Height records
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Height records
Wikipedia contains an unconfirmed reference to an RAF Lightning intercepting a U-2 on exercise at 88,000 ft. RAF Canberra crews always maintained that no RAF fighter could match their height.
Just what was the true ceiling of the Canberra PR9?
Just what was the true ceiling of the Canberra PR9?
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If you have a read of the article below comparing the lightning to the F-15, it mentions an altitude record held by a Russian Ye-266 of 37,650m, which by my calculation is about 123492ft...!
http://www.*************************.../memories.html
It also mentions that the author had flown a lightning up to 88000ft over Saudi...
http://www.*************************.../memories.html
It also mentions that the author had flown a lightning up to 88000ft over Saudi...
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It's the Canberra PR9 ceiling I'm trying to find. If they could outfly (height-wise, not in any other way!) the Lightning, presumably 90,000ft plus?
I know it was classified but I'm too old to wait until 2036 for information release under the 30 year rules.
I know it was classified but I'm too old to wait until 2036 for information release under the 30 year rules.
I will dig out my copy of Tony 'Bugs' Bendall's autobiography, but I seem to recall him telling of intercepts of U2 by acclerating to Mach 1.3 at 45,000ft and zoom climbing to RedTop acquisition range. There were also tales of Lightning pilots at the end of their (aircraft, not pilots) service life having a squadron competition for max zoom altitude.
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There were also tales of Lightning pilots at the end of their (aircraft, not pilots) service life having a squadron competition for max zoom altitude.
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There may be some confusion on this thread between the ceiling (as high as an aircraft will go before the rate of climb falls to zero) and the height to which a type has been zoomed. The Lightning was a good zoomer the PR9 a good climber. I would not have thought that a PR9 could be climbed even as high as Walter Gibb managed on 9 Aug 55 when he coaxed a stripped down B2 with Olympus engines up to 65,889 feet.
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I'm in no position professionally to comment on your suppositions, but the practical PR9 limitation as I understood it, in later years, was due to the non-utilisation of full "astronaut" type pressure suits. I gather the biomedical limit was around 40k ft.
Lighting maximum height problems -again, I stress, very much second hand crew room chat, did involve friction heating /stress concerns with the canopy generated on the way back down.
As both types are well out of service, perhaps some of those with first-hand knowledge might now be in a position to speak?
Lighting maximum height problems -again, I stress, very much second hand crew room chat, did involve friction heating /stress concerns with the canopy generated on the way back down.
As both types are well out of service, perhaps some of those with first-hand knowledge might now be in a position to speak?
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Yeah i grew up in Saudi and the author of that comparison was a man called Brian Carrol, who sadly died a few years ago. He was a family friend and think i still have is old bonedome. He told the family that he had been to some serious altitudes in the lightning, maybe not space wings but not far off me thinks.
There is a very good section on the Lite / U2 intercepts trials (Operation Trumpet) in the book "Lightning from the Cockpit" by Peter Caygill. The height of 88,000 was never attained during the trials, which took place in Oct 1962.
Quote;
The best result was obtained with an acceleration to 1.7M at 36,000ft and then a constant Mach climb to 45,000ft followed by a 25 degree zoom climb. Using this method a height of 68,700ft was reached. It was felt that this figure was unlikely to be exceeded with the Lightnings limited Mach number at that time (1.7M).
The same article claims the figure of 87,800ft was achieved by Flt Lt Dave Roome of 74Sqn out of Tengah in an F6 while doing a PI against an RB-57F on 23rd Oct 1968.
An interesting aside to the U2 trials was that oneof the spy planes went a bit off course leading to the chasing Lite planting a sonic boom over Edinburgh. I bet that rattled the china cups in Morningside!
Quote;
The best result was obtained with an acceleration to 1.7M at 36,000ft and then a constant Mach climb to 45,000ft followed by a 25 degree zoom climb. Using this method a height of 68,700ft was reached. It was felt that this figure was unlikely to be exceeded with the Lightnings limited Mach number at that time (1.7M).
The same article claims the figure of 87,800ft was achieved by Flt Lt Dave Roome of 74Sqn out of Tengah in an F6 while doing a PI against an RB-57F on 23rd Oct 1968.
An interesting aside to the U2 trials was that oneof the spy planes went a bit off course leading to the chasing Lite planting a sonic boom over Edinburgh. I bet that rattled the china cups in Morningside!
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Server not found
Firefox can't find the server at http://www.*************************.../memories.html
Firefox can't find the server at http://www.*************************.../memories.html
Can we have the url in longhand, please.