Lightnings In Action
Join Date: Aug 2006
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320 PSI,
Ah, yes, I had forgotten about the last one at Warton, apologies for that, nice photos, you have tempted me to come and listen to them again, so I shall be with you on 27 May, - still have BSF gear in the bottom of the toolbox.
Best regards,
om15
Ah, yes, I had forgotten about the last one at Warton, apologies for that, nice photos, you have tempted me to come and listen to them again, so I shall be with you on 27 May, - still have BSF gear in the bottom of the toolbox.
Best regards,
om15
Join Date: Apr 2006
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No worries, just didnt want 904 forgoten about 
Hope you make it on the 27th, looks like being a good day, just got to get 728 back to health, we were up there today, in the freezing wind with arms out stretched, though 90 degree's with face up against the cold areo, spanner tidied to wrist doing up the lower drain bolts on the No 2 jet pipe, (No1 pipe still in which make the job all the more interesting) arms still bleeding, fingers still numb, we must get that hangar finished !
Ask around for me whne you arrive at the Lightnings love to chat, fancy donating your BSF gear ?
Cheers
Hope you make it on the 27th, looks like being a good day, just got to get 728 back to health, we were up there today, in the freezing wind with arms out stretched, though 90 degree's with face up against the cold areo, spanner tidied to wrist doing up the lower drain bolts on the No 2 jet pipe, (No1 pipe still in which make the job all the more interesting) arms still bleeding, fingers still numb, we must get that hangar finished !
Ask around for me whne you arrive at the Lightnings love to chat, fancy donating your BSF gear ?
Cheers
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Many (and I mean many) moons when Heat was actually young (maybe 1966-1967 I went to a race meeting at Brands Hatch for the first meeting after something or other had been done to the track and to celebrate this fact there was a flypast done by a Lightening.
I remember the commentator saying "it's over Maidstone at the moment - and here it comes, doing 680 kts."
I saw the beast and followed it right up to overhead the track but funny thing, there was no noise. Then, when it had gone past the noise caught up. To call it noise perhaps wasn't totally doing it justice as after it had passed it did a wing-over and came back over the racetrack as dirty as it could get and THEN, pointed it's nose towards God, cleaned up and headed straight up.
My memory is that you didn't actually hear the noise as you became part of the noise. The whole world comprised of nothing else but ROARRRRRRRR.
Never to be forgotten. RIP all good things British with wings and a pox on all pollies.
H
I remember the commentator saying "it's over Maidstone at the moment - and here it comes, doing 680 kts."
I saw the beast and followed it right up to overhead the track but funny thing, there was no noise. Then, when it had gone past the noise caught up. To call it noise perhaps wasn't totally doing it justice as after it had passed it did a wing-over and came back over the racetrack as dirty as it could get and THEN, pointed it's nose towards God, cleaned up and headed straight up.
My memory is that you didn't actually hear the noise as you became part of the noise. The whole world comprised of nothing else but ROARRRRRRRR.
Never to be forgotten. RIP all good things British with wings and a pox on all pollies.
H
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Heatseeker, right on the money. A couple of years earlier, my Dad took me to Coltishall open day. 2 things still stick in my mind: sitting in a Spitfire cockpit and then seeing the Firebirds display. The noise of the stream rotation take-off was not just awesome, but as they went vertical, the low freq vibrations thudded through my (then) little frame. I've never since seen a finer (or noisier) display by front-line fighter aircraft in formation. From that day on all I wanted to be was an RAF fighter pilot - eventually I was, but that's another story.
Join Date: Apr 2006
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On the subject of Lightning displays, my very first Lightning experience and one that lead to me becoming hooked on all things with wings and eventually ending up with me a few others owning the two Lightnings at Brunty was when I was about 5 years old, picture the scene....
Lovely sunny afternoon August Bank holiday 1974, the day spent watching the displays at Leicester East areo club, Commentator builds the crowd to a hush by announcing the Lightning (fastest, nosiest and biggest aircaft to display by far there that day) was two minutes inbound.....
But from where ?
Then like a heart stopping bullet the Display F3 from Binbrook swoops in low from behind the crowd and goes vertical just in front of us and the crowd line, I can still see those two burners blazing in my minds eye, the aircraft going vertical, it was out of sight so quickly, my chest and ears almost 'buring' tears in my eyes.
Then again out of know where it comes back down low for a fast left to right pass and is gone !
Wow those the memories of few minutes still send tingles down my spine all these years later.
I still get a kick from keeping our two alive and seeing peoples faces in the crowd at our open days, it makes all the hard work and money worth it.
Lovely sunny afternoon August Bank holiday 1974, the day spent watching the displays at Leicester East areo club, Commentator builds the crowd to a hush by announcing the Lightning (fastest, nosiest and biggest aircaft to display by far there that day) was two minutes inbound.....
But from where ?
Then like a heart stopping bullet the Display F3 from Binbrook swoops in low from behind the crowd and goes vertical just in front of us and the crowd line, I can still see those two burners blazing in my minds eye, the aircraft going vertical, it was out of sight so quickly, my chest and ears almost 'buring' tears in my eyes.
Then again out of know where it comes back down low for a fast left to right pass and is gone !
Wow those the memories of few minutes still send tingles down my spine all these years later.
I still get a kick from keeping our two alive and seeing peoples faces in the crowd at our open days, it makes all the hard work and money worth it.
Last edited by 320psi; 27th Mar 2007 at 21:30.
BOAC, where do we get to see Pete Chapmans outstanding Mk 3 aero display, is it on a video anywhere?
Would love to see it on film as well.
Pete may well be able to shed some light on that himself maybe. His name appears here http://www.lightningpilots.com/Directory.html, so would be contactable via Ed Durham perhaps.
I'm sure the very first solo Lightning aero display I ever saw was one of Pete Chapman's last displays which was at the Battle of Britain display at Biggin Hill in September 1974, as I have a vague memory of the white tail on the Lightning, and a distant b/w box brownie photo of an inverted F.3 with what appears to be a white tail?
Plus a definate memory of the most awesome thing I'd ever seen......
Unfortunately......despite the advent of the 'electric' jets, I've not ever been as awestruck by any solo jet aero's since.
Only ever Lightning solo I saw after that came close was sadly one of the late Mark Thompson's solo's in July 1983 at the families day at BAe Hatfield, a few weeks before he was lost in the same F.3 off Scarborough.
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Just came across some images I took at Binbrook in September 87 particularly fond of this one !
Click here for more info re this image http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1079728/
Other images taken on the day can be seen via this link http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=...%201987&u=date
Just click on thumbnail to enlarge Images
Click here for more info re this image http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1079728/
Other images taken on the day can be seen via this link http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=...%201987&u=date
Just click on thumbnail to enlarge Images
