Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Royal Air Force Museum London before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | P2617 |
|---|---|
| Type | Hawker Hurricane Mk I |
| Built | Gloster, Brockworth, 1940 |
| Units | No. 607 Sqn; No. 1 Sqn RCAF; No. 9 SFTS |
| Code | AF-F |
| Films | Angels One Five; Reach for the Sky; Battle of Britain |
| Arrived | Hendon, May 1972 |
| Status | On display |
| Where | Royal Air Force Museum London, London |
The story of P2617
Gloster built P2617 at Brockworth as part of a Hawker subcontract and it was taken on charge in January 1940. In April it joined No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron in France, then swapping Gladiators for Hurricanes. A former squadron officer later confirmed it flew with 'A' Flight as AF-F.
On 20 May 1940, the squadron's last day in France, it flew at least two patrols before returning to Croydon. Rollasons repaired damage there that month. On 11 September Flt Lt James Bazin flew it on a sortie from Tangmere. From October it flew Clyde patrols with No. 1 Squadron RCAF, and on 20 November an oil-pressure failure forced a wheels-up landing near Saltcoats.
From mid-1941 it served flying schools at Hullavington and Montrose, surviving three more accidents. In April 1944 the Air Historical Branch chose it for preservation. It appeared in Angels One Five (1951) and Reach for the Sky (1955). It was made taxiable for the 1968 film Battle of Britain.
It reached Hendon in May 1972, first in anonymous markings because its French service was not yet proven. In 1978 it moved to the Battle of Britain Hall in its current 607 Squadron colours as AF-F.
Seeing P2617 today
Shown in Hangars 3 and 4 as part of the museum's 'Fighter Four' group of Battle of Britain single-seaters.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Air Force Museum LondonLondon, Greater London | Free | 88 | Avro Lancaster R5868 'S-Sugar' — 137 operations, the RAF's highest-scoring surviving heavy — under the same roof as a Vulcan, a… |
Also known as: Hurricane P2617 · AF-F · 8373M · Hawker Hurricane Mk I P2617