ALFARRABISTA COLLECTION
No. 4023. Hawker Tomtit (G-AFTA c/n 30380)
Source unknown

Hawker Tomtit

11/30/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "This aircraft was one of a production batch of eight aircraft for the RAF (s/n K1779 to K1786), built by H.G. Hawker Engineering Co., Ltd. at Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, UK, during 1930 to the Air Ministry Contract No. 27634/30. They were fitted with an 150 hp Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose IIIC five-cylinder radial engine.

K1786 was used by No. 3 Flying Training School, before it came on the civil register as G-AFTA on April 26, 1939. First civil owner was the Leicester Aero Club, followed by five private owners, the last of these was Squadron Leader Neville Frederick Duke, Hawker's well-known test pilot. Subsequently it was registered to the Hawker company from July 1, 1950 to September 1, 1959, wearing a dark blue livery.

On May 11, 1960 it was registered to the Shuttleworth Collection at Shuttleworth (Old Warden) Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. In 1969 the aircraft reappeared in military markings as seen in this photo."


Created March 19, 2005