I love flying. While most people hate it, the fact that we can hop on a plane, and be in a new country just a few hours later has always been a huge cause for excitement. And with so many airlines to choose from, there’s bound to be a favourite airline for everyone.
However it’s sometimes easy to forget that planes aren’t just for transporting us from place to place, and have instead been used during some of the most important moments in history, and have, in fact, been responsible for helping to change the way the world looks today.
The website IntotheBlue recently created a video about the most iconic British war planes ever made, and it’s well worth a watch if you’re also into aviation. Some of the more famous aircraft in the video include the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane, as well as the BAE Systems Hawk, and the Avro Vulcan.
The video is in a cartoon-style, which is good for those of us who aren’t too technical. The video features planes from 1913, all the way up to 2003, and you’re sure to recognise some of the more famous planes, although there are also some which have been almost forgotten by history.
The Avro 504 is featured, and was modified to be used as a fighter during WWI. The De Havilland DH9A was in service between 1918 and 1931, and also served in the Middle East while the Ottoman Empire was collapsing.
The Hawker Hurricane was in service from 1937 to 1947, and while 14,583 of these planes were built, there are only 13 in an airworthy condition at the moment, worldwide.
The Supermarine Spitfire was in service from 1938 to 1954, and after the Battle of Britain it became the primary fighter plane for the RAF. It could climb as high as 34,000ft and had an impressive maximum speed of 367mph.
The Avro Lancaster Bomber did its job between 1942 and 1954, and is famous for inspiring the film Dam Busters, since it spent much of WWII attacking some of the German dams.
The Avro Vulcan was developed as a nuclear deterrent during the Cold War, and was in service from 1956 to 1984. It weighed more than 37 tonnes, and during the Falkland War it was involved in strategic bombing raids.
The Hawker Nimrod was in service for a long time, between 1969 and 2011. It was a patrol aircraft and was used for anti-submarine warfare, and was actually a de Haviland Comet, which had been modified extensively.
The Harrier Jump jet was the only jet which could take off and land vertically, and was in service between 1969 and 2010. The BAE Systems Hawk is still in service today, and so is the Eurofighter Typhoon, which can reach a supersonic speed of 1,550mph.
Who knows how World War One and World War Two would have gone without the fighter planes and brave pilots who fought for Britain. For more information, watch the video below:
