English Electric Lightning fast taxi run.

XS904 fast taxi run with full re-heat at Bruntingthorpe airfield.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• LPG
• BAC
• Lightning
• afterburner
• fast
• taxi
• XS904
• jet
• binbrook.

[bgibb101]

What is the reason for not allowing privately owned lightnings to fly?

[fmk6john]

There is a long list of reasons why they are not allowed to fly, firstly they are a complicated fast jet with afterburners and a not so good track record with fires, the CAA do not like this combination.

The cost of restoration to flight would be astronomical and spares are in very short supply in the UK......the list goes on.

Have a chat with the LPG crew at an open day and see just how expensive it is to keep thier's n fast taxi condition.

John.

[jordyboy321]

HEY i wnt bruntinthorpe yesterday sunday may lol its well good aint it

[fmk6john]

It was one of the best runs considering the weather, John Spencer (the pilot) had a chat with me after the run. Keep your eye on the LPG website for other events during the year.

[SgtGrant23]

y do they do fast taxi runs?

[fmk6john]

They run them for public display, they are long retired from service and are not allowed to fly on the civil register.

Enthusiasts from all over the country come to see them.

[Owlesque1]

Personally, if I were the pilot, I'd not be able to resist. That lightning would fly no problem, and I'd just have to pull back on the stick and keep those Avons open wide. A health and safety authority's nightmare (and so my happiest dream), but it's a small risk for a lot of joy. Couple of fast passes over the airfield and land. Military jets crash, private planes crash, commercial planes crash. This flying again makes no overall damn difference to public safety, if Lanc and Vulcan, can...

[Owlesque1]

Bloody idiots the CAA. This fantastic piece of engineering heritage should be flying. Seems the CAA think if it has afterburners, horourable Tony would do a terrorist raid with it, and seeing as the new Eurofighter isn't fast enough to catch it, he'd escape afterwards too! or something. Pull your fingers out of your arses and drop this stupid rule. Why not only let the ex lightning or current RAF pilots fly it, if they're worried about doing Mach 2 over Leicester. I'd actually pay to see it!

[amorroni]

@fmk6john Too bad, they are phenomenal.

[MrSpunkyspunky]

Amazing aircraft

[elite055]

must the russians and brits use the same dam design. USAF must have the only planes that dont look this similar to that mig look. idc which one was made first.

[Aussiephil99]

When I was 6 years old in about 1973 I saw one of these do a display at an airshow at RAF Lakenheath.......it did a high speed run and then went vertical................I'll never forget it. One of the most impressive aircraft of all time.

[ChrisJMoor]

@WMCgrimsby

I see.

I love these beasts because they are essentially no expenses spared, batshit crazy power from a time when adding machines and Morris Oxfords were considered advanced. Born of cold war fear of course. Thankfully, we do not have a cold war anymore but we do have batshit crazy mach 2 fighters to impress and deafen us at airshows;)

[WMCgrimsby]

@ChrisJMoor

These machines are kept in tip top condition and are regularly serviced and maintained to the highest of standards.

All flying surfaces work and theoretically she 'could' fly although owing to a lack of spares and CAA restrictions it is much more sensable to keep them on the ground.

There is no other place in the country that you can enjoy such a unique display of cold war power!.

John.

[jm0n55]

kind of looks like a mig-21

[ChrisJMoor]

The pilot must so be yearning to take the beast for a real spin. Or maybe not, unless suicidal - I suspect that underneath the skin its a wreck. Could this unit actually fly?

[SR71ABCD]

The lightning was my favorite first jet but everythime i look at it reminds me as a Russian Mig.