Giant Hawker Typhoon – known as the “Tiffy”
On site all week
Part of our D-Day 75 commemorations, the Giant Hawker Typhoon, known as the “Tiffy” will pay homage to the 16,000 Allied airmen who lost their lives during the Normandy battle – some of the unsung heroes of liberation.
Perched on the crest of the hill in Broad Chalke, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, overlooking the main festival site, the plane will be FOUR times the size of the original and will dominate the local landscape. With a wingspan of 19 metres, a length of 14 metres, and height 7 metres, this massive installation will be a similar size to a 60-seater passenger jet and will be instantly recognizable for miles around.
The Hawker Typhoon was a single-engine fighter plane capable of speeds of over 400 mph and armed with both 20 mm cannon and eight rockets. The rocket-firing Typhoon squadrons came to symbolise the dominance of the Allies in the air during D-Day and the Normandy campaign that followed, playing a vital role in the Allied victory and the liberation of France. While there are over 50 Spitfires flying today, there is not one Typhoon, although the Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group hopes to change that and get their Tiffy flying within the next few years. Our Typhoon will be marked in the same colours and markings as the aircraft they are rebuilding.
There will be a special path up to the Tiffy and throughout the week it will be the location for a number of talks about this iconic aircraft and the vital role it played in the Allied victory in Europe.