Aircraft: Hawker Hurricane

The spitfire is the famous British plane of World War II even though the Hurricane accounted for nearly 2/3 of Luftwaffe losses.

The Hurricane was very versatile and came in fighter, bomber-interceptor, fighter-bombers, ground support, and carrier versions. It could also be catapult-launched.

Before wide spread aircraft carrier use was possible, catapult-launched Hurricanes were a popular choice of ship escort because most civilian and military ships could be quickly fitted with a catapult. The plane would be kept on a catapult with engine warmed, ready to launch. Pilots had a lot of free time and would only board the plane when there was a threat to the ship. They were rotated often to be sure they could continue to use their pilot skills (elsewhere). Catapult Hurricanes were apparently an effective deterrent prompting many enemy bombers to find an easier target. During the war there were only 9 combat launches. These were all effective with 10 enemy aircraft shot down and 4 chased away. No definitive plans were made for pilots to land the Hurricane after launch. Options included ditching the plane in the sea, bailing out and letting the plane crash, or finding a nearby option on solid ground. One pilot died from injuries sustained while bailing out. Despite injuries and close calls, this was the only time a pilot died from a catapult Hurricane. Another pilot managed to fly to and successfully land at the Keg Ostrov aerodrome. The rest bailed out or ditched and were recovered by a ship they were protecting.