Lightning Week
On the 4th August 1954, the English Electric P1 first took to the skies piloted by Roland Beamont. The futuristic prototype was the precursor to the mighty Lightning interceptor and to celebrate this 70th anniversary I embarked on 'Lightning Week' on my Facebook page - a pictorial review of the still existing Lightning's that I have photographed in the UK over the last few years. Once completed, I thought it would be a great addition to the website, so here goes...
Day 1 - Lightning F.6 XS925 at the RAF Museum, Hendon
To kick things off is Lightning F.6 XS925 which is currently on display at the The Royal Air Force Museum London, Hendon. XS925 first flew on 26th January 1967 and served with 5 and 11 Squadrons before making her last flight into Shawbury in 1987. The RAF Museum took the Lightning in just months later in 1988 and the aircraft is displayed in its 11 Squadron colours.
Flying for the first time on 6th June 1965, the English Lightning F.6 was the ultimate variant for the RAF and was almost identical to the F.3A apart from its ability to be fitted with 2 x 260-imperial-gallon ferry tanks, mounted on pylons above the wings. In an emergency these tanks could be jettisoned. The modified ventral tank allowed for two ADEN cannons, mounted in the front. This did have a negative effect on the fuel capacity from 610 to 535 imperial gallons although this was accepted by pilots who announced that the English Electric Lightning F.6 was once again a ‘real fighter.’
Day 2 - Lightning F53 53-686/G-AWON at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum
Today's machine is Lightning F53 53-686/G-AWON which is based at the City Of Norwich Aviation Museum.
Please note that since these pictures were taken the starboard side of 53–686 has been painted in an attractive 74 Squadron scheme!
The Lightning was only ever exported to two countries, namely Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The definitive F.53 for Saudi Arabia was a development of the RAF's F.6 with provision for underwing pylons on which could be carried two 1,000 lb bombs or two packs of 18 SNEB 68mm rockets. Additionally, it could also be fitted with a 48 2 inch rocket fuselage pack and two 30mm Aden cannons in the front part of the ventral pack. The under fuselage rocket pack could also be replaced by a reconnaissance pack containing five Vinten cameras. 34 F.53s were delivered in 1968/9 and the last were retired in 1986 when they were returned to RAF Warton.
53-686 was first flown as G-AWON on 11th June 1968, and put on display at the 1968 Farnborough SBAC show with an impressive array of weaponry. Delivered to the Saudis in 1969 as 53-686, she served with 2 Squadron, the LCU, then bounced between 2 and 13 Squadrons until January 1986 when she was retired and bought back by BAe as part of the Tornado F.3 deal and flew home to Warton as ZF592.
In common with many of the ex-Saudi airframes, she was stored out in the open at Warton and eventually sold off for a nominal fee, being transported to the City of Norwich Aviation Museum eventually. F.53 ZF592 was - rarely for a Lightning - disassembled correctly for transport, no wings hacked off! Reassembled and restored in full Saudi markings after her arrival. Her starboard side was later given her G-AWON markings, which were changed again into RAF 74 Sqn markings a few years back, still retaining her Saudi markings on the port side. (airframe info courtesy of https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/)
Day 3 - Lightning F53 53-670/ZF578 at the Tangmere Aviation Museum
Today's machine is a very smart looking ex-Saudi F.53 that is on display at the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, West Sussex.
The aircraft is 53-670/ZF578, one of the 34 F.53s exported to Saudi Arabia, the variant adding a ground attack capability to what was a pure air defense fighter up to that point. Indeed, English Electric had designed even more capable multi-role versions, a series of which were pitched to Australia while Vickers even drew up proposals for swing-wing variations (see Aeroplane magazine's August 2024 issue for more info on those!)
ZF578 was delivered to the RSAF in November 1968 and was finally recovered to the UK for disposal in January 1986. The aircraft was initially displayed at the Wales Aircraft Museum until being purchased by Raymond and Meryl Hansed in 1996 and moved to Quedgeley, Gloucester. During restoration, ZF578 took on the guise of F6 XR753 and the livery of No 23 Squadron RAF. The Hanseds donated the Lightning to the museum in June 2002.
The museum also has a rather excellent Lightning simulator based on the restored shell and associated parts of an RAF Lightning procedures trainer. You can sit in the cockpit and go for a supersonic dash along the south coast before attempting a landing (I crashed but my eldest son made a perfect two pointer!) which was great fun.
Day 4 - Lightning F6 XR771 and T55 55-713/ZF598 at the Midlands Air Museum
A double treat today as we head to the Midland Air Museum to check out the two Lightnings they have on display (alongside an extensive collection of other very interesting Cold War hardware!)
First up is single seat F.6 XR771. This Lightning first flew on 20th January 1966 and served with 74, 56, 5 and 11 Squadrons, ending her career with 5 Squadron at RAF Binbrook. The Lightning's final flight was from Binbrook to Baginton for delivery to the Midland Air Museum on 23rd March 1988. Since arrival at the museum, XR771 has been repainted in 2002 and 2012.
The second airframe on display is much rarer beast being the only complete example of a twin-seat Lightning T.55 on display in the UK. The T.55 was an upgraded T.5 for the Royal Saudi Air Force with the large belly tank and kinked and cambered wings of the F.6 variant alongside the ground attack capabilities of the F.53.
55-713/ZF598 first flew on 16th November 1967 and began its flying career at RAF Coltishall for Saudi pilot training, only being delivered to the RSAF in August 1969. The aircraft then served with the Lightning Conversion Unit (LCU), 6, 13 and 2 Squadrons. In common with several other ex-Saudi airframes she was flown back to Warton in January 1986 (as ZF598) when BAe bought them back as part of the Tornado F.3 deal.
Once at the museum, 55-713 underwent a restoration sponsored by Glynwed (an aluminium company) to put the Lightning back into Saudi colours.
Day 4 - Lightning F.1 XM135 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford
So far we've been primarily looking at F.6/F.53 derivatives which had more powerful engines, more fuel and, in the case of the F.53/T.55, a ground attack capability, so today we're going back down the line to the first Lightning variant to enter service, the F.1.
To do this, a trip to the Imperial War Museum Duxford is necessary to see Lightning F.1 XM135.
The F.1 had the original rounded tail fin, straight wings, nose mounted ADEN cannon and the smaller ventral fuel tank alongside Rolls Royce Avon 200R engines.
XM135 was the very first full-production Mk.1, first flown on 14th November 1959. The aircraft served with the CFS at Coltishall from May 1960, then moved on to 74 Squadron, 226 OCU and the Leuchars TFF before being delivered into storage with 60 MU in June 1971, becoming the last F.1 to fly in the process.
This particular Lightning gained fame when engineering officer Wing Commander Walter "Taff" Holden was carrying out ground taxi tests to replicate a fault and at one point pushed the throttles too far forward, inadvertently becaming airborne after hurtling down the runway and just missing a fuel bowser and a Comet on its take off run!
Luckily Taff had some limited hours on lighter prop-driven trainer aircraft and was eventually able to land the runaway Lightning, stopping with just 100 yards of runway to spare!
The Lightning was delivered to Duxford in 1974 and has been on display ever since in its attractive 74 'Tiger' Squadron markings.
Day 6 - Lightning F.1 XG337 at the RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford
Today we're going back even earlier to the last of 20 pre-production Lightning F.1s ordered after the production of the three P.1B prototypes.
This is Lightning F.1 XG337 on display at the The Royal Air Force Museum Midlands in Cosford.
XG337 first flew on 5th September 1959 and was mostly used for Red Top missile trials both at Warton and Boscombe Down, also receiving the square-topped fin as part of trials for the forthcoming F.3.
Retired to ground instructional use as 8056M at RAF Cosford and later Halton, she returned to Cosford when earmarked for preservation, moving into the Cold War hangar when this was build in the early 2000s.
Now, as Lightnings on display go, this machine is rather special for its unique display attitude of being in a vertical climb. It is a real sight being able to stand just underneath this beast and see it from angles you can't with any other preserved Lightning. It is also a lot of fun to photograph with unusual angles galore and even more fun to edit with a lot of possibilities as to how far to take the images - I hope you like these ones!
Day 7 - Lightning F.6 XR770 at the RAF Manston History Museum
Today it's back to an F.6 variant and also my second most photographed Lightning!
Deepest East Kent is our destination and the RAF Manston History Museum where F.6 XR770 resides.
This Lightning first flew in 1966 and appeared at that year's Farnborough SBAC display in Saudi markings with a wide array of weaponry. Entering service with 74 Squadron in September, XR770 finished her career with 5 Squadron at RAF Binbrook and on retirement was presented to the town of Grimsby by the station.
Unfortunately the Grimsby councillors weren't awfully interested and XR770 ended up at the NATO Aircraft Museum, admittedly near Grimsby but not in the town itself.
In the summer 2000, XR770 went to Grainthorpe before being spotted by 5 Squadron at RAF Waddington who had reformed on the Sentinel aircraft and were looking for a suitable 'mascot' airframe to put on display by their hangar. With XR770 being an ex-5 Squadron aircraft a deal was done and in September 2008 the Lightning was dismantled and moved to Waddington.
The aircraft was then cosmetically restored and finished off in a striking red and grey 5 Squadron scheme just in time for the 2009 Waddington Airshow. Sadly her owners, Lightning Logistics, had to dispose of her in 2015 and in March of that year, XR770 was moved to the Manston History Museum where I have now had the pleasure of visiting and photographing this magnificant machine several times since, the most recent being August this year when the below image was taken!
Bonus Day 8 - Lightning F.53 53-671/ZF579 at the Gatwick Aviation Museum
As promised, today is a bonus day as it is covering my favourite Lightning, F.53 53-671/ZF579 which lives at the Gatwick Aviation Museum.
Not only is this my 'local' Lightning, it is the one I've probably photographed the most and is also a living beast, having been restored to the point that the engines can be run, the most recent time this was done being 27th July this year.
ZF579 first flew on 2nd November 1967 and was delivered to the RSAF as 53-671. The aircraft was returned to Bae Warton in 1987 as part of the buy back deal for the Tornado F.3. For various reasons, all, including 579 sat outside for 4 years in the estuarine Warton air, being reduced to little more than scrap.
In 1990 579 was taken apart and put into a sea container for sale to a private collector. She then disappeared for 7 years (sat in her damp container at Southampton docks with the other 12 airframes) before re-appearing at Marine Salvage scrap yard Portsmouth in 1997. She then disappeared again to Luxembourg for the filming of 'Wing Commander' until her return to UK in 1999. In early 2000 the bare airframe, spares, new engines, and most of the components required to overhaul 579 were purchased by the Gatwick Aviation Museum, much of it in triplicate.
An extensive 16 year restoration followed culminating in the first successful ground run in September 2016.
Also seen in the photographs is the cockpit section of F.53 53-700. This aircraft was the last production Lightning to be built and first flew in the hands of P.Ginger on 29 June 1972 from Salmesbury. The aircraft served with the Royal Saudi Air Force, returning to the UK as ZF589 in January 1986. By March 1997, 53-700 was reduced to a cockpit section, which then found its way to Marine Salvage at Portsmouth. From here, it was taken to Luxembourg to be used in the film Wing Commander before eventually returning to the UK, where it was lost from sight for many years. Finally, rediscovered at a paintball park at Bricket Wood St Albans, the cockpit was bought by Gatwick Aviation Museum volunteer Dave Tylee and transported back to Charlwood.
So, that's a wrap on my week of celebrating the Lightning's 70th birthday! I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of the Lightnings preserved across the UK as much as I've enjoyed delving onto my archives to re-edit some images and find out more about the last classic, all British single seat fighter jet.
