English Electric Lightning Walkaround

Lightning F6:XR728 at Bruntingthorpe. This aicraft does not fly. It has been here since May 1988. It is still in full taxiing condition but will never fly again as one of the stress panels mid fuselage has been badly warped. Anyway, the miserble CAA have put paid to any Lightnings flying no matter what condition they are in! Hopefully soon, it and XS904 will be in the QRA shed they are erecting there. I just love the Lightning, the rate of climb is 55,000 feet per min at max rate and each engine uses up 3.5 gallons of fuel per second per engine at full blower! It's also really retro, really sixties and really British! I love it! If you want to see this taxi, get yerself to Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire next summer...

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• english
• electric
• lightning
• bruntingthorpe
• fast
• jet
• supersonic
• military
• aircraft
• aviation
• fighter

[brynteg]

One of my favourite aircraft. One flew over my house back in 87. That was the first and last time. Sad to see such an icon left just to taxi !

[lightning1975]

If you go to Cape Town, South Africa you can fly in one for £9000! They just got XP693 up and running as well!

[lightning1975]

Well, I just use a really cheap digital camcorder that I got off e-bay. It's only 3.1 megapixels and I bought it a few weeks ago. I also use a Sony Cybershot@ 5.1 mpxls....

[scrillamanila]

God I hate the CAA, bunch of unpatriotic Nazis!

[miwifeslegs]

nice vid if a little erratic . served with no.s 5 and 11 sqadrons and the LTF at binbrookin the mid 70`s

if they can allow a vulcan to fly again ( and why not ) how about letting one of these old leaky crates find it`s wings again.

reckon it could still give the eurofighter a run for it`s money !!!

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

@fairclought7 Agree entirely, the Lightning stood head & shoulders above other interceptors in the late 50's & 60's. Even today, it terms of sheer performance it will humiliate the vast majority of contemporary jet fighters ie climb rate- it STILL holds records! It is almost criminal that the CAA will not permit this icon of British aviation engineering to fly on a civil basis. The great tragedy with the Lightning is that it suffered a lack of development due to short sighted politicians.

[deeka24]

if you want to get up close and personal with a lightning then the best place in britian is the T5 at cranfield, a wonderfully preserved lightning in full working order and performs fast taxi rund quite regularly, full access is given to the aircraft including cockpit tours,being a two seater much more room for the cockpit tour by a lightning pilot

[fairclought7]

the finest interceptor of its generation bar none and the worlds first to super cruise. god damn what a beast, you have to go to thunder city in south africa to see them fly now

[steviep918273]

do you remember a jt sootie who worked in the hangar (steve pauls)???thats me mate.

[johnklockyer]

yes ltf mate. MEATBALL here lol, whos this?

[steviep918273]

john.Were you on LTF at that time??Your name looks familiar because I was there then?

[mrrmancunian]

They do fly. There're four in South Africa, two of which are duel seated, and the company that owns the collection offer supersonic flights to the general public.

[fightboss]

Very Cool! this 'Old Bird' inspired me to try Building a Model of it!!!!!! if they could Revive it, it'd Kick Ass!!!!!!!! Stay Cool!

[djwilko7]

haha defo