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77-year-old restored plane unveiled in Calgary with help of former pilot

WATCH: The Hawker Hurricane is now on display at the Hangar Flight Museum. A former Hurricane pilot was on hand for Wednesday’s unveiling to share his memories of the plane. – Nov 6, 2019

The newest addition to Calgary’s Hangar Flight Museum was unveiled at a ceremony on Wednesday.

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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.

A restored Hawker Hurricane was unveiled at the Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. Michael King/Global News

Gordon Hill flew the same Hurricane that is now on display, and the veteran was on hand to witness the unveiling.

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“I think they’ve done a nice job on it,” Hill said. “[Those who restored the plane] are recording history. I think our children should know what their grandparents did.”

The former pilot, who turns 96 years old on Remembrance Day, recalled his time flying the Hurricane off the coast of Vancouver Island.

“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.”

A restored Hawker Hurricane was unveiled at the Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. Michael King/Global News

After his time flying the Hurricane, Hill flew more than 200 missions over Europe in the Spitfire.

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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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