Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | AE977 |
|---|---|
| Type | Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.X (Canadian-built Hurricane I) |
| Built | Canadian Car & Foundry, 1940-41 |
| Converted | Sea Hurricane Mk.X by July 1942 |
| Crashed | 5 December 1942 |
| Restored | Hawker Restorations, Milden, 1994-2000 |
| Flew again | 7 June 2000 |
| Registration | G-CHTK (formerly G-TWTD, N33TF) |
| Painted as | P2921 GZ-L, No. 32 Squadron |
| Status | Airworthy |
| Where | Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, Westerham |
The story of AE977
Canadian Car & Foundry built AE977 as a Hurricane I, constructor's number CCF/41H8020. It went first to the RAF and then to the Fleet Air Arm, which had it converted to a Sea Hurricane Mk.X by July 1942.
On 5 December 1942 it crashed while flown by Squadron Leader Douglas Trevor King RNVR; one record describes a mid-air collision at RNAS Yeovilton. It was judged beyond economical repair and written off.
The remains were found in 1960 and kept in a shed. Jim Pearce of Shoreham owned them from September 1992. From April 1994 Tom Wallis and Tony Ditheridge's Hawker Restorations at Milden, Suffolk, rebuilt the airframe to flying condition. Registered G-TWTD, it flew on 7 June 2000 in Douglas Bader's No. 242 Squadron markings as AE977/LE-D.
In October 2001 Tom Friedkin's Chino Warbirds bought it. It was shipped from Southampton to Galveston, assembled in Houston and based with Planes of Fame, registered N33TF. In 2012 it was shipped back to the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar and registered G-CHTK in March 2013. It now represents P2921, GZ-L 'Blue Peter', flown by Pete Brothers of No. 32 Squadron from Biggin Hill in 1940.
Seeing AE977 today
Operated from the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, seen on booked guided tours of the working hangar. It flies, so it is not always on site.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggin Hill Heritage HangarWesterham, Greater London | £49 | 17 | A rotating dozen-ish airworthy and in-rebuild Spitfires plus a Hurricane and Buchón; the 'Sit in a Spitfire' add-on is the affordable… |
Also known as: G-CHTK · G-TWTD · N33TF · P2921 · Blue Peter Hurricane · GZ-L · AE977 Hurricane