4th August 1954

[antarmike]

First flight of the English Electric Lightning. This Fighter is famed for its its good points like its phenomenal rate of climb and its top speed, but also its bad points like a terribly short endurance, that adding more and more fuel tanks never really solved and its ability to catch fire with great frequency.

 

The often leaky main fuel tank sat above the air intake duct to the stacked jet engines, and the entry of fuel into the front of the jets led to the loss of too many of this sizzling aircraft.

Edited August 8, 2008 by antarmike

[younggun]

thanks for that mike a trurly brilliant aircraft shame thers none flying in the uk the vulcan could do with some wing men

 

found this on the net it amused me

 

the ten commandments of a lighting pilot

 

nummer 6 reffers to the fire problem

 

 

1. Thou shalt not omit thy walk-round, lest thou rise into the heavens with a cover or ground-lock in place. Nor shalt thou ignore thy checklist, for many are the valves, switches, levers and handles waiting to take vengeance upon thee, and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth shall guide the Rescue helicopter to thy dinghy.
   
2. Thou shalt not retract thy gear before thou hast achieved sufficient airspeed, lest thy aeroplane sink back on to the runway into rivers of hell-fire with the wheels in the wells and thou art sent on a rotary wing conversion course. Verily, the love of a punchy take-off is the root of many ills, but it is better in the eyes of the base commander to be a living dog than a dead lion.
   
3. Thou shalt not allow thy centre of gravity be beyond limits, for the laws of gravity shall surely judge the ignorant and the errant. Whatever British Aerospace hath joined together, let no man put asunder.
   
4. Thou shalt look to thy left and to thy right as thou journeyest through the skies, for behold the other aeroplane cometh quickly and thou shalt meet it in the air, and thy fellow pilots shall be bound as is the custom to comfort thy widow with soft words and in many other ways.
   
5. Thou shalt not buzz, lest thou incur the wrath of the Almighty with the braid of gold and bring the fury of the high priests of the Temple of Defence upon thine head and shoulders. For lo, many are the fools who perish at low level when the aeroplane smiteth the birds of the air or the trees of the field or the wires of the electricity company.
   
6. Thou shalt take good measure of thy fuel, for verily, a tankful of air at 10,000 feet is an abomination and as welcome as a plague of locusts. Yea, and even more so upon departure. What profiteth a man that he hath a full fuel bowser at the airfield yet perisheth by ignoring it to achieve his commitment. For it is written that only a double reheat fire warning shall cause thee to rejoice that thy fuel runneth below minimums.
   
7. Thou shalt not push through the scud at low level tail-chasing the F-111 of the Americanites, lest the angel Gabriel be waiting on the other side. For pride goeth before destruction and it is written that the cumulo-granitus is no respecter of aeroplanes without avionics blessed by advancement.
   
8. Thou shalt beware the prophets of the weather, for the truth is not always upon them. Woe is to he who entereth the thunderstorm and hath his missile head smitten by the hail of the Lord, but worse shall befall he who hath his wings ripped from his chariot and is cast naked into the firmament.
   
9. Thou shalt not exceed thy G-limit beyond the number seven, lest thou distort thy airframe and must go to the moneylenders of the temple. For it is the custom that thou must buy the hewers of wood and drawers of water on the Line a barrel of beer for thy transgressions. Verily, the reader of the G-meter is all-seeing, and your sin will find you out.
   
10. Thou shalt observe thy landing limits and shall not approach high and fast, for the ditch at the end of the runway lieth in wait for whomsoever it may devour. Check frequently thy airspeed on final approach, lest the earth rise up and smite thee, and forget not that the wise man ignoreth the crosswind at his peril lest he reap the whirlwind of the ground loop.
    

 

[abn deuce]

Seem's he speak truths of many kinds and from much experiance .

So now who shall it be to compose simular words of great wisdom and mighty meaning to the many who still toil in the grease pits of the Great Garage from comeith the gnashing of broken asunder gears of the sad stories of the Prince of darkness and Lucas be his name and his many followers who struggle with his cursed electrics .

[younggun]

Seem's he speak truths of many kinds and from much experiance .

So now who shall it be to compose simular words of great wisdom and mighty meaning to the many who still toil in the grease pits of the Great Garage from comeith the gnashing of broken asunder gears of the sad stories of the Prince of darkness and Lucas be his name and his many followers who struggle with his cursed electrics .

 

:rofl::rofl::rofl: i think we could apply the tencommandments to every vheical on the forum

[Degsy]

Seem's he speak truths of many kinds and from much experiance .

So now who shall it be to compose simular words of great wisdom and mighty meaning to the many who still toil in the grease pits of the Great Garage from comeith the gnashing of broken asunder gears of the sad stories of the Prince of darkness and Lucas be his name and his many followers who struggle with his cursed electrics .

 

 

How can you complain about Lucas electrics when you Yanks have wished on the world the abomination known as Autolite:???

[abn deuce]

True many are the tails of sadness from many manufactures the Autolites and the AC Delconites lest us forget the Morparites this curse spreads where ever the devil of the electron is needed to flow, but now there is a drought with barely a trickel whence there flowed a mighty stream to give ones chariot the strength and speed of the very God's themselves !!!

[Degsy]

True many are the tails of sadness from many manufactures the Autolites and the AC Delconites lest us forget the Morparites this curse spreads where ever the devil of the electron is needed to flow, but now there is a drought with barely a trickel whence there flowed a mighty stream to give ones chariot the strength and speed of the very God's themselves !!!

 

 

Is this a Military forum or a Bible class:???:-D

[abn deuce]

your right need's more middle ages and less bible.

[AlienFTM]

My Paymaster in 15/19H had spent time in hospital after an accident. His bed was next to that of a Lightning pilot.

 

The latter told him how he had launched on a simulated intercept, grazed the bottom enigine on the deck, causing it to drop out, and ejected at low altitude, necessitating a trip to hospital for traction to undo the rigours of the Martin Baker compressing two inches from his spine.

 

Just out of hospital, he was given a Lightning to fly from East Anglia to a squadron in RAFG. Caught out by a sudden thunderstorm over the North Sea, he had another meeting with Martin Baker and thereafter his back was never the same again.

[antarmike]

Its' a pity I couldn't find a better pisture of the lightning ejection, at the start of my post. I saw a brilliant copy of it on a display At Waddington 2008.

 

The story goesthat a photographer was taking publicity shots of a tractor working in a field, and it wasn't until he heard the bang of the crash that he realised an aircraft had crashed. And it was not until he developed the film that he realise he had an image of the Lightning a second from crashing but also it showed the pilot's ejection.

 

The Ejection was at very low level, and the pilot survived, but was injured.

 

The add to his problems he landed through a large Greenhouse.

Edited August 11, 2008 by antarmike

[antarmike]

That'll do nicely

This famous picture was taken by a chap called Jim Meads and is of English Electric P1B Lightning XG332 (used for test flying by BAC and DeHavilland) being departed by test pilot George Aird on September 13th 1962. The aircraft suffered an engine fire which burned through the tailplane actuator rods causing XG332 to go into a violent pitch-up about 10 seconds before landing at the DeHavilland aerodrome at Hatfield (not Wattisham). The pilot ejected and landed in a greenhouse. He broke both legs, but was flying Lightnings again a year or so later.

Edited August 11, 2008 by antarmike

[Tony B]

tractor driver wishing he had a faster means of getting away?:cool2:

[antarmike]

Pilot wishing he had an extra 1000 feet!

[Tony B]

I heard a tale from a very reliable scource. When one of the Middle East countries took delivery of the Hawk, the chief Instructor took one up to show off. He looped at about six hundred and fifty feet. Problem was if he'd read the manual he would have seen the aircraft needed eight hundred feet. Apparently they didn't even bother to dig it out.

[abn deuce]

wonder if the tractor made it into preservation ?

[antarmike]

My favourite Lightening story relates to the Hendon museum Lightning.

 

A memeber of the groundcrew was sat in the aircraft engine running (I think it was brake testing)

 

One minute he was taxiing down the runway, a shade too much throttle, and the next thing he knew he was airbourne.

 

He had done a few flights in a Tiger Moth, and he found himself airbourne in a supersonic Fighter, the radio removed for servicing and no ejector seat for the same reason.

 

He thought he would try to convert his Tail dragging Moth flight experience into a nosewheel supersonic jet landing.

His first circuit was no good, so he went round again. His second circuit was not much better, but on the third attempt (I believe) he landed the plane successfully.

 

There is a plaque on the aircraft now that relates his tale, but if he didn't die of a heart attack a few hours later I douby he ever forgot his experience,.

Edited August 12, 2008 by antarmike

[Degsy]

What goes up must come down.:-D

[Tony B]

how does it go? 'Any landing you walk away from is a good one'. :-D

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

 

 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1951to1964/filmindex.htm

Have a look here for the Lightning.its so dated dig the music .let me know what you think .i love it.:rofl:

 

 

[Degsy]

Great link CW, that music reminds me of the stuff they used to use on the Edgar Lustgarten crime films.

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

Great link CW, that music reminds me of the stuff they used to use on the Edgar Lustgarten crime films.

Edgar Lustgarten theres a name i never thought i would here again.:-D

[Degsy]

Mmmm, I don't really know where I dredged that one up from, used to enjoy his crime shorts originally in the cinema but then the whole series was shown on TV.

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

Mmmm, I don't really know where I dredged that one up from, used to enjoy his crime shorts originally in the cinema but then the whole series was shown on TV.

There was something about him cant remember what specialist in crime or something may have to google it.

[Degsy]

Yes, I think you're right but can't remember what the exact description was in those days.

[Degsy]

We're way off topic here CW, this one will be next for locking. Sorry Lee.:-D