New Tales will be published on an as and when available basis. It would be greatly appreciated if readers could supply new material for inclusion in this page. If you have any Lightning Aircraft related tales that you wish to tell, and see them published, then please contact us. Thank you

Putting the boot in

By Charles Ross

On 1 July 1987, a Lightning pilot out of Akrotiri was flying an air firing sortie on a target banner towed by a Canberra. During the breakaway manoeuvre after a firing pass on the banner, Flt Lt 'Charlie' Chan saw a black circular object . . .

The lightning pilots 10 Commandments

By name not supplied

1. Thou shalt not omit thy walk-round, lest thou rise into the heavens with a cover or ground-lock in place. Nor shalt thou ignore thy checklist, for many are the valves, switches, levers and handles waiting to take vengeance upon . . .

Handle handling

By Charles Ross

In the early years when ejection seats were not as sophisticated as they are today, it was dis­covered that many aircrew were losing their lives needlessly because they were using their ejection seats too late and only when the . . .

Lightning vs Santa

By Charles Ross

At this time of year, the perennial question crops up in households across the land. Does Santa exist? Is it possible for a portly old man to travel around the world, pulled by flying reindeer, and give presents to all the good boys and girls everywhere . . .

It wouldn't work for . . .

By Alan Cameron-Johnson

Those of you who know their way around the Lightning, and that must be a great number, will recognise that the nose undercarriage is a levered device. The wheel is fitted at the rear end of an arm which is a half fork on . . .

Days of Thunder

By Ken White

The following day I found myself driving from Norfolk to the Annual Rally at Binbrook listening to Alec Guinness on tape but wondering what I would find. I needn’t have been concerned. As I drove up the hill to Binbrook on a pleasant . . .

Telebrief umbilical chord

By Martin Slater (LTF Sooty 1975 -83)

I'm not certain of the exact year, but I think late 70's, I was a line Cpl on LTF at RAF Binbrook and the Station was on Exercise. To set the scene, it was a cold wet night, the rain was sweeping in off the North Sea, the Liney's were . . .

Operation Corrugate

By Richard Norris

I would think the vast majority of Lightning addicts would agree with the opinion that two MK6's on live QRA was the ultimate spectacle from the enthusiast's viewpoint. I would also assume that for many pilots and ground crew that duty on ‘Q’ was . . .

Revenge of the Swedes

By Ron Leeman

It was a cold Saturday morning in January. The weather was clear and there had been a very sharp frost. Binbrook was on QRA (Quick Reaction Alert, often simply abbreviated to 'Q'), with two Lightning aircraft and crews standing by in . . .

The Wattisham lightning song

By John Lawn

I joined the RAF as a 'Halton apprentice' in Sept 1952, training as an 'Engine Fitter' and I spent the last years of my service, from April '63 to Feb '66, serving on 111 Sqn at Wattisham. Initially we had Mk.1A's, including the . . .

Lightning vs Concorde

By Charles Ross

The Lightning that once overtook Concorde was described as 'the best of the best' by Flt Lt Mike Hale at the roll-out ceremony for XR749 at Teesside Airport on September 28th 1995. Now an instructor with 56 Sqn at Coningsby, Mike flew . . .

The Guinness book of lightnings

By Charles Ross

There are all sorts of extreme facts and figures to do with Lightnings (although those to do with speed, height and G have been covered in other articles in the Review. Ed). The most operational scrambles in a day from a . . .

A Taceval Tale

By Sandy Mullen

Many years ago, when men were hard and Fighter Command still existed, there came the dreaded day when a strange aircraft landed and disgorged a group of officers wearing silly armbands. They had arrived to inform the men of . . .

Ejection - A Lightning Detective Story

By Charles Ross

In these times of falling accident statistics (touch wood) it is worth noting that the number of people who can talk about accidents from first hand experience has also reduced. Those who have had such an experience may have received a . . .

Memories of Lightnings at Coltishall

By Joe Dickerson

I arrived at Coltishall as a 112-entry L-tech graduate in May 1970 and was assigned a position at #1 ASS which became 65 Sqdn and I stayed there until October 1974. When I got the job as a debriefer/liney first maintenance I had . . .

Unplanned Overnight Stop

By Phil Sampson (Engine Tech, 11 Sqn, 1979 - 86)

I spent 7 years on 11 Sqn Lightning’s from 1979 – 1986, both in the Hangar and on the Line. I regard this first period of my career in the Royal Air Force as still my best tour in over 33 years of service accrued so far that has included . . .

A Lightning Experience

By Dennis Carver

In 1971, I was a corporal based at Strike Command Admin HQ, RAF Bentley Priory. My trade was that of Hygienist, later called Environmental Health Technician. My responsibility was to the Principal Medical Officer, AVM Sidey, with . . .

Coltishall Incident - XM188

By C. Carver

The Lightning hydraulic system basically consisted of 3 main systems, namely No 1 & 2 Controls and Services. Each Control system was independent of the other. The Services were supplied by pumps on both No 1 and No 2 engine and can be . . .