E E Lightning BBC 2 NOW…

I never got a chance to try for myself. I was too junior to get a place on a T5 air test.

Yes any T bird rides were always difficult to get !!
Never went in anything as exiting as a frightning but did get to 39000′ in a military trainer…
fantastic view:D

Hi Robert
Yes the a/c altitude capability is not the usual limit,obviously for an operational reason a pilot would risk it to a higher altitude,but for a passenger ride one would be taking a big risk going much higher than 48000′,any higher than that and a cabin depressurisation could give you serious problems!!

cheers baz

I never got a chance to try for myself. I was too junior to get a place on a T5 air test.

I think you’ll find that the Lightning was limited to 56,000 ft in service due to the lack of pressure suit. The early Lightnings could have gone higher of course when the aircrew were using a pressure helmet. The helmet was discontinued as it was unpopular with the aircrew. I know of one F2(a?) having peaked at 65,000 ft during a PI. If he had been found out he would have had a severe talking to from the boss.

Hi Robert
Yes the a/c altitude capability is not the usual limit,obviously for an operational reason a pilot would risk it to a higher altitude,but for a passenger ride one would be taking a big risk going much higher than 48000′,any higher than that and a cabin depressurisation could give you serious problems!!

cheers baz

An RAF wall chart of the mid-1970s gave the combat ceiling of the Lightning as 72,000ft.

This figure totally freaked the defence editor of ‘Flight’ when he saw it! But from then onwards, that was the figure used in the magazine’s annual Military Aircraft Survey.

Does ‘Flight’ still tackle those Surveys? They used to do military aircraft, airliners, aero engines, air forces, and missiles. From memory, in the 1980s, they scaled them back to the point where they became little more than data tables.

A great pity – they were a valuable (and affordable) resource. In the late 1950s I used to buy the missile survey issue when I was an aerospace apprentice at the princely wage of £2 a week.

…but later in the programme – the Li-2 ‘Gate Guardian’ in Siberia.

Mark

If you watched the programme properly, you might have noticed that Kittinger was wearing a pressure suit…. 🙂

I vaguely remember reading it developed a leak…

And yet the next feature was about Joseph Kittinger who free fell from 32km (so the program said) up lol someone sack the researcher.

It also said at the beginning “S. Africa is one of the few places where they are still flying”

Unless I missed something, isn’t it the only place they are still flying 😀

But despite all that it was an amazing peice of footage.

If you watched the programme properly, you might have noticed that Kittinger was wearing a pressure suit…. 🙂

Wasn’t the Lightning fantastic?
Regards,
Scotty

Interesting piece here from my ex boss BC on 29 Sqn

http://www.lightning.org.uk/archive/0307.php

there would be an arbitary finite altitude limit on any jet,
The SA CAA might put a limit on the a/c
or it may depend on the type of flying gear available,if i remember correctly from many years ago 48000′ might be a reasonable limit wearing normal flying clothing but I dont have any books to hand at the mo!!

cheers baz

I think you’ll find that the Lightning was limited to 56,000 ft in service due to the lack of pressure suit. The early Lightnings could have gone higher of course when the aircrew were using a pressure helmet. The helmet was discontinued as it was unpopular with the aircrew. I know of one F2(a?) having peaked at 65,000 ft during a PI. If he had been found out he would have had a severe talking to from the boss.

there would be an arbitary finite altitude limit on any jet,
The SA CAA might put a limit on the a/c
or it may depend on the type of flying gear available,if i remember correctly from many years ago 48000′ might be a reasonable limit wearing normal flying clothing but I dont have any books to hand at the mo!!

cheers baz

At 45 thousand feet he says “the pressure outside is 20% less than on the ground, outside my blood would boil and I would die in seconds”

And yet the next feature was about Joseph Kittinger who free fell from 32km (so the program said) up lol someone sack the researcher.

It also said at the beginning “S. Africa is one of the few places where they are still flying”

Unless I missed something, isn’t it the only place they are still flying 😀

But despite all that it was an amazing peice of footage.

😡 WRONG, he should have done his homework, the unofficial record is 89,000 by Mr B Carrol.

Well, lets say joint unofficial record, as Dave Roome claimed a few hundred feet higher than Brian did when Dave was flying with 74 out in Singapore……actually ironically whilst flying XR773 which of course is still flying with Thunder City.

Put the TV on mute and just watch the aeroplane……… awesome….:D

Jeez!
Some folks are never happy!
Wasnt it something to see English Electric’s finest product doing what she does best!

At 45 thousand feet he says “the pressure outside is 20% less than on the ground, outside my blood would boil and I would die in seconds”

In that case then we better tell all the fast jet pilots not to eject!!!!!!.

At 50 thousand feet he says “this is as high as this plane can take me”

😡 WRONG, he should have done his homework, the unofficial record is 89,000 by Mr B Carrol.

Why in a programme that is supposed to be educational, get such obviouse facts so wrong:mad: 😡 .

John.