Ref great posts: #81 & 107 - As to the Lightning max speed was 625Kts with probe and 650Kts without IAS- this is from memory so i stand to be corrected. Above 650kts the aircraft was a bit of a handful to fly straight with the ball often off to one side flying with a boot of rudder and cross controls. I guess the limit was a structural one for the big Fin. Often pilots would "trample" the rudders to slow down...well untell they started falling off.
The lucky pilot was Flt Lt Jim Burns.
He was one of 4 Lightning F1s in close formation keeping the crowd amused with a low altitude high IAS pass in front of the crowd while the other 5 Lightnings positioned for a formation loop. He thought that he had a radio failure and landed OK.
The event was a practice at RAF Coltishall for the 1961 Farnborough & Paris airshows.
