Lancia Motor Club

After replacing the thermostat today I took Fay for a run to make sure everything was ok, and to give her a workout and warm up, on my route today was Old Warden Aerodrome, home of the "Shuttleworth Collection", as usual I called in to see what was about outside.
Although I'd just missed seeing the Fiesler Storch land, the pilot came over to have a look at Fay and told me that he used to own a Flavia 2000 Coupe.
Also outside was possibly the only Sea Hurricane in existence, which was being fettled and later was fired up as this is no static exhibit, but flies throughout the year, after a recent long overhaul.

Brian

The Hurricane (and Spitfire) were not originally conceived as naval fighters but had to be pressed into service due to the woeful procurement policy of the Navy up to the outbreak of the war.
They lumbered themselves with slow two seater fighters, due to the concept of needing range and a navigator (the Skua and Fulmar - although the latter, a maritime variant of the disasterous Battle, managed a reasonable kill rate against better German and Italian fighters).
In true British style the Royal Navy has managed to be the principal innovator of seabourne airpower (carriers, catapults, angled flight decks - the list goes on) while simultaneously despising the concept and allowing the RAF to indulge it's fantasy of flying naval support with land based planes.
It will be interesting to see if they ever get their latest pair of carriers into service.
For a tenuous bit of relevence Lancia may have made some of the parts on the Italian fighters that the brave Fulmar crew managed, against the odds, to bring down?