic fighter pilot looking to shoot down an imaginary Messerschmitt.
(Trevor McTavish)

Again, Richard DB. addresses the assembled crowd. (Trevor McTavish)

The experts at Historical Aviation Services - Owner Byron R., and the two craftsmen responsible for most of 5389's restoration; Greg and Buck. All three of them hated being asked to have their pictures taken. (Trevor McTavish)

Although the CMS had agreed to return the Hurricane to the City of Calgary in a ground-running condition, a persistent gremlin remained hidden somewhere in the engine which left the day's festivities to end without a full engine run. However, the crowd was given a taste of things to come with the engine turning over on the starter. (Trevor McTavish)

After sitting derelict, disassembled and damaged for 70 years, Hurricane 5389 has finally started making some noise. Granted, it was not the mighty roar everyone expects from a Merlin engine - more of a begrudging yawn, or grumble - but the propeller was rotating.
(Trevor McTavish)

Greg takes his place in the cockpit trying to coax the Packard-built Merlin to life after 70 years. (Trevor McTavish)

Unsuccessful but not undeterred, Greg and Buck finally call it quits. (Trevor McTavish)

October in Alberta is usually marked by a drop in temperatures, howling winds and the first blizzards of the season, but everyone was blessed with as beautiful an autumn day as one could hope, making the day's event a wonderful experience. (Trevor McTavish)

Of course, the end of the day meant putting the planes away. 5418 was towed away to be placed in a hangar - again, it was the first time in a quarter-century it had been outside the museum. (Trevor McTavish)

One item on 5389 that is authentic but not period correct is the tail wheel. While 5418 can be towed around with a simple tow bar, 5389 had been modified during the war with a later-style tail wheel featuring a shock absorber. Unfortunately this unit does not allow for a tow bar to attach. Nevertheless, I have never seen a time when people were unwilling to provide some "arm strong" assistance when an airplane needed to be moved. (Trevor McTavish)

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