If I remember correctly, one problem was the bonded seals on the hydraulic component unions situated in the jet pipe areas
Your memory is correct, but with the addition of replacing the fuel couplings and the collector tank mod, all part of the infamous Lightning Fuel / Fire Integrity programme of which I was an involuntary participant on 431 MU at Gutersloh.
However, I am aware of one Lightning 92 Sqdn's " P" in 1975, that made an overweight landing with, it turned out, a spurious fire warning. The landing was successful.... other than the left u/c leg sheared off. What followed was pure farce.
On the recovery, an "Engineering" Officer decided, as the species do, he knew better than experienced crash recovery airmen....this "expertise" resulted in the left aileron being added to the damage induced, which was actually minimal, by the landing.
The leg damage was repaired with a superb 14 swg scab patch....my modesty not withstanding here...
The repair documentation, produced by 431, instructed us to carry out u/c retractions checks, , but helpfully informed us, some 2/3 pages afterwards... to fit the retraction jack....
92 robbed the aircraft as you would expect, but, sadly, there was it seemed a lack of blanks for the various hyd. components and pipelines. Ever resourceful, they used bits of the Daily Mirror instead...... our application of 3000 psi resulted in a very impressive cascade of OM 15.
The real problem however, and the delays induced...the whole episode took about 10 months...was due to the aileron replacement. New bushes had to be fitted on the wing and reamed to size. Access was "difficult" and we successfully broke every adjustable reamer on RAFG, and several from the UK in the process.
Allied to this was the input from an M.o.D civilian QA / QC "expert"...an individual for whom no praise can be fulsome enough for his obsession with trivia, paperwork, the "attention to detail" in performing his duties....and himself.
Eventually, two B.A.C product support engineers were called in, who, unlike our "hero" above, knew exactly what they were doing. They took one look at the AP. the reaming tolerances, and stated they had never got anywhere near these and that our work was fine...took all of 30mins for them to do so, when they had stopped laughing that is.
Our "hero" was conspicuous by his absence thereafter.
The a/c did fly again, but duly repeated the fire warning incident and ended its days as a decoy, along with others, parked up at Bruggen.
Last edited by Krystal n chips; 10th Jun 2015 at 06:35.