56 Sqn "Checkerboard" tail Lightnings?

The large formation you refer to is presumably the famous (and record-breaking) 22-aircraft which looped at the Farnborough show.

These are them:

Yes, all of the squadron’s aircraft were similarly painted:-

Their twin-seater T.Mk.4 was also painted in the same scheme. The actual display team was a nine-ship (as far as I can recall) mostly split into two component formations. Most (if not all) of the squadron’s aircraft were also fitted with two vent pipes linked to one of the wing flap fuel tanks. This housed diesel fuel which was pumped into the jet exhaust to provide white smoke, similar to the system now used by the Red Arrows.

As for Hunters, yes, there were two teams, these being 111 Squadron’s “Black Arrows” (from where the Red Arrows acquired their name – combined with the Red Pelicans’ title) with black-painted aircraft, and the “Blue Diamonds” of No.92 Squadron, their aircraft being blue. The large formation you refer to is presumably the famous (and record-breaking) 22-aircraft which looped at the Farnborough show. I would imagine that larger formations of Hunters were assembled but not for aerobatics. I guess some of the experts on this forum might be able to recall those better than I can though!

That the horizontal surfaces (at least, the upper surfaces) were also painted red and that the photo showed a painted F1A and the drawing a bare metal one support the display team explanation. I was going to say that I presume that not all a squadron’s aircraft would used in a display team but I’m sure someone will tell me something different. In a previous era, wasn’t there a whole squadron of black Hunters? 111 Sq, perhaps?

Also, I can recall an air display at Tangmere (late 1950s ?) in which more than one sqaudron of Hunters performed an aerial display. My youthful memory suggests something like 30 but maybe not that many. It was a big number, anyway, and I think the commentator described it as the largest number ever to attempt mass aerobatics – my phrasing, not his.

Hard to say but from what I can recall (and heaven-knows where I read it now), the official instruction was that all the UK Lighting squadrons had to subsequently adhere to a standard insignia with tail markings that were within a defined size (and a small one at that) and position. This was why we went through a period when the markings were all applied to a small circle (56, 5, 11, 23, etc.) and it was only some years later that the tail markings slowly expanded again – but not very much!

Maybe Ianwoodward has a point about the RAF fin flash, other Lightning sqns retained nice bright tails (111 & 92 blue off the top of my head) but still had the fin flash.

Well things were slightly different with the F1A as at that stage the squadron was performing in public as the “Firebirds” display team. Consequently, the paint scheme you refer-to was essentially an air display scheme. The check design applied when the F3s were delivered was intended as the squadron’s standard colours, so a different view evidently prevailed. It was in effect a culmination of the increasingly-colourful schemes which had been applied to aircraft with almost every Lightning squadron and one suspects that the miserable officials simply felt that the trend had gone too far.

There was no logic or reason behind the decision, it was simply a case of those with the authority having no interest in artistic flair. Presumably they felt that Her Majesty’s aircraft should be maintained in as miserable a condition as possible. The same depressing attitude still seems to be around even now although it’s usually dressed-up in some unconvincing notion of camouflage effectiveness. It’s a pity that common sense cannot prevail, enabling the RAF to return to the pre-war days when each squadron’s air and ground crews were encouraged to take pride in their aircraft. In many ways the check-tailed F3s were the end of a great tradition.

Thanks, Chox. I missed out the horizontal surfaces painted red, too.

If 56 Sq had “got away” with this paint scheme on the F1As, it would seem reasonable to expect little problem with their paint scheme for the F3s. Perhaps it was the omission of the RAF tricolour flag on the tail fin with the checkerboard scheme.

ianwoodward9 The paint scheme you refer to was indeed applied before the F3’s were delivered.

XS417 will wear 56 Squadron markings (circa 1975) when ‘eventually’ repainted
I assume this means that the afore-mentioned aircraft will therefore be painted silver? Why can’t an authentic paint scheme be applied? It’s very depressing to see preserved aircraft wearing “representative” colour schemes – you can look at those in books. What’s wrong with simply restoring the colours an aircraft actually wore?

And I meant to add this from the article I mention.

At a time when U2s were said to be invulnerable to all but SAMs, the RAF asked if it could try to intercept U2s temporarily in the UK. The article reads: In a number of practice penetrations by the American aircraft, operating at peak altitude and speed performance, they found the Lighnings “sitting effortlessly on their tails” in every case.

Believe me, I am no expert on this subject and have no idea if this is interesting or even relevant, but ….

While the 56 Sq. F1As (?) did not have the checkerboard markings on their tail fins, at least one had the whole of its fin (and its fuselage spine) painted red, with a large squadron crest in red on a white circle. The code was above this, in black with white edging. The red and white checkerboard appeared either side of the roundel, as normal.

XM171 “A” is shown, in colour and in near vertical descent, on the front of Flying Review Vol.19 No.11 (July 1964).

There is a 5 page article inside, including a 3-view drawing of XM175 “T” but this is essentially bare metal.

Finally (and slightly off topic), can anyone remember the Lightnings at the Farnborough show in the early 1960s. My memory suggests that there were about a dozen of them, taking off in pairs. Which squadron? I remember it because I had managed to get tags allowing me to stand on the grass between the crowd barrier and the runway. I think that was the year that a 1930s biplane flew there. If I had to delve deep in the recesses of my memory, I’d say it was a Hawker Fury but I’m probably wrong.

I was waiting for someone to notice, but I expected them to see the shadow under the nosecone.:D

I had to look twice to find that.
Sooooooooo easy to photoshop that out.

Very nice- small point the airbrakes were only left out on taxy in to let the groundcrew know there was a fault somewhere- prior to engine shutdown they were selected in. The colour air to air shots were ( i think ) taken by Brain Alchin a 56 squadron pilot. Thanks to his wisdom in shooting in colour – very rare in 1966 we have some of his images to drool over. He had a unique style not unlike Charle E Brown and used the clouds as back drops- very effective .

I was waiting for someone to notice, but I expected them to see the shadow under the nosecone.:D

Very Nice Model Rad

Very nice- small point the airbrakes were only left out on taxy in to let the groundcrew know there was a fault somewhere- prior to engine shutdown they were selected in. The colour air to air shots were ( i think ) taken by Brain Alchin a 56 squadron pilot. Thanks to his wisdom in shooting in colour – very rare in 1966 we have some of his images to drool over. He had a unique style not unlike Charle E Brown and used the clouds as back drops- very effective .

Scanned some slides in my archives for you. First is at Wattisham in June’65 with the first three being XP743/G, XP744/H and XR721/F

Next up, a nice line abreast with XR718/C nearest.

Finally, XR718/C on its own.

The middle photo looks like the one used by Ian Black in his book.

Thanks to you all for your feedback & photo’s – since I first saw the F.3 in this scheme I thought it looked amazing.

Regards Rad.:)

I was just about to ask if anyone had any photos – hooray! Your image of the line-abreast formation is much the same resolution as mine… that seems to be as good as it gets. Wish I knew where the originals went as I so like these markings. Anybody know what happened to Keith Wilson’s pictures? He took a beautiful shot of one of these machines which I used on the cover of my Lightning book last year. But nobody knows where the originals have gone. Cassell had a lot of them at one stage but even they don’t seem to have a clue where they went now. It’s sad that so many great images have a habit of disappearing.

Scanned some slides in my archives for you. First is at Wattisham in June’65 with the first three being XP743/G, XP744/H and XR721/F

Next up, a nice line abreast with XR718/C nearest.

Finally, XR718/C on its own.

I thought I share this one I made earlier:) hence the enquiry.

It served as ‘L’ for a few years on 56

XS929 is on the gate at Aki in shifty-fix colours, although I don’t think she ever served with them.