Tempest Fugit – The Resurrection of Two of Hawkers’ Finest Fighters.

The Hawker Tempest is one of the most revered ground attack aircraft of WWII, and yet so few of them survived beyond the mid-1950s. Despite several efforts to resurrect one of the awesome beasts to airworthy condition over the past four decades, none have made it past the finish line so far. 

However, a dedicated ex-pat Englishman, Andy Salter, is attempting to breathe new life into not just one, but two of these charismatic fighters at Kermit Weeks’ facility in Polk City, Florida. Mr. Weeks’ Tempests are the Napier Sabre-engined Mk.V variant, EJ693, and the Bristol Centaurus-powered Mk.II prototype, LA607. 

Interestingly, the Tempest II never saw combat during WWII, unlike the Mk.V, which was actually the first of the type to enter service, beginning in January, 1944. They were the scourge of Nazi ground forces in Europe during the latter stages of the war, and one of the few aircraft fast enough to chase down the V-1 flying bombs as well.

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/aviation-museum-news/tempest-revival.html