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AIRCRAFT HAWKER HUNTER Dark Skies: The Speed Demon That Struck in the Wrong Place PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvNKZcwSwIA Peter Burgess COMMENTARY The Hawker Hunter was an impressive aircraft. Initially I thought this video was simply about the aircraft, but there is more. I did not realise that the RAF was in serious disarray in the late 40s and into the 50s. Early success with jet fighters ... the Gloster Meteor and the de Havilland Vampire were impressive, but the British leadership hierarchy chose to terminate development of jet fighters in part as a response to economic hard times in the UK. Eventually the British military reversed themselves and a series of impressive fighters were developed and deployed. These included: Hawker Hunters English Electric Lightnings Gloster Javelin Peter Burgess
The Speed Demon That Struck in the Wrong Place Dark Skies Dec 10, 2024 639K subscribers ... 171,968 views ... 5.2K likes On April 5, 1968, RAF Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock lied to his squadron and took a 4.4-million-pound Hawker Hunter on a little detour. He expected to be arrested and court-martialed; his reputation forever tarnished. But he had to send the British government a message, and that was worth stealing a fighter jet. Pollock hugged the terrain with the Hawker Hunter transonic fighter to avoid detection. He reached Heathrow Airport and made a hard turn towards Richmond Park and the Thames. The Hunter’s revolutionary swept-wing design and Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine had broken the world’s airspeed record just some years back. Today, it took Pollock dashing toward London’s rapidly approaching skyline. He zoomed past Parliament, where lawmakers were ironically discussing noise reduction when the transonic roar made the walls shudder like jello. People ran out to see what was producing the deafening noise, trying to find it in the sky. Someone yelled: (QUOTE) “No, look down there!” pointing toward the jet skimming just above the Thames. Then, Pollock spotted his final objective, London’s Tower Bridge, straight ahead. It was time to deliver his message. He centered his Hunter and pushed to max speed, aiming to do what no fighter jet had done before… Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. Transcript 0:00 On April 5, 1968, RAF Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock lied to his squadron and took a 4.4-million-pound Hawker Hunter on a little detour. He expected to be arrested and court-martialed; his reputation forever tarnished. But he had to send the British government a message, and that was worth stealing a fighter jet. Pollock hugged the terrain with the Hawker Hunter transonic fighter to avoid detection. He reached Heathrow Airport and made a hard turn towards Richmond Park and the Thames. The Hunter’s revolutionary swept-wing design and Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine had broken the world’s airspeed record just some years back. Today, it took Pollock dashing toward London’s rapidly approaching skyline. He zoomed past Parliament, where lawmakers were ironically discussing noise reduction when the transonic roar made the walls shudder like jello. People ran out to see what was producing the deafening noise, trying to find it in the sky. Someone yelled: (QUOTE) “No, look down there!” pointing toward 1:01 the jet skimming just above the Thames. Then, Pollock spotted his final objective, London’s Tower Bridge, straight ahead. It was time to deliver his message. He centered his Hunter and pushed to max speed, aiming to do what no fighter jet had done before… World War 2 had just ended, and Britain began a new age by making a catastrophic mistake that could cost them an entire decade of aviation development. Military strategists were confident that after the cataclysmic conflict that had just sundered the world, there would be no major conflict for at least a decade. Following that logic, British engineering should focus on long-term research instead of new combat aircraft for immediate production. It didn’t take long for the Brass to realize the error of their ways when it became clear they were in the middle of a Cold War of unprecedented scope and potentially apocalyptic implications. From being at the forefront of aviation technology 2:02 and developing the first Allied jet fighter of World War 2, the Gloster Meteor, to risking being outclassed by the Soviet Union, the Air Ministry needed a quick yet powerful solution. To fix the devastating mistake and meet this urgent new need, in 1946, the air ministry requested a new generation of fighters endowed with some of the most powerful emerging technologies. Developments such as swept-wing design, fully powered control surfaces, and the ability to use the recently developed Rolls-Royce Avon axial-flow turbojet engine, which produced 7,500 pounds of thrust, were a must for this stopgap jet fighter. The engine alone was a broad leap forward, hardware that would have seemed like witchcraft just a few years back. Its axial-flow technology allowed one Avon power plant to produce more thrust than two of the Gloster’s Rolls-Royce Derwent engines and with an even smaller form factor. The onset of the Korean War increased 3:00 the urgency even more, highlighting the need for a fighter jet interceptor. Not willing to put all of their eggs into a single basket, the Air Ministry accepted projects by both Hawker aircraft and Supermarine. If one of them failed, the other would fill the gap. The hawker project had the not insignificant advantage of the insight of World War 2 Ace and legendary test pilot Neville Duke. By 1951, Duke had become the chief test pilot at Hawker. It was thanks to his advice and arduous testing that the Hunter pushed the potential of the Avon engine to its max and allowed the engineers to find the perfect aerodynamics for the design. Duke himself unveiled the capabilities of the Hunter to the world on September 6, 1952, when he executed a series of high-speed passes for the cheering crowds of the Farnborough International Airshow while piloting a unique prototype of the Hunter. He accomplished this feat despite the grief of having his friend and fellow test pilot, John Derry, lose his life the day before when 4:01 his Havilland DH 110 broke apart in mid-flight. Duke’s determination to carry on with the Hunter project after this was so impressive that even Winston Churchill wrote to him to say: (QUOTE) “My dear Duke, it was characteristic of you to go up yesterday after the shocking accident. Accept my salute. Yours, in grief, Winston Churchill.” On March 16, 1953, Duke saw his hard work pay off when the Hunter F.1, fitted with a single Avon 113 turbojet, took its maiden flight. It was a sleek and futuristic aircraft so accomplished it almost made it seem Britain had never abandoned its combat aircraft programs. Yet, above all, the Hunter was a speed devil. Just months after its maiden flight, the Hunter was ready to prove it wasn’t a rushed, gap-filling design but a top-of-the-line warplane built to compete with the best. It would do that 5:03 by attempting to break the world air speed record. Of course, there was only one man capable of taking this aircraft to the very edge of what was physically possible, and that was Duke, the man who had helped build it. His passion to bring the Hunter to production and return British combat aviation to its former glory had recently been rewarded. Duke was Knighted as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in January 1953 for: (QUOTE) “his contribution to supersonic flight and groundbreaking achievements at Hawker.” Yet his most outstanding achievement came months later when, on September 7, 1953, he climbed aboard his beloved Hunter to attempt to break the record set by William Barnes and his North American F-86D Sabre. The air speed record had been in the hands of American pilots and aircraft for the past seven years, and the possibility of it returning to Britain was electrifying for any British aviation fan. 6:00 Over the skies of Littlehampton, England, Duke took off at the helm of a highly modified specialized version of the Hawker Hunter. He knew this airframe like the back of his hand, and he understood every rumble the Avon axial-flow turbojet engine made like it was a language of its own. As he made his return pass, Duke tightened every muscle in his body and pushed the thrust levers to their limit. Jet fuel rushed the combustion chamber and into the gas turbine, creating a jet exhaust burst so potent it drove the Hunter forward at a staggering speed of 727.63 miles per hour, twelve miles per hour faster than Barnes’ Sabre 2 months before. His extraordinary feat earned him the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club and carved his name in the history books of modern aviation while also cementing the legacy of the Hawker Hunter as the fastest aircraft on the planet… for a few weeks at least. As impressive as the relationship between the Duke and the Hawker Hunter was, 7:00 it did not always have a happy ending. In August 1955, Duke’s Hunter experienced a critical engine failure in mid-flight, putting the pilot and 4.4-million-pound machine on a terrifying path toward the ground. However, Duke’s remarkable piloting experience and familiarity with the aircraft allowed him to perform a miraculous emergency landing that saved him and his Hunter, earning him the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the air. But his luck finally ran out 2 days later when Duke shattered his spine after he had to perform another forced landing aboard his Hunter. His spinal injuries were so severe he was forced to resign from his cherished role at Hawker. The story of the Hunter Hawker would have to continue without Duke. The Hawker Hunter’s outstanding performance became even more evident in active service, becoming the first fighter able to go toe-to-toe with the mighty Canberra bomber when it came to speed. 8:02 This fact and the recent world record it had shattered made the Hunter known across the world. But speed wasn’t the only thing that made pilots fall in love with this jet aircraft: it was also remarkably efficient. Its removable gun pack and pressurized fueling system meant it could be quickly turned around and ready for the next mission. Pilots loved its responsiveness and fully-powered control surfaces, making the airframe feel like a natural extension of their bodies. A chance to see these birds in action came quickly. In 1956, the Suez Canal Crisis erupted. Hawker Hunter Number 1 and 34 squadrons escorted Electric Canberra bombers tasked with raiding Egyptian assets. The results were mixed; on the one hand, the hunters proved to be excellent interceptors, shielding the Canberras from the Soviet-made Egyptian fighters attempting to stop them and swiftly sending them down into the searing sands around the Canal. 9:02 On the other hand, the shorter 500-mile operational range of the Hunter really became a pain in the neck for operations in the region as the cover they offered bombers was often cut short by their need to refuel. The Hunter went on to become a critical part of the RAF’s operations during the Brunei Revolt, the Borneo Confrontation, and the Aden Radfan Campaign. But it would be back at home where the Hawker Hunter would make the most headlines. It was April 5, 1968, when Alan Pollock decided that enough was enough. As a highly decorated and passionate member of the No. 1 Squadron, Pollock was furious about the recent military shift in Britain. The focus was moving away from manned aircraft in favor of guided missiles. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the announcement that there would be no flypast event for the RAF’s anniversary. It was the 50th anniversary of the Air Force that saved Europe, and there would not be a single plane in the sky. He would not stand for it. 10:05 While on a routine operation with his squadron, Pollock reported a navigational issue and slipped away from his wingmen flying toward London. He forced his Hawker Hunter to hug the ground to avoid detection and commercial air traffic. He skimmed over the water towards the capital when he reached the Thames. The idea was to send the Labour government a message. After all, it had been their defense cuts and their indifference to the RAF’s legacy that caused all of this. As he approached Big Ben and the parliament building, he blasted his Hunter to full speed, making several low-altitude passes over Parliament. The lawmakers inside the buildings were almost deafened by the roaring sound just as they discussed noise pollution in the city. A few blocks away, Spitfire ace Wilfred Duncan Smith was talking to Sir John Grandy, chief of the Air Staff, on the 6th floor of the Ministry of Defence building when they heard the unmistakable sound. Sir John’s eyes combed the sky, searching for the 11:02 plane until Duncan Smith yelled: (QUOTE) “No, look down there!” After one of his aggressive passes, Pollock found the London Tower Bridge standing right in front of him. He remembered: (QUOTE) “Until this very instant, I’d had absolutely no idea that, of course, Tower Bridge would be there. It was easy enough to fly over it, but the idea of flying through the spans suddenly struck me. I had just ten seconds to grapple with the seductive proposition which few ground attack pilots of any nationality could have resisted. My brain started racing to reach a decision. Years of fast low-level strike flying made the decision simple . . .” Pollock decided to do the unthinkable. He knew perfectly well his powerful and agile Hawker Hunter was more than capable of the feat. But the massive jet fighter would have a narrow aperture to go through, one faulty calculation, and not only would Pollock perish, but he would potentially destroy the bridge and many of those crossing it at the moment. By the time Pollock came to his senses, 12:05 he was already doing it: (QUOTE) “Right at the last minute, as my cockpit canopy was just below the bridge and the girders were all around me, in that microsecond I remembered I’d got a tail fin behind, and I thought: ‘I’m going to lose the fin! “ A tiny correction from Pollock ensured a safe passage. The sight was staggering. A crossing cyclist tumbled off his bike as the entire structure shuddered. Tower Bridge Watchman George Tapper remembered: (QUOTE) “There was the most thunderous roar. I looked up and, whoomph, a big silver jet roared by.” Pollock was arrested and scheduled for a court martial as soon as he landed. Yet in an incredible turn of events, the public reaction to his stunt was so favorable, with thousands of letters raining in and prominent RAF members celebrating his feat, that the government decided to avoid controversy and set the man free, discharging him from the RAF for medical reasons. The Hunter was the first and probably the last jet 13:05 warplane to fly under Tower Bridge. Still, acrobatics was not the only thing this plane could do. It was actually capable of ending wars… By the 1970s, the Hunter was prowling above numerous other nations, including India, where the aircraft’s capabilities became instrumental in the surrender of Pakistan during the 1971 war. Air Marshal Harish Masand led the 37 Squadron, also known as the Black Panthers. They were tasked with destroying the Government House in Dhaka, where Governor Malik of East Pakistan was holding a meeting with his cabinet. Without target photographs of the region, Masand and his squadron used an old tourist map as a guide. The area was brimming with anti-aircraft batteries that were effective up to 6,000 feet. To avoid the bulk of the defenses, Masand and his flyboys pierced into Pakistan, 14:04 soaring above that altitude; they could see the sky blooming with countless balls of fire as the gunners below tried in vain to shoot them down. Masand remembers how once they located their targets, the Hunters: (QUOTE) “Swooped down from that height like eagles in a steep dive.” Slipping through the cracks of the unwavering wall of Flak, 37 squadrons unleashed their payload right on its target’s conference hall. The elimination of Malik and the aerial raiding of the regions was critical in Pakistan’s decision to surrender two days later. Despite being a stopgap fighter jet hurriedly produced in a time of need and being quickly replaced by much more capable warplanes in a time of rapid evolution, men like Duke, Pollock, and Masand and their extraordinary exploits managed to display the full potential of the Hunter to the world and earn it a place among some of the most iconic warplanes of British history.

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