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.