Originally Posted by
treadigraph
First time I can actually recall seeing one in the air was at the Biggin Hill Battle of Britain Day 1976. I watched this little speck in the distance growing rapidly and arriving more or less ahead of its noise... I assume it was a touring act rather than being based at Biggin for the show - bit short for Lightning ops?
Yep, Biggin Hill BofB Day in 1974 was my first experience of a Lightning aero's...........and what a first one to see, being one of Pete Chapmans legendary rivet popping solo's in the white tailed OCU F.3, and also likely one of his very last ones, which was probably why it was a corker and still sticks in my mind.
I'm pretty sure it took off from Biggin though, but then again, it was over 40 years ago and I wasn't on crowd line. Biggin's runway is about the same length as North Weald's, and I can definately remember a pair of Lightnings being in the static park at the North Weald Fighter Meet airshow in 1986. They weren't in the flying display, but 10 mins after the last display item, just after the show ended on the Sunday and people were leaving (the World Cup final was that afternoon evening IIRC) I heard the distinctive whee-whoosh of Avpin and the rumble of starting Avons......The take-off and subsequent airfield beat-up was mighty impressive
The last rotation take-off I saw was the F.6 and T.5 departure from the static just after the last display item on Sunday at Mildenhall '88, similar to North Weald above. I think IB was flying the F.6?