Any Lightning fans on here?

[Chris71]

Check out this video at about 3:30...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rmpqh/Wond...

I didn't realise any were still flying.

This series has been moderately interesting for us, but it's clearly been one hell of an experience for the good Dr Cox!

[Eric Mc]

Not flying any longer - sadly.

[anonymous-user]

Saw Prof Brian Cox go vertical to 60,000 feet in South Africa in a EEL last night on TV. Awesome!!!!!

Just realised that was the OP link!!! DOH!!!!

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 22 March 16:16

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 22 March 16:20

[anonymous-user]

Sadly that Lightning crashed at an Airshow last year killing it's pilot

[Chris71]

Ah, sorry to hear that. Are there any others? I was quite surprised when I saw it because I didn't there had been any in the air for ages.

Didn't the Swiss air force use them until relatively recently or am I thinking of something else?

[spitfire-ian]

Chris71 said:

Ah, sorry to hear that. Are there any others? I was quite surprised when I saw it because I didn't there had been any in the air for ages.

Didn't the Swiss air force use them until relatively recently or am I thinking of something else?

I think there is one or two flying with Thunder City in SA. Obviously there was one more until last year

There aren't any flying over here although there are a few in ground running condition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDxq2rvkUBc

[Eric Mc]

Chris71 said:

Ah, sorry to hear that. Are there any others? I was quite surprised when I saw it because I didn't there had been any in the air for ages.

Didn't the Swiss air force use them until relatively recently or am I thinking of something else?

The only other air arm to use the Lightning was the Saudi Air Force.

[FourWheelDrift]

And Kuwait.

[JW911]

... both of which were probably the only countries which could afford the fuel bill!

[Chris71]

Eric Mc said:

Chris71 said:

Ah, sorry to hear that. Are there any others? I was quite surprised when I saw it because I didn't there had been any in the air for ages.

Didn't the Swiss air force use them until relatively recently or am I thinking of something else?

The only other air arm to use the Lightning was the Saudi Air Force.

I stand corrected. I know they did use some interesting British aircraft way after they'd been dropped by everyone else (didn't the RAF's Vampires find a second home with the Swiss?) and wondered if that was what I was thinking of.

[anonymous-user]

The Swiss used Hunters until the mid 1990's.

There were 3 airworthy Lightnings, two T5's and an F6 if I remember correctly.

Not sure what the remifications are, or will be to them continuing to fly in South Africa after the accident.

There was on in the US that was apparently being made airworthy aswell, not sure how that one is progressing.

[thatone1967]

the website is still advertising flights...

http://www.thundercity.com/

One of my fondest airshow memories was the one and only time I saw one at Greenham Common at the IAT... Loud does not begin to describe them!

[aeropilot]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Thunder City had 4 x Lightnings in flying condition, 2 x T.5's (the ex-XS451 which crashed and sister ship ex-XS452) and 2 x F.6's (ex-XR773 and ex-XP693)
The intial report didn't look to good on TC's ops to be honest, but as far as I'm aware, I don't believe the SA CAA have stopped them flying in the interim, but whether they are still allowed to do the pax rides in the remaining 'Tub' I'm not sure...?
The bigger issue TC have is that the a/c that crashed was the low time and restored of the two T.5's..... so for how long they will be able to continue with the pax ride and TP aspect of their operation with one remaining T.5 is open to question. This T.5 (ex-XS452) was quite high houred and FI'd when leaving RAF service back in 1988, whereas T.5 (ex-XS451) that crashed, was a complete rebuild of an aircraft that had half the hours and FI.
Lifed spares are becomming an issue now for them too.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

A team of ex-Lightning people have just returned from two weeks out in the USA working on this T.5 (XS422, the ex ETPS Boscombe Down a/c). IIRC they expect it to be at least another couple of years to completion.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the update.

[Chris71]

aeropilot said:

This T.5 (ex-XS452) was quite high houred and FI'd when leaving RAF service back in 1988.

I never realised they were used until that recently. That said I was five in 1988, so aircraft like the Lightning have basically always been museum exhibits from my point of view!

[williamp]

If you're keen, Bruntingthorpe is doing one of their open days on the 30th May

http://www.bruntingthorpe.com/aircraft-museum.htm


I've been befroe and its great- you get close to the aircraft, get the chance to take some great photos, and then you can see them do fast taxi runs. It was at one of these events last year that the Victor took off accidentally.

Its a fantastic day out. Any other Pistonheadders want to make a display of it???

[spitfire-ian]

williamp said:

If you're keen, Bruntingthorpe is doing one of their open days on the 30th May

http://www.bruntingthorpe.com/aircraft-museum.htm


I've been befroe and its great- you get close to the aircraft, get the chance to take some great photos, and then you can see them do fast taxi runs. It was at one of these events last year that the Victor took off accidentally.

Its a fantastic day out. Any other Pistonheadders want to make a display of it???

I hope to go to the next one. However no Lightnings running, they're bust (as one of the owners told me). One is having an engine changed and the other needs a new engine but the only spare they have is going in the first aircraft. They are trying to source another though. When asked about single engined running apparently it will be "like the Jet Provost, all noise and not much go"

[aeropilot]

spitfire-ian said:

However no Lightnings running, they're bust (as one of the owners told me). One is having an engine changed and the other needs a new engine but the only spare they have is going in the first aircraft. They are trying to source another though. When asked about single engined running apparently it will be "like the Jet Provost, all noise and not much go"

'904 went tech last year sometime, as the u/s engine was already out of it back in Nov last year when they had the twilight reheat run. So, '728 must have gone tech during one of it's recent anti-det sessions
Not going to be esy finding a runable spare 301, even though they don't need a flight worthy one

[spitfire-ian]

aeropilot said:

spitfire-ian said:

However no Lightnings running, they're bust (as one of the owners told me). One is having an engine changed and the other needs a new engine but the only spare they have is going in the first aircraft. They are trying to source another though. When asked about single engined running apparently it will be "like the Jet Provost, all noise and not much go"

'904 went tech last year sometime, as the u/s engine was already out of it back in Nov last year when they had the twilight reheat run. So, '728 must have gone tech during one of it's recent anti-det sessions
Not going to be esy finding a runable spare 301, even though they don't need a flight worthy one

Got to remember which one's which now...

I think that engines in both 904 and 728 have now reached the end of their life and the only replacement they have is going in 904 as that's the, in Lightning terms, more reliable aircraft.

With what happened to ZU-BEX last year they're understandably making sure that everything is done by the book regarding lifed parts.

[aeropilot]

spitfire-ian said:

aeropilot said:

spitfire-ian said:

However no Lightnings running, they're bust (as one of the owners told me). One is having an engine changed and the other needs a new engine but the only spare they have is going in the first aircraft. They are trying to source another though. When asked about single engined running apparently it will be "like the Jet Provost, all noise and not much go"

'904 went tech last year sometime, as the u/s engine was already out of it back in Nov last year when they had the twilight reheat run. So, '728 must have gone tech during one of it's recent anti-det sessions
Not going to be esy finding a runable spare 301, even though they don't need a flight worthy one

Got to remember which one's which now...

I think that engines in both 904 and 728 have now reached the end of their life and the only replacement they have is going in 904 as that's the, in Lightning terms, more reliable aircraft.

With what happened to ZU-BEX last year they're understandably making sure that everything is done by the book regarding lifed parts.

'904 is the camo one.

What happend to ZU-BEX is irrelavent to the LPG as both of thier a/c are not airworthy, so they don't need to use lifed parts, and they can't really get any lifed engines either. The last remaining lifed 301 engines in existance are in the possesion of Thunder City and with the AALO in the USA, plus the team at Gatwick restoring their ex-Saudi F.53 who struck lucky with a new zero time 302 recently.