Extremely sad news, and especially poignant on Battle of Britain day. Very well done, the Spitfire guys, for a particularly appropriate tribute under what must have been very difficult circumstances.
I’m dreading hearing who the pilot was - but I do know a bit about the aeroplane, so perhaps this is an appropriate place to share that.
The Hurricane that became G-HURR was built as a Mk12 in Montreal by the Canadian Car & Foundry Co in 1942. Most of the 1451 Hurricanes built by the company went to the UK or Russia, but this was one of 75 that stayed in Canada. She served with a Coastal Defence Sqn, helping prevent rising losses of allied shipping in Canadian coastal waters. She was decommissioned in 1945, and eventually arrived at Autokraft at Brooklands (in Britain) in 1988, where she was painstakingly rebuilt over seven years, using authentic Hurricane methods. She was rolled out at Brooklands in November 1995, exactly 60 years after the prototype had its maiden flight - from Brooklands. I believe that was when she got her civil reg G-HURR.
In 1997 Rob Fleming bought her and moved her to Breighton, home of Taff Smith’s Real Aeroplane Co. She flew until recently as A-LK in the black colour scheme of 87 Sqn.
I’m afraid I’m not sure when Tom Blair acquired her, or when she got her BD707 AE-C colours.
In sadness
airsound