Bringing the Hawker Typhoon back to full colour

Midlands-based coatings company, Indestructible Paint has been supporting the restoration of a WWII Hawker Typhoon by supplying expertly colour-matched coatings for the special project designed to bring the aircraft back into flying condition.

The Typhoon played a key role throughout the Normandy landings during WWII. Without this fleet of aircraft, the Allied Forces would not have broken out of Normandy as quickly as they did, saving many thousands of lives.

Hawker Typhoon MkIb, RB396 served for just four months in 1945, but if the restoration trust succeed in their full mission, it will become the only airworthy WWII Typhoon in the UK. Currently, there are no airworthy Typhoons in the world. The completed rear fuselage is the first airworthy section of the aircraft type to be built since 1945.

The restoration project is progressing well and the rear fuselage is complete. This is a remarkable achievement in itself – given how time consuming and costly restorations of this kind can be. However, there is still a long way to go as the team head toward their ambitious vision of flight.

Indestructible Paint donated the interior coatings for the rear fuselage section, which have been applied by Airframe Assemblies Ltd. Indestructible Paint will continue to be involved as the project progresses, which will culminate in supplying exterior coatings colour-matched to the original WWII specification.

A celebration of progress took place recently in the Isle of Wight. Not only is it inspiring for new generations to see this great aircraft coming together and learn about its history, but it also serves another important purpose too.

It is a special memorial to the 1,200 young people who flew the Hawker Typhoon during WWII, more than half of which made the ultimate sacrifice. It will also recognise the work of the thousands of ground crew and support staff who kept the machines operating as well as those who designed, built, tested and delivered the aircraft.

“It has been an honour to be involved in this wonderful project and to attend the ceremony to celebrate the completion of the rear fuselage,” said Graham Armstrong from Indestructible Paint. “I enjoyed meeting the restoration team and seeing how beautifully our colour-matched coatings have been applied. The team deserve a lot of support. Together, they are putting a unique aircraft back together again and I look forward to seeing it back in the sky.”

“This has been a long journey, beset with engineering, financial and even wider socio and economic challenges,” said Sam Worthington-Leese, Project Director of the Hawker Typhoon restoration, whose own grandfather flew Typhoons during WWII. “Our small all-volunteer team has not given up and the result of almost a decade of work is now here to see. I would like to thank everyone who has worked on, and supported, this effort and helped us get to where we are today. This is just the first step of the rebuild, but it is progress towards the eventual goal. It shows that, no matter what obstacle is put in the way, it can be overcome. We look forward to continuing with the rebuild.”

To find out more about the RB396 Hawker Typhoon restoration project and support the volunteer-run charity with its mission, visit https://hawkertyphoon.com.