AN iconic 77-year-old war veteran overflew North Yorkshire en-route to honour a former pilot.

One of the only 12 remaining airworthy Hawker Hurricanes in the world could be distinctly heard in the skies of the county last Monday. The aircraft, part of the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, was flying to Cumbria for the funeral of Flt Lt Freddie Nicoll from Wetherall, a wartime pilot, where it performed a short flypast.

Poor weather probably prevented anyone who recognised the distinctive sound of the Merlin Engine seeing the overfly, but gaps in the clouds may have provided a momentary glimpse over Ripon, Coverdale or Upper Wensleydale.

The aircraft first flew in 1944 and is the last one of 14,533 built. Its new paint scheme for 2021 is an all-over matt black of a night fighter.