Just a word of caution! I spoke to the guys at Dumfries who acquired their Lightning from Ferranti and had a devil of a job moving it by road. They ended up cutting the wings and fin off!! Mainly because of new restrictions on the size of loads allowed on the road these days! It still looks very sad and will never look good because it has been butchered for the move. Maybe the RAF can get around the restrictions??

Agreed, '770 would be most appropiate, as the last 5 Sqn 'flagship' a/c. IIRC it may have been the last to fly a 5 Sqn Lightning sortie..?
Seem to vaguely recall Furz Lloyd flying '770 on his last Lightning flight as well....?

lightning
 

Hi
there is an old lightning parked at the end of the runway at Cranfield airfield with a tarp over the cockpit,it flew in with 5 others some years ago now but stayed,I think it was brought by a collector but I haven't seen it move now for some time.Its been kept outside which makes me think its not taken seriously anymore.
If you call 01234 750111 and ask for airfield security they could probably point you in the right direction, if you like I could take a photo and mail it to you ,you can see it clearly from the road.
Good luck

JARTS are a pretty heavily tasked team - suggest they would be contacted soonest as the experts on such loads.

Anna, my friend Russell Carpenter might have some objection to you calling his pride and joy something that's "not taken seriously". He's repainted XS458 more than once, keeps it in running condition and it regularly blasts down the runway at Cranfield.

A quick google found this: http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/oldstuf.../cranfield.htm

As for crash n smash, they'll want to cut any Lightning for transport based on previous efforts. Best off contacting 11 Sqn to see how they moved theirs... properly... from Leeming to Coningsby.

GeeRam wroteahh yes I seem to remeber working my nads off changing the engine a few days before so he could grace the linc's skys in the said ac.



As for chopping the wings off, Andy B and the boys will tell you you can just unbolt em , its not an easy job however they do come apart !!!

They do your right, but its one hell of a job, on two corrodied airframes.

770 and 919 have been cut and regrafted together at the fin and inboard of the oleo's before, so I think thats the best route, if this is a goer.

If you need any help or advise just shout

Good luck chaps :ok:

Lightning Update
 

It seems like a suitable time to update you all on the progress of getting our very own Lightning. I apologise for the lengthy delay.

We have a couple of potential Lightnings available to us, however, the issue of funding is seriously degrading our chances of success.

The station has held a siting board and the plans have been approved with the understanding that the sqn will finance any costs arising. Initially, this didn't seem to be much of a problem, however, we expected to achieve certain tasks within the RAF to save money. It seems the days of getting things done for a few beers are long gone, and now everything must be auditable.

The aircraft offered to us will be as a loan. Our main concerns at the moment are with financing:

- transport of the aircraft
- painting of the aircraft
- landscaping on site (to include gravel area and concrete plinths)

We have tried to get crash and smash to help us with transport, and although they are willing to help, we would be the bottom of the priority list. If any incident occurred like the Hawk crash at Cranwell during our planned move date, then we would be left to our own devices. The contingency plan of paying a company to move the ac for us will cost us in the region of £1000.

The cost of painting the aircraft will vary with the level of quality we would like to achieve. It could be in the hundreds for a basic roller job, to the thousands for a gloss finish over anti-corrosion undercoat. Obviously with the aircraft sitting outside for most of it's time, we would want the latter.

Finally, landscaping will require a gravel area with three concrete plinths to support the wheels. The estimate for this is approx £2000.

As you can see, the numbers add up quite quickly to far more than is available in our sqn fund!

We are still hoping to complete this project, but are quickly coming up against certain timescale deadlines. Any ideas for potential sponsorship with any of these tasks would be much appreciated.

Thanks for all your help so far!

With regard to funding, is there not a 5 Sqn Association that could help, run fund-raising events etc? As to moving it, here is one seen earlier :)

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f8...tning_Move.jpg

It was spotted trundling around the M25 earlier this month.

Hello there, just been reading your thread. I was involved with the 47AD Dakota, To finance our project we had a lot of help from the AD association.
But to get the rest of the money we sold shares in the aircraft. this gave enough money to complete the project and left some for repainting and repair work.
crash and smash moved it for us. we had a full police escort from Coventry to Lyneham.
As for painting we rolled ours and it looks good. loads of photo's on line if you use google.
pm me if need help.

One would have thought that the prime contractors for ASTOR would feel guilty enough to cough up the cash for you... I am sure that they have not lost money due to the delays of getting the system into service.....
I seem to recall that the contractors for the Sentry were not slow in paying for the 90th anniversary tail flashes for 8 and 23. A suitable plaque on the Lighning plinth should suffice.

To Lyneham Lad and others-

There is a 5 Sqn Assoc'n, but the funds avail would only stretch to getting the tyres pumped up !
The annual fee is only a couple of quid, so funds aren't great obviously.
5 Sqn ATC would love to come and dig the land out & gravel it perhaps ?
And then a simple roller paint job till funds permit a proper shiney job ?
Or a simple appeal for funds from any ex 5 Sqn mate and/or lightning jockey ?
I'd be happy to cough up for such a good cause.

As for moving the aircraft, have you thought of asking SHFHQ at RAF Odiham?
It would make an interesting load and some good training for JHSU.
The aircrafts weight and distance to be flown would be factors but we should be able to save you the hassle and expense of cutting off the wings/tail for road movement.

How about an update from the thread originator (or nominated deputy if that person has moved on). The airframe for 5 AC sqn has been outside today (great to see as I walked past). What are the current and future plans?

Not sure what's happening next - last weekend's sudden spurt of effort was mainly due to an upcoming 'elf n safety inspection of the hanger (and the expected questions from the inspectors about the large pile of Lighting parts in one corner - a positive trip hazard :bored:)
No sign of 5's most serviceable aircraft this afternoon - rumour had it she was on a P Sortie :)

.. if an undercoat for the ally and possibly the best anti corrosion treatment going is needed, I might be able to help. The terms would be at cost price and not foc (in all probability), but it could be of help.

Drop me a PM if you need more info.

Currently 5's Lightning is parked up behind the air ambulance hangar, should be easily visible from the A15.

Further to my last of yesterday, the offer of the anti corrosion and metal treatment has been confirmed by my colleague, who will be more than pleased to help. By happy coincidence, a close family friend of his has XR755 in his front garden.

Lightning Rebuild
 

The Lightning took a significant step toward readiness for the Waddington Airshow last weekend. Having been re-assembled, it was towed out to Waddington Airfield's Bravo Dispersal on its own wheels. The work was completed thanks to the efforts of a select few of our riggers. Even a few pilots got their hands dirty!

The plan is to have it restored over the coming months leading up to the Airshow. The painter will begin restoration work soon and is aware of our time constraints. If the aircraft is ready in time, we plan to have Gp Capt Andy Williams unveil it at the Airshow. The owners and the LPG are likely to have stalls alongside the aircraft.

This project is going to cost a significant amount of money and any offers of funding can be PM'd to me. We have thus far raised approx £400, but are far from the goal of raising £3000! It would be nice to see the aircraft back to its former glory.

To help with fund-raising, we are planning a run of Lightning die-cast models at 1:72 scale. The models will be in XR770's flashy red/grey livery and will be available from me by the end of April. This would allow people to make a suitable donation and receive something back for their generosity.

The aircraft is in reasonably good condition, although there are a few items I am still trying to source. The probe is currently missing, a new port flap section would be beneficial, and engine tail-pipes would make the rear look more complete. The station workshop may be able to help 'manufacture' these for us, but we would be grateful if some original parts were made available to us.

Offers of cadets to help with plinths and anti-corrosion primer for the aircraft are appreciated and I have PM'd you. Thank you all for your help so far.

OIC 5 (AC) Sqn Lightning

Will details of how to purchase the die cast model be posted on this thread in due course?