Was a Hurricane ever towed in flight?

A Hurricane was photographed being towed by a Wellington IC with an off-centre bridle, as part of experiments aimed at towing several fighters at once behind a single bomber. The trial itself is described as a British reverse version of the German Troika-Schlepp, and no doubt just as dangerous. The towing system was designed by project engineer E. R. Durbec. The end of the thick hemp tow line trailed behind the tug's tail while the fighter throttled back to take up the tow. With its propeller stopped and feathered, the Hurricane was fully under tow. The steel cable bridle was released from two synchronised tow points located on the wing leading edges.

The Hurricane originated as a proposal for a monoplane derivative of the biplane Hawker Fury, in the early 1930s. The prototype K5083 first flew on 6 November 1935, flown by Hawker's chief test pilot, Flight Lieutenant George Bulman. By the time production ended, in July 1944, 14,487 units had been completed in Britain and Canada.

The Hurricane delivered to Hillson came from a batch of 20 aircraft sent to Canada in 1939 and returned to the United Kingdom in 1940, where it served with No. 1 Squadron RAF. The finished aircraft was officially designated Hillson FH.40, though it was widely known as the Slip-Wing Hurricane. It first flew in May 1943. In September it arrived at RAF Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire, where it was evaluated by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment. The FH.40's performance proved very poor. The project was abandoned and no further prototypes were built.