EE Lightning

[Epsilon minus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLMhdUYUQQg&NR=1
Anybody remember the Farnborough display?

[Hugh Spencer]

Many years ago I remember a display by the Lightning. It was a display I will never forget. Basically the pilot sat on the jet engines and the enormous power available was very impressive. Although witnessed a long time ago the Lightning was able to climb vertically like a rocket to any height.

[Pontius Navigator]

What happens at 3.22, just after the missile launch doors open.

There are no missiles on the aircraft then a missile appears from the doors. I thought the missile pack had external missiles. Did it have an internal missile bay?

Also at 4.04 what is the 4 prop on the runway? It is not a Shack or Lanc and it looks like a tail dragger but not a Hastings.

[Jackonicko]

That's no missile, PN, it's a FFAR! And that's not a door, it's a drop down battery of rockets.

York? Lincoln? Looks high wing, and the exhaust stripes over the wing look familiar.

[ORAC]

The Lightning had a removable weapons pack. The Firestreak & Redtop packs carried 2 Mx on stub pylons. There was also an unguided rocket pack which swung open with 22 rockets on either side, and the Saudi models had a recce pack where the cameras were swung out.

[Pontius Navigator]

York? Lincoln? Looks high wing, and the exhaust stripes over the wing look familiar.

Single fin tail?

[A2QFI]

Hard to get a good look at the aircraft on the runway - looks low wing - could it be a B17? Standing by for loud mocking noises! The pictures of the Taylor helmet brought back memories of long and uncomfortable high altitude flights in a PR9!

[jindabyne]

A2

I'd also go for a B-17

[Pontius Navigator]

B17, fits. Which air force I wonder?

[forget]

Lightning weapons. From

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/uk/english_electric/lightning/lightning.htm

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/G-AXEE.jpg

[BEagle]

Sure it wasn't just a Hastings?

[Epsilon minus]

more Lightning videos. Anybody recognise the characters?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-sDdVkGVDs&mode=related&search=
As for the tails dragger on the runway it cannot be a B17 since there is no mid ships turret on the top of the fuselage. i would go for a Hastings if that flypasr was at coltishall?

[forget]

Hastings I'd say.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/mmm.jpg

[Chugalug2]

Well this is a first Jackoniko, for I find myself agreeing with you! My money would be on a Lincoln. I can't see a single fin, it looks like a high wing to me, with the classic overwing exhaust stains. It sure doesn't resemble a Hastings. I used to fly them, does that count? Whatever it was the comparison between it and the Lightning gives some idea of the leap in technology that the latter displayed!

[BOAC]

Epsilon - Tim and Jim - Instructor Tim Allan, student Jim Ludford. Both ex bona-jets.

[Liobian]

To answer the original question - Dam- Right, I do !

I don't know how often (years) they did that stream departure for the show, but I do recall seeing it. IIRC I went with my Dad. Guessing '64 or '65 ?
The ground verily shook, along with all my internal bits. Totally Brilliant !!
Now I can show my son.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

I'd say it was the H model B17 :8

[Two's in]

Despite my usual suspicion of the cries of "it was much harder in my day" (and now I have reached that point myself) I can't help but have huge admiration and respect for those guys who were wazzing around at Mach 2.0 with an instrument panel that Isambard Kingdom Brunel would probably recognize (but having trained on the Chippie, so do I). The next time someone complains that their MFD or HOTAS is rubbish, they might want to see what these pilots were coping with. Now that's real multi-tasking, so much for Human Factors!

And it is a B-17, you can clearly see the 3/8" pop rivets on the Stbd Wing leading edge fillet.

[tacr2man]

I remember a display at Upper Heyford, the lightning ,took off did a fairly rapid climb, then seemed to dissapear, he returned just subsonic at 90deg from behind spectator lines the whole crowd jumped in the air as one, at the same time he went vertical out of sight, I think that was the whole display as I remember.
That same show the weather changed and I nearly got hit by the real thing whilst stood on top of my landy taking pics.
I think the USAF held it on NATO day or some such, quite a while ago now.

[Pontius Navigator]

No, I side with Lincoln. Definitly not a Hastings with was low wing and sat very nose up. Nor is it a B17 with that parallel tail plane. I reckon I I caan see the darker lines on the outsides of the tail plane which could be the fins.

Could it be the Lincoln with a Mamba in the nose?

http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/lineage2.html

[621andy]

I can't even begin to imagine what sort of noise that must've made! I remember seeing a single Lightning doing a display at Weston on the mud airport back in the 70s. He went down the runway at head height and then put the pole on the stops and went vertical:E

I can still hear and feel the noise now:ok:

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

it looks like a high wing to me,Too much dihedral for that IMHO

[BEagle]

On further thought, if not a Lincoln, then possibly one of the last Lancasters - not taken out of service until 1956?

One of my early memories of the Lightning was when one came to a rain-soaked World Aerobatics Championships at RAF Hullavington. Flying had pretty well stopped, when out of the gloom came this roaring monster with its prominent reheat trails.

The beer tent emptied in an instant as the Lightning wired the crap out of the place in an epic, noisy low level display of power and manoeuvrability!

Great stuff. Rather more so than the 'Spirit of Misadventure' rubbish of 40 years later....

[RETDPI]

1. Obviously a Lincoln ( Looks as if it could be Farnborough - Napiers Lincoln?)
2. Farnborough '61.

[om15]

Have we a date on this? the first Lightnings were delivered to the RAF late 1960, so the film must be around that time, the last in service Lanc was RF325, a MR 3 from St Mawgan, last flight Oct 15 1956, the Lincolns were in service up to c1963 I think.
The wings look definatly Avro, and the fuse is too slim for a Hastings, I would go for a Lincoln, second guess Shack.
First saw the aircraft in early 60s at airshows, later worked on them for a while,( 73-78) designed and built in less than ideal conditions, its a shame that we can't build such classic aeroplanes today, really was something special.
Best regards,
om15

[forget]

I've changed the contrast, but not much you can do with resolution.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/kjuh.jpg

[om15]

Avro York?

[forget]

I'd say that RETDPI may have cracked it. Lincoln, Napier icing trials aircraft. The upper surfaces are pale grey with black panels aft of the engines.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/0223291.jpg

[Chugalug2]

And yet I wonder, on second thoughts I now plump for the C-87 version of the Liberator. Featured in Ernest K Gann's classic "Fate is the Hunter", and in which he nearly came to grief at Agra, narrowly missing the Taj Mahal after take off, due to being ever so slightly over-weight owing to a very understandable error in recorded fuel uplift and the fact that there were no fuel gauges fitted! Thank goodness such discrepancies are now a thing of the past!

....unless, unless...could it possibly be a Junkers Ju 290?

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

....unless, unless...could it possibly be a Junkers Ju 290?...forced down by the Lightning?

[John Eacott]

To answer the original question - Damn- Right, I do !

I don't know how often (years) they did that stream departure for the show, but I do recall seeing it. IIRC I went with my Dad. Guessing '64 or '65 ?
The ground verily shook, along with all my internal bits. Totally Brilliant !!

ISTR seeing the first stream departure at Farnborough in 1962, or thereabouts. I also remember the crowd line being amazingly close to the runway, and as liobian said, the ground shaking as the Lightnings departed :eek: :D :ok:

[BEagle]

OK - I'll go with Lincoln!

Outboard engine is at roughly 50% semi-span on the Lancaster, whereas for the Lincoln it was less (40%) due to the 20 ft greater wingspan.

And not an early Shack, I guess, as no dorsal turret.

[threeputt]

I was there as well, detached from Lyneham for two weeks, as the RAF Air trafficker. Pilot of the said furball was Flt Lt Sandy D***es. Best FJ display I have ever seen.:ok::D Next met him when he was Wg Cdr Ops at Dhahran in 1991, top bloke.

3P

[green granite]

enhanced a bit not sure it helps though, except to say single tail fin I think.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/orangeherald/unknownAC1.jpg

[Pontius Navigator]

GG, that was my first thought then I noticed that dark edge on the right tailplane.

Not a York their fuselage was far wider. I go with BEags about the wing span. Don't go for Liberator as this looks like a tail dragger.

[RETDPI]

74's Lightning stream take off was certainly performed at the SBAC show in September '61. I can confirm that event as it was my first Farnborough; albeit as a young spectator on that occasion. Coincidentally the Napier de-icing research Lincoln was also there in the static park. However, I don't think this was the time the Lincoln in the movie was imaged, since 'PRJ then had the wing section mounted up on the fuselage.

[h73kr]

Nice film, and true to the spirit of the Lightning mobile fuel leak, needed air-to -air refuel 2 1/2 minutes in to the film!

Remember being 'attacked' by Lightnings once when on deployment in Denmark, very impressive. Was even more impressive due to the fact they had flown over from Scotland to do the attack, and no-one bothered raising the alarm......, low, fast, noisy, bit of a surprise as I was ambling across open ground at the time! :ugh:

[green granite]

This from a different frame gives a better view of the wing shape.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i11/orangeherald/unknownAC2.jpg

[Pontius Navigator]

Our OC Admin had blagged a T-bird ride, about '68, at Binbrook during an exercise. The bomber stream had two targets - North Coates - straight down the throat of the SAM site and Catfoss for a passing shot from North Coates.

After overflying North Coates the bombers overflew Binbrook.

About mid-morning Binbrook was brought to cockpit readiness and our OC A, an ex-Observer and ex-OC 7, waited expectantly with the tele-brief burbling "Raids Imminent" as the might Vs thundered overhead. As they had all been downed by SAM there was no trade for the Lightnings.

Eventually the raid petered out and it looked like a busted flush when suddenly they got a scramble order - Faker inbound, 50 miles FL 410. Two minutes later the Faker was identified as Friendly airliner on the blueway. Two minutes 30 seconds - Chicken, RTB. Flight time 10 minutes. :}

[GeeRam]

Nice footage in this clip, including early colour footage of, I think, Jimmy Dell at Warton, and air-to-air colour clips of the Firebirds team and later stuff from the last years at Binbrook.......:ok:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfnX0xd1k9E

[BOAC]

Thanks geeram and film makers - a nice one. Quite a few familiar faces in there.