One of my hobbies - EE Lightning

[DaveSmith]

I am part of the engineering team for this beauty.
For the uninitiated, it is an English Electric Lightning F6 cold war interceptor.
Quite a bit of kit back in it's day and the specs are pretty impressive even now.
Mach 2.2, 50,000 ft/min climb rate, brake release to 36,000ft in 2.3 mins.
We are currently returning it to serviceability and painting and and preserving it (sadly, it will never fly again).
The temporary hanger it is sat in I help build and I have fitted it out with DC and AC lighting and also AC power distribution as well as all portacabins we use for crew rooms and equipment / parts storage.
It is based at the former RAF Binbrook airfield where it spent a lot of its service life when in service.

We have a Facebook site for those who are interested https://www.facebook.com/XR724 and a website https://www.lightningassociation.co.uk.
I you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them.

Dave.

 

[Seriously?]

Very cool
I'm rather partial to the Cold War iron myself

 

[DaveSmith]

Very cool
I'm rather partial to the Cold War iron myself

She's a beauty mate. An absolute pig to work on though. Everything is so inaccessible. They is an old saying that working on a Lightning is akin to trying to wallpaper you lounge through your front door letterbox. I can tell you from my experiences, it isn't far off the truth.

 

[Seriously?]

They were apparently just a tad thirsty too with both reheats lit - something crazy like over 10gallons per second

 

[DaveSmith]

They were apparently just a tad thirsty too with both reheats lit - something crazy like over 10gallons per second

Yep, with both reheats engaged, you can empty one in about 10-15 minutes.
Hence why when we run it at demos and for anti-det runs we only use one engine and very rarely above 70% as we simply can't afford it (being a charity and self-funding).
The starting system uses about a gallon of AVPIN (Isopropyl Nitrate) per start. AVPIN is essentially liquid rocket propellant and hideously expensive.
The oils and lubricants and specialist anti-corrosion protection fluids (e.g. ACF50) we use a lot and they don't come cheap.
We have a GoFundMe page and without kind donations from the general public, we'd be stuffed.

These donations along with quite a lot of personal financial input from the team, allowed us to get planning permission, and buy and build the shelter she now sits in. Before that, she'd sat outside for best part of 30 years (since she flew in) in all weathers under tarpaulins. Meaning that maintenance was very difficult as we were very much weather dependent. I've had days up there is howling wind and horizontal sleet, performing maintenance activities. Not at all pleasant, but we do it for the love of the old girl. Plus it's kind of cool to be able to tell people what I get to do. Not many get to work on a live cold-war iconic jet aircraft.

 

[Tell]

I saw bits of the TSR2 which they rolled out at a Cranfield show once, they got some of the parts. Those airshows are strictly illegal now with the low fly directly over the crowds fighter jets. Woke the good people of Cranfield up as well.

Use to get the sonic bangs at times at home. Living close to Cranfield experimental aircraft would come over, so the story went. The 60s. The TSR2 was the end of going it alone on fighter development.

Think l built a model EE once, balser wood, still got it. You'd have a little cannister "engine" which clipped underneath, you'd fill with pellets, light up, lots of smoke and it wouldn't fly . The weight ratio thrust wasn't right. Kids got it easy these days with their drones .

Father had a lecture about driving round Silverstone once. In those days the locals would help themselves to the track. Lack of fencing. He was a WW2 flying boat flight engineer so obviously did all his car mechanics himself. Block and tackle in the garage, soaking stuff in petrol on the kitchen table. Second hand police cars was his forte. Old Rovers and Wolseys. Buy them secondhand and they became the family car. No Hiding place vehicles for anyone into their TV series. He lamented the end of the proper chassis from those cars to what followed.

Got some of his flying boat engine workshop manuals. Own notes from the training classes in India. Arrived in India and said your on flying boats and your a flight engineer once you pass the training. He took some photos of the base in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Wings being walked on, tractors pulling them out of the sea. On the mail service from Ceylon to Singapore, all stations on route, dropping the odd spy off on the water so he said. They would wait about till they got to shore then take off... bit of a noise one suspect. That was Indonesia where they would drop people off. They did also go surfing in Sri Lanka at the base. Got pictures of the surf board... 1940s style, made their own. They did selfies as well. That one isn't new. Jaunts into Bombey, Calcutta. Burma etc... Downside they wouldn't let the service men come home after the war with partition looming. They had to stay out longer in case they were needed. Then back to blighty and family life.