The list of airworthy, flying warbirds recently got longer with the addition of a particularly rare machine. A Hawker Tempest made its first flight from Sywell Aerodrome (EGBK) in Northamptonshire, England, after a lengthy restoration by Anglia Aircraft Restoration Ltd.
The Tempest, a late-World War II model designed to succeed the Hawker Typhoon, is a rare bird that came in many versions. The restored model that flew earlier this month is a Mk.II, a variant we almost never see. Its Bristol Centaurus radial engine sets it apart visually from the models powered by the Napier Sabre engine that saw combat toward the end of the war. The Mk.IIs arrived too late to see action.
