de Havilland Hornet
The de Havilland Hornet was a British single-seat, twin-engined fighter that carried the Mosquito's wooden construction into a smaller, faster airframe built for long-range operations in the Far East. It first flew in July 1944 but entered service only after the war, equipping RAF day fighter squadrons at home before fighting as a strike aircraft during the Malayan Emergency; a naval version, the Sea Hornet, served with the Fleet Air Arm. De Havilland built 209 Hornets and 178 Sea Hornets, the type was withdrawn by 1956, and no complete example survives.
Why It Mattered
The Hornet was the last and most refined of de Havilland's wooden fighters, a line that ran from the Mosquito, and it was among the fastest piston-engined fighters ever to reach production. It was a small single-seat, twin-engined fighter designed for the war in the Far East, where a long-range escort had to cover the vast open spaces of the Pacific. The war ended before it could enter service, so the Hornet's reputation rests on a short post-war career — and on the pilots who flew it, who prized its speed and handling. The type was capable of 485 mph at 22,000 feet, a speed matched by only a handful of production piston-engined aircraft.
Design Notes
De Havilland started work on the DH.103 in November 1942, using similar moulded plywood construction techniques to the Mosquito's, although the Hornet was a wholly new design. The airframe that resulted was of composite wood and metal construction. Its two Merlin engines drove propellers in opposite directions, which improved the aircraft's take-off and landing characteristics. Four 20 mm cannon formed the principal armament. The naval Sea Hornet added folding outer wings for carrier stowage and slotted flaps for better low-speed behaviour when landing.
Operational History
Geoffrey de Havilland Junior flew the Hornet for the first time in July 1944, and production began late that year, but the war ended before the type could enter service. It reached squadron service in mid-1946 with 64 Squadron, and in time reached front-line service across the post-war RAF. De Havilland produced 209 Hornets and 178 Sea Hornets in total. In the early 1950s, Far East squadrons took the Hornet into combat during the Malayan Emergency, where it excelled as a ground attack aircraft; Hornets of 33, 45 and 80 Squadrons flew operations armed with rockets or 1,000 lb bombs, and could spend up to two hours loitering over a target area. The bonding glue in its plywood skins broke down in the tropical heat and humidity, however, forcing the early retirement of the Far East fleet. The last operational RAF Hornet sortie was flown on 21 May 1955, and by mid-1956 all Hornets had been withdrawn from operational service.
Afterlife
No complete Hornet survives today. Neither the RAF nor the Royal Navy preserved an example when the type left service, and the last substantially complete airframe, a Sea Hornet night fighter, was scrapped in 1968. Fragments remain: the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at London Colney displays the rear fuselages of two Sea Hornets, and one of the type's original fuselage moulds also survives there. Just one Sea Hornet passed into civilian hands, TT193, and its substantial remains survived in Canada. Pioneer Aero in New Zealand has acquired the remains and is restoring the aircraft to flying condition.