- Nov 27, 2003
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Well when I say the word "lightning" in an aircraft setting people with either go about THIS...
The Lockheed P-38, forktail devil
Or THIS...
The Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, AKA the Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF
Both Lockheed Lightnings together.
But I'm going to be making this thread about the third plane that carried the lightning name. Because that one was pretty much the one in the middle and has links to the other two.
The genesis of the English Electric Lightning came from when during the mid fifties the Royal air force issued an order for a mach 2 capable fighter, interceptor to replace the graceful Hawker Hunter. English Electric won the contract but the first working prototype wouldn't be built at English Electric, because of the fact that English Electric were preoccupied building the plane behind the lighting in the picture: the Canberra Bomber.
So the first working prototype would instead be built by Short Brothers in Belfast. The resulting SB5 was built around the concept of testing out various wing designs because English electric had three different wings designed for the Lightning and Wind tunnel testing only showed one that much and much more could be learned if one had an actual plane on which the wings could actually be put on and show their flight characteristics in actual flight.
The SB5 with the fifty degree wings and the T-tail which proved out to be unpopular with the pilots because the fuselage would actually block the airflow when the aircraft was taking off. Luckily the modular structure of the SB5 meant that it was just a case of take off that part of the fuselage and bolt the other one on.
The SB5 as it survives today, standing next to it is the T-tail.
So with the SB5 having tested the waters, the choice was made on to use the 69 degree wing and with that a second prototype was built but this time at the English electric plant.
The P1 pretty much had all the elements of the production model of the lightning in place including the twin engine set up.
But different from other twin engined jets the lay out was completely different and also the reason why the lightning looks as bulky as it does.
The engines are actually stacked up on top of each other, the reasoning being that that would keep the lateral shape of the fuselage slim to benefit the aircraft's performance at mach 2 but also should one engine fail the resulting loss of power wouldn't result in a change of the aircraft's balance, seeing as how both engines are at the same spot.
The P1 as it survives today.
Chief of the Air Staff Sir Dermot Boyle and English Electric chairman Sir George Nelson christen the Lightning.
And in 1959 the Lightning entered service with the RAF. And for the next 30 years would remain so.
This picture shows another unusual feature of the Lightning, the legs of the undercarriage, fold outwards, so the drop tanks could only be carried on top of the wings instead of suspended underneath, which is also why when carrying missiles, they would be on pylons next to the cockpit.
The lightning would find two export customers: they were Kuwait.
And Saudi Arabia
in 1988 after 29 years of faithful service the RAF's Lightnings stood down, being replaced by the Panavia Tornado F3. Although a handful of lightnings are kept in running order for fast taxi runs at various English airfields.
But at the other end of the world you can still see Lightnings in the sky.
Thundercity at Capetown operates this two seater as the only airworthy lighting after previously having flown two single seat examples.
As for the links to the Lockheed Lightnings. In the second world war, the RAF received a downgraded version of the P-38 because of the turbo supercharger being deleted in favor of normal superchargers. The reason being that that technology was still pretty much top secret and the Americans were worried that it might fall into German hands.
As such the Lightning never entered full British service because of the plane's performance being unsatisfactory.
Which makes the English Electric Lightning the first plane carrying the "Lightning" name to enter service with the RAF.
And with the RAF having accepted the F-35 Lightning II into their ranks it becomes the second one.
The Lockheed P-38, forktail devil
Or THIS...
The Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, AKA the Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF
Both Lockheed Lightnings together.
But I'm going to be making this thread about the third plane that carried the lightning name. Because that one was pretty much the one in the middle and has links to the other two.
The genesis of the English Electric Lightning came from when during the mid fifties the Royal air force issued an order for a mach 2 capable fighter, interceptor to replace the graceful Hawker Hunter. English Electric won the contract but the first working prototype wouldn't be built at English Electric, because of the fact that English Electric were preoccupied building the plane behind the lighting in the picture: the Canberra Bomber.
So the first working prototype would instead be built by Short Brothers in Belfast. The resulting SB5 was built around the concept of testing out various wing designs because English electric had three different wings designed for the Lightning and Wind tunnel testing only showed one that much and much more could be learned if one had an actual plane on which the wings could actually be put on and show their flight characteristics in actual flight.
The SB5 with the fifty degree wings and the T-tail which proved out to be unpopular with the pilots because the fuselage would actually block the airflow when the aircraft was taking off. Luckily the modular structure of the SB5 meant that it was just a case of take off that part of the fuselage and bolt the other one on.
The SB5 as it survives today, standing next to it is the T-tail.
So with the SB5 having tested the waters, the choice was made on to use the 69 degree wing and with that a second prototype was built but this time at the English electric plant.
The P1 pretty much had all the elements of the production model of the lightning in place including the twin engine set up.
But different from other twin engined jets the lay out was completely different and also the reason why the lightning looks as bulky as it does.
The engines are actually stacked up on top of each other, the reasoning being that that would keep the lateral shape of the fuselage slim to benefit the aircraft's performance at mach 2 but also should one engine fail the resulting loss of power wouldn't result in a change of the aircraft's balance, seeing as how both engines are at the same spot.
The P1 as it survives today.
Chief of the Air Staff Sir Dermot Boyle and English Electric chairman Sir George Nelson christen the Lightning.
And in 1959 the Lightning entered service with the RAF. And for the next 30 years would remain so.
This picture shows another unusual feature of the Lightning, the legs of the undercarriage, fold outwards, so the drop tanks could only be carried on top of the wings instead of suspended underneath, which is also why when carrying missiles, they would be on pylons next to the cockpit.
The lightning would find two export customers: they were Kuwait.
And Saudi Arabia
in 1988 after 29 years of faithful service the RAF's Lightnings stood down, being replaced by the Panavia Tornado F3. Although a handful of lightnings are kept in running order for fast taxi runs at various English airfields.
But at the other end of the world you can still see Lightnings in the sky.
Thundercity at Capetown operates this two seater as the only airworthy lighting after previously having flown two single seat examples.
As for the links to the Lockheed Lightnings. In the second world war, the RAF received a downgraded version of the P-38 because of the turbo supercharger being deleted in favor of normal superchargers. The reason being that that technology was still pretty much top secret and the Americans were worried that it might fall into German hands.
As such the Lightning never entered full British service because of the plane's performance being unsatisfactory.
Which makes the English Electric Lightning the first plane carrying the "Lightning" name to enter service with the RAF.
And with the RAF having accepted the F-35 Lightning II into their ranks it becomes the second one.
I remember the RAF Lightnings very well; when we lived at RAF Wethersfield, there was a Lightning base not too far away (we had F-100 Super Sabres). I watched a Lightning put on a very exciting demonstration at Wethersfield's Air Show in 1966 - a little too exciting, actually. Following the usual airshow maneuvers, the pilot made a low level, high speed pass down the runway, then pulled the nose up and lit the 'burners. He was in an almost-vertical climb, at about 1800' or so, when there was a Gawdawful BANG!!; pieces flew off the aft end; and one of the engines just.. fell out. The plane looped over on it's back; when the pilot punched out, he wasn't pointed straight down - but he was close. He had the presence of mind to get out of the seat really quickly, and his chute opened no more than 30' up. He was shaken up and bruised (and probably had back problems later, which was common with ejection seats at the time), but OK. The plane crashed in a farmers field a mile or so to the to the west, about halfway to Finchingfield (which happens to be - officially - "The Most Picturesque Village In Britain" 
). I imagine having a plane crash in the middle of the village would have been bad for their image...
You know, fighter pilot stuff.