The first section of the rebuild of Hawker Typhoon RB396 is now complete, with 100-year-old Islander Gerry Blow placing one of the final rivets.
On 30th October 2024, almost 80 years to the day that the aircraft first rolled off the production line, the final rivets were placed in the rear fuselage bringing to the end a momentous almost decade-long endeavour to get the rebuild underway.
The Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group is the charity which owns and safeguards the project, coordinates the rebuild, and works to raise the funds required to facilitate the rebuild, was founded in May 2016 after a number of years of research and planning, and is run entirely by volunteers.
After some training by the engineers at Sandown-based Airframe Assemblies, the final rivets were placed in the rear fuselage by a handful of supporters of the project who travelled to the Isle of Wight for the completion ceremony.
One of these rivets was placed by Gerry, a 100 year-old RAF ground crew member who looked after and repaired Typhoons in the field during WWII. He said of placing this rivet:
“Just like riding a bike, it soon came back to me. Nobody is shooting at me now though, which is nice!”
Gerry was born in Liverpool back in 1924, but moved to the Island as a young boy where he built a career working as a barber in Shanklin, Ventnor and Ryde in the 60s and 70s.
The rebuild of this first section of Hawker Typhoon, is just one step in the rebuild of the entire aircraft, but it is a significant one. It is the first major section of Hawker Typhoon to have been built or rebuilt anywhere in the world since WWII.
Project Director Sam Worthington-Leese, whose own grandfather flew Typhoons during WWII, says:
“This has been a long journey, beset with engineering, financial and even wider socio and economic challenges. However, our small all-volunteer team has not given up and the result of almost a decade of work is now here to see. I would like to thank everyone who has worked on, and supported, this effort and helped us get to where we are today.
“This is just the first step of the rebuild, but it is progress towards the eventual goal. It shows that, no matter what obstacle is put in the way, it can be overcome. We look forward to continuing with the rebuild, and progressing as fast as funds allow. I would, once again, like to thank everyone who has supported the effort so far.”
One of plane’s that helped save us from evil