James Brown, owner of a Hawker Hurricane, has been living in Guernsey for the past two years.
He said that bringing the plane over was important to him due to the island’s wartime story.
‘I love Guernsey and bringing the aircraft back is always a bit of a thrill, especially because the military and Second World War history here is so unique,’ he said.
‘Bringing a British fighter back is quite something.’
The Hurricane is based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire and appears at about a dozen air displays each year.
Mr Brown said he felt ‘drawn to Guernsey’ after visiting the island in February 2024.
‘Even though February isn’t the best time to see things, we loved it then and love it now,’ he said. ‘As a pilot it’s great to still have those connections in the UK for flying and to live in a beautiful island. It’s the best of both worlds.’
As a child, Mr Brown built model planes and said he always loved to fly.
In 2015, he found himself in a position to buy the Hurricane.
‘The Hurricane is the unsung hero. People think about the Spitfire, but they don’t really remember that the Hurricane really won the Battle of Britain,’ he said.
‘It’s got real history and it’s the most authentic, unique Hurricane in the world.’
He said his objective of taking part in last night’s air display was to show off the plane and what it was able to do.
‘It’s aerobatic, so if the weather permits, there might be some loops, but the main thing is really just to show what it is capable of and give people a chance to see what is a really unique piece of history,’ he said.
The Hawker Hurricane achieved more aerial victories for Britain during the Battle of Britain than any other fighter plane.
It was described as the backbone of Britain’s Fighter Command, winning praise for its reliability, simple manufacturing, and rugged design.
You need to be logged in to comment.