Today In History:  02 September  [1942]   --  First flight of the Hawker Tempest.

The Tempest, originally known as the Typhoon II, was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to address the Typhoon's unexpected deterioration in performance at high altitude by replacing its wing with a thinner laminar flow design. Since it had diverged considerably from the Typhoon, it was renamed Tempest. The Tempest emerged as one of the most powerful fighters of World War II and at low altitude was the fastest single-engine propeller-driven aircraft of the war.

PHOTO: A Royal Air Force Hawker Tempest V Series II (s/n NV696) on a test flight from the Hawker factory Langley, near Slough, on 25 November, 1944. This aircraft went into service with No. 222 Squadron RAF a month later. The aircraft is piloted by William "Bill" Humble, who normally did not wear a helmet.

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Photo Attribution:  Public Domain  via Wikimedia.