The Hawker Nimrod is a British
built biplane fighter designed specifically for use on
aircraft-carriers. They were part of the legendary Hawker
Silver biplane family that included the Fury, Hind, Demon and
Hart. During this time Hawker aircraft were market leaders and
supplied a large portion of the UK’s defence aircraft which
were considered far superior to other manufacturers.
The Fleet Air Arm first put the
Nimrod into service on HMS Glorious in 1932. Although two
variants of the Nimrod were developed they were largely
replaced in 1939 by the more advanced Gloster Sea Gladiators
before the outbreak of the Second World War.
The
aircraft pictured here is one of only two Hawker Nimrods that
have survived. Amazingly, both are still airworthy! Hawker
Nimrod II (G-BURZ), K3661, was completed on 5th September
1934, on the 23rd October 1936 it was issued to 802 Flight in
the Mediterranean with the side code number 562. It served
from 1936 to June 1938 during which it suffered two landing
accidents.
In 1972
the Nimrod II was discovered on a rubbish dump in Ashford,
Kent, more or less complete but well corroded. The aircraft
was recovered and donated to the RAF Museum and stored at RAF
Henlow. Recognised for its uniqueness, the silver biplane was
selected for restoration to airworthiness by Aero Vintage and
eventually, ended up in the hands of the Historic Aircraft
Collection. Now based at Duxford, It can still be seen today
performing at numerous air-shows across the UK. |
