THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC LIGHTNING

[Gil Boyd]

John Nicholls a retired Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down in Tornado ZD791 which was critically damaged by a shoulder-launched SAM SA-14, Nichol and his pilot, John Peters, were captured by Iraqi forces.
He flies here in the English Electric Lightning in South Africa. What a brilliant machine ahead of its time:

Information

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[mrclark303]

My favourite aircraft Gil, alas it's been a long time since the last Lightning flew in the UK.

Though the fleet retired along with the legendary base RAF Binbrook in 1988, a few flew on with British Aerospace on Tornado F3 radar trials work for a few more years.

The final machine flew from British Aerospace Warton, (F6 XS903) to its new home in Bruntingthorpe in 1993, brining to an end the Lighting era in the UK.

It can still be seen there today, kept live, with its fellow F6 XR728, doing fast taxi demonstrations, along with quite a few other classic Cold War Jets.

An utterly British design classic, like the Mini or the MG, very loud and rather brutal poetry in motion .... Pure nostalgia for us Cold War generation kids!

Thanks for posting another one Gil....

[Gil Boyd]

Favourite of mine. Dad was RAF at Warton where we lived for 2 years on the Lightnings, what an amazing airframe.
RAF Binbrook the home of the making of Memphis Belle, I think they have a preservation order on its control tower shown in the film and have also now slapped Preservation orders on all RAF sites which is "finally" good news indeed. It will remind the younger age groups of the losses and the need for so so many airfields in the UK!!

[Charlie303]

Thanks for posting the film Gil, great to see.

Here's one from the archive; Greenham Common 1981.

Attachment 99302

[Gil Boyd]

XP749 11 SQUADRON RAF BINBROOK

[David TS]

My favourite cold war fighter, I saw it display many times in the 60's and 70's.

I had promised myself a retirement present flight in one of Thunder City's two seat Lightnings.

Sadly pilot Dave Stock was killed in an accident at the Overburg air show in 2009 in ZU-BEX, the Lightning featured in the video. The Thunder City fleet was grounded shortly after by the SA CAA due to maintenance issues, and did not take fare paying passengers again.

Owner of Thunder City, Mike Beachy Head, died of a heart attack in 2017.

[GeeRam]

RAF Binbrook the home of the making of Memphis Belle, I think they have a preservation order on its control tower shown in the film

I'm afraid not, the control tower at Binbrook was demolished way back in 1995.

[Gil Boyd]

Sad News indeed. That must have been shortly after the ending of the film Memphis Belle, is that correct?

[GeeRam]

XP749 11 SQUADRON RAF BINBROOK

LTF (Lightning Training Flight) not 11 Sqn.

XP749 was used again as the solo aeros display mount for the 1984 season, in the markings 11 Sqn as BK1.

---------- Post added at 01:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:10 PM ----------

Sad News indeed. That must have been shortly after the ending of the film Memphis Belle, is that correct?

Memphis Belle was filmed there in the summer of 1989.

[mrclark303]

Thanks for posting the film Gil, great to see.

Here's one from the archive; Greenham Common 1981.

Attachment 99302

Got to love the Lightning Training Flight fin logo Charlie!

As we discussed in a previous thread, it was this very aircraft at that very display, that started my love affair with the Lighting!

---------- Post added at 02:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------

https://lightning422.com/

All is not lost, XS422 is potentially airworthy in the US and this drop dead gorgeous T5, will hopefully get wind under the wings soon!