Monday, 9 March 2020

EE Lightning


The latest escapee from the Partizan 'plane purchase pile is this shabby Lightning.  Probably the Airfix kit, it is dustily resplendent in the markings of No.5 Squadron.  
5 Sqn used the Lightning from 1965 until 1987.

6 comments:

Pete. said...

Can never go wrong with a Lightning.

Cheers,

pete.

Don M said...

I saw one as a static display outside of an airbase in Kuwait, a pretty big bird!

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Tim,

I always thought that it was brutally beautiful, and wondered what flying what appears to be two powerful jet engines with some wings attached must have been like. I understand that with the afterburner on, the fuel was used up at an alarming rate. One byproduct of this was pilots being obsessed with watching their fuel gauges!

All the best,

Bob

Tim Gow said...

Pete
Quite right!

Tim Gow said...

Don M
Aside from the RAF, the Kuwaitis and Saudis were the only Lightning operators. They were probably the only ones who could afford the fuel!

Tim Gow said...

Bob Cordery
I remember (from air shows) not so much the noise but the feel as Lightnings took off. As you say, a pilot sat atop a stack of two jet engines and not enough fuel.