The newest addition to Calgary’s Hangar Flight Museum was unveiled at a ceremony on Wednesday.
The plane is a Second World War Hawker Hurricane that was built in Ontario in 1942.
It was a training aircraft stationed in Lethbridge until July 1943 when it was moved to Tofino to fly surveillance missions along the West Coast.
On Wednesday, the plane was officially unveiled to the public after more than 230,000 hours of restoration work.
Gordon Hill flew the same Hurricane that is now on display, and the veteran was on hand to witness the unveiling.
The former pilot, who turns 96 years old on Remembrance Day, recalled his time flying the Hurricane off the coast of Vancouver Island.
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“It’s quite maneuverable and it was a good plane,” Hill said. “We were mainly looking for things like submarines and ships. Incidentally, I never saw a Japanese submarine.”
After his time flying the Hurricane, Hill flew more than 200 missions over Europe in the Spitfire.
Hill hopes to be there for the Hurricane’s engine startup that is planned for next year, and said the sound itself is enough to bring back memories of his flying days.
“The sound of a Merlin engine is something that one will never forget,” Hill said.
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