Hurricane Mk IIC PZ865
The last Hurricane ever built ( of 14,533 ), PZ865 rolled off the Hawker production line at Langley , Bucks , in July 1944 with the inscription ‘ The Last of the Many ’ on her port and starboard sides . Keen to preserve the last Hurricane built , Hawkers purchased the aircraft back from the Air Ministry and kept it in storage at Langley . In 1950 , PZ865 was entered in the King ’ s Cup Air Race by HRH Princess Margaret . Flown by Group Captain Peter Townsend CVO DSO DFC *, it achieved second place . During the 1960 ’ s , ‘ PZ ’ was returned to its wartime camouflage scheme and made numerous display appearances , often in the hands of the famous fighter pilot and test pilot Bill Bedford OBE AFC . It also appeared in the film ‘ Battle of Britain ’. In March 1972 , after a complete overhaul , PZ865 was flown to Coltishall and presented by Hawker Siddeley to the BBMF .
PZ865 currently appears in an all-black nightfighter colour scheme , replicating Hurricane Mk IIC BE634 , coded ‘ ZY-V ’, of 247 Squadron . The Squadron ’ s Hurricanes were used for night air defence of the Plymouth and Exeter area and for night intruder operations against targets in north-western France .