Lightning Diamond Nine

Note, in the programme, it states an 11 ship Lightning display, well, sort of, I remember one passing inverted at Mach 0.97 as a lead up to the big one.
Has anyone got a pic of the rarity on the day, the Alconbury F-5 Aggressor, painted up in Soviet bloc colours, I’m afraid that mine is on a colour slide along with the rest of the shots that day.

Yes – here http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA—Air/Northrop-F-5E-Tiger/0821061/L/

Note, in the programme, it states an 11 ship Lightning display, well, sort of, I remember one passing inverted at Mach 0.97 as a lead up to the big one.
Has anyone got a pic of the rarity on the day, the Alconbury F-5 Aggressor, painted up in Soviet bloc colours, I’m afraid that mine is on a colour slide along with the rest of the shots that day.

I cant positively guarantee that this was Binbrook but the weather seems to match:-

Firebird,

The dark grey one used for cockpit photo’s was XS895, tailcode AO, the company was Forge Photography of Tattershall.

XS895 ultimatly met the scrapmans axe, IIRC nothing of her survives.

Regards,

John.

Just dragging this up, as I was just looking up one of the Lightning books for something else, when I noticed that famous shot of the Last Lightning to leave Leuchars in 1976 with the special ‘Scottish Airforce’ markings, and of course it’s XS895 😀

Just One!:diablo:

Thought so 😉

Just One!:diablo:

chris allans last take off in a lightning, think it was xs929 BG

😀

How many RAF guys were standing at that spot with camera’s then…..:) 😉

Is this where he took the barrier down?

Yes.

chris allans last take off in a lightning, think it was xs929 BG

Is this where he took the barrier down or was that on an overshoot later on?

last flight

chris allans last take off in a lightning, think it was xs929 BG

yes i see what you mean. All i can suggest is that 693 had no Radar fitted, or weapons pack and never had missiles fitted so was probably a bit light at the nose! Or perhaps Warton inflated the oleo a bit more, hope this helps

693 had no rader fitted but had test kit fitted in its place (for the tonka work she did at Warton) same with the weapons pack full of test kit, a couple of day after she arrived at Exeter (24th Dec 92 very nice xmas present) BAe came down and removed it all, so lead weights where fitted in the bullet and a proper weapon pack ( for memory redtop)

Courtesy Air Atlantique, sorry for poor qual slide scan….

XP693

yes i see what you mean. All i can suggest is that 693 had no Radar fitted, or weapons pack and never had missiles fitted so was probably a bit light at the nose! Or perhaps Warton inflated the oleo a bit more, hope this helps

Not sure what you mean by “trimmed” in respect to XP693. In all respects she was very similar to Binbrook F6s. The main difference being, no Gun Pack but an extra fuel tank fitted. No weapons pack fitted and no radar fitted only ballast. In the weapons pack they sometimes fitted an inertial navigation system. However no read out of position was available to the pilot only a Lat and Long was recorded for telemetry purposes. Otherwise she is pretty standard. Down the fuselage there are a few less vent masts so the A/c is some what cleaner than a sqn F6…….hope that helps!

sorry i wasnt very clear, by trimmed I meant her stance. out of all the warton lightnings, she was the only one that was routinely operated with the nose oleo extended to almost full extension. Once she had fished warton duties the oleo was returned to normal extension.

Now that really makes my heart go cold, still you can’t save them all.

Interesting note is that in my picture I was 11 years old and had to stand/push myself up in the cockpit to make it look right, nowadays without lots of swearing and pushing I can only just fit in (not able to put my feet on the rudder pedals!!!).

Regards,

John.

I can remember once visiting Binbrook one cold winter’s night in early 1988 to see John Carter who was on QRA with Steve Moir (sadly I think killed a year or so later flying a Tornado F3). I was 16 at the time and I’ll never forget briefly sitting in the cockpit (having made sure I had no loose change in my pockets that could drop out and jam in the seat) of one of the ‘ready to go’ F6s and JC saying quite clearly to me that if the QRA alarm sounded I was to get out of the cockpit as quickly as possible so they could get on their way….a great memory.

Now that really makes my heart go cold, still you can’t save them all.

Interesting note is that in my picture I was 11 years old and had to stand/push myself up in the cockpit to make it look right, nowadays without lots of swearing and pushing I can only just fit in (not able to put my feet on the rudder pedals!!!).

Regards,

John.

XP693

Not sure what you mean by “trimmed” in respect to XP693. In all respects she was very similar to Binbrook F6s. The main difference being, no Gun Pack but an extra fuel tank fitted. No weapons pack fitted and no radar fitted only ballast. In the weapons pack they sometimes fitted an inertial navigation system. However no read out of position was available to the pilot only a Lat and Long was recorded for telemetry purposes. Otherwise she is pretty standard. Down the fuselage there are a few less vent masts so the A/c is some what cleaner than a sqn F6…….hope that helps!

See my post #9, it was XS895……..

Sadly, this was ‘895 by June 1991….. 🙁

As for the serial of the cockpit photos areo, ummmmm, carnt remember either soz :rolleyes:

Andy,

See my post #9, it was XS895……..

Regards,

John:).

Great Vid, Pics and history, only wish I could have been there in ’87! ah well need the lottery for Cape Town.

heres an off the cuff question which no one so far as ever had the answer for. What was it that the Warton lads had fitted to or were doing to 693, that required her to be trimmed so differently to the operational ships:confused: She isn’t trimmed like that any mome either.