LIGHTNING RIDE ANYONE?

lets just be happy that there are frightnings still about that go

weeeeeeeeee, woooooosh, roarrrrrrr……………………..music to the ears!

MJR

If the owners, operators, pilots and passengers deem the risk to be acceptable then good luck to them.

Insurance would be very difficult thing to get for such an adventure – see above.

Many years of experience on Fast Jets gives me reason to be prudent with such matters.

M, No we did not but we have rearranged to go up to Dux in May to do the deed, I could do with another pair of experienced hands if you are interested.

Avtur smoked mince pies? Sounds strangely tempting.

N, sure , give me a shout nearer the time.

MJR

I did an egg on a TACAN TR !!!

ATIS reporting “Temp 52 Dewpoint -7 CAV OK No Sig”

MJR 671 (C) was still flying then, good little ship that.
Lets hear it for global warming but of course it is going to get much colder here in the UK.
cant make your run got to wash the fuel senders “AGAIN” Stbd wing fuel gauge all to pot, port wing last time got to be a message here.

Cranfield is up on a hill a bit some 340ft, so exposure and wind chill tend to do their thing. Working on the line at Boscoombe was grim in winter, a well exposed site, same same Lynum but at Farnborough, well not too bad realy ‘cos we were sheltered in back of western Sqdn hanger and the woods; all gone now and some mighty pissed off squiverals not to mention MRF.
location location
jb154

N,

did you manage to get your servicing gun last week?

MJR

M, No we did not but we have rearranged to go up to Dux in May to do the deed, I could do with another pair of experienced hands if you are interested.

Avtur smoked mince pies? Sounds strangely tempting.

good excuse for a barbacue hey? egg and bacon a la jet pipe

mjr

The No1 jet pipe after a run does mince pipes to a turn, seriously 🙂

Yeah, I can still see the look on the bar managers face at the Tavern in Walton 😀 😀 :diablo: And the infamous words of wisdom from Dan at the Plough in Bruntingthorpe…”Don’t you guys ever wash!!”

N,

did you manage to get your servicing gun last week?

MJR

good excuse for a barbacue hey? egg and bacon a la jet pipe

mjr

Glad to see your getting your fair share autur after shave, lovely when you walk in a pub smelling of the stuff 🙂

Yeah, I can still see the look on the bar managers face at the Tavern in Walton 😀 😀 :diablo: And the infamous words of wisdom from Dan at the Plough in Bruntingthorpe…”Don’t you guys ever wash!!”

anti det run andy, or fast taxi? would be up in a shot, but got a messy job to do on sat, fueldraulic tests and tank pressurisation tests. Did port wing last week, all went without a hitch, but still went home stinking on jet A. Eau de Avtur! why oh why didnt we buy a nice simple twin seat hunter…………erm well we did, but it wasnt quite as alluring as a Lightning…. DOHHH!!

mjr

Antidet run only, fast taxing is only for open days, there’s no real gains with fast taxing, extra risk, cost, tyres, chute packing, runway clearing and hiring.
Its just a shake down of the old girls systems as per the the usual 4 – 6 week schedule.
Glad to see your getting your fair share autur after shave, lovely when you walk in a pub smelling of the stuff 🙂
Carnt beat the Lightning for allure

Cheers

anti det run andy, or fast taxi? would be up in a shot, but got a messy job to do on sat, fueldraulic tests and tank pressurisation tests. Did port wing last week, all went without a hitch, but still went home stinking on jet A. Eau de Avtur! why oh why didnt we buy a nice simple twin seat hunter…………erm well we did, but it wasnt quite as alluring as a Lightning…. DOHHH!!

mjr

That is good news it sold so well 580 GBP
The costs of running this beast will be astounding.
Heavy winter schedule of maintenance ahead.
Think of those poor sods out on a cold windy airfield struggeling with the guts of this lightning having to put it all back together every timethey finish work for the day, hope she is ready for next year.
any body got any idears??

jb154

Great when you can earn some revenue though second seat rides we dont have that option, maybe strap a couple of seats on the wings, 😀
Might struggle with insurance 😀
Try running two of the beasts 🙂
Its never easy working on Lightnings in the best of conditions, outside makes it ten time worse, keeps you on your toes though 🙂
We go thouugh the same process of getting it all back together before night fall

Come along on Saturday for a our little run

more investors? perhaps a share scheme, like lpg. hangar it for winter months only, for deep maintenace, start of december through to april, outside for the summer months? cuts the cost significantly. Temporary shelter for big jobs?

mjr

Well done to everyone who posted on this thread. You all successfully promoted this offer to at least 10 bidders who pushed the price up to GBP 580.00. The money I’m sure will help greatly towards the upkeep of this beautiful aircraft.

I’ve raised this question before when it was advertised on another forum – who covers the insurance for the lucky winner to ride in this?

God forbid something should go wrong, but live military fast jets can be fickle things, even in the best hands – and catastrophic failures are one of the risks involved here…. Would you like to be the family of someone hurt or worse in the event of an incident during this risky business? and without insurance?
And on a CAA licensed airfield, can’t imagine the CAA would let it run with member of public on board without insurance?

Sorry to sound negative, but many years experience on military jets gives me reason to be sceptical

A risk punter accepts.

operator covers the insurance, as expected. You pays your money and makes your choice, no different to paying for laps in a race car or paying up for a flight with the Hunter flying club or Thunder City. All privately operated, by small teams, all risky……, all have occassional hick ups, all are a calculated risk, covered, which with pertinent maintanance , hopefully, never becomes an issue………..The nature of the game.

458 is subject to the same rules as anyone else operating at this GA airfield. oh….. and a leaf of CAA permit paper stating that you can pull the stick back at the threshold, means squat with millitary fast jets anyway, it isn’t a guarantee by a long shot.

not for this forum anyway, none of our business, its between the operator, airfield, and the punter.

MJR

I’ve raised this question before when it was advertised on another forum – who covers the insurance for the lucky winner to ride in this?

God forbid something should go wrong, but live military fast jets can be fickle things, even in the best hands – and catastrophic failures are one of the risks involved here…. Would you like to be the family of someone hurt or worse in the event of an incident during this risky business? and without insurance?
And on a CAA licensed airfield, can’t imagine the CAA would let it run with member of public on board without insurance?

Sorry to sound negative, but many years experience on military jets gives me reason to be sceptical

Bloody hell
Thats a bit below the belt.
1 Risk assesment and risk placement in the global environment.

I refer you to AAIB rep #5/2004 a hunter went in is unexcusable circumstances, sorry to those involved but it was. Did the CAA immediately ground all hunter operations untill it was prooved that propper maintenance po]rocedures were in place and all operators were duely signd off to some agreed performance criteria. No a more pragmatic view was taken in that apart from the “jockey” being a little shorter than before no harm done and salutory lessons learned.
Wlilst learning to fly gliders I was told always risk running in to the far end boundry at whatever speed yopu had left than hitting the undershoot boundary at flying speed.
XS458 will never, hopefully, hit the approach boundry at flying speed. We have the CAA to be gratefull for that.
I was involved with Lightnings on a personal basis RAF, remotely, and RSAF intimately. At Tabukl SA we had a fleet of ** lightnings 53 & 55 some of those birds cound do 16 sorties before a return to hangar, that in an environment of Saudi customer expectation, I will say no more except only the best would pass muster like 60% OR each day. So just because it is a grunt military jet dont mean it is deadly to use just depends on the level of expertise available.
THIS IS A PUBLIC FORUM AND CONTENTIOUS ISSUES LIKE THAT SHOULD BE LEFT WELL ALONE.
Or all all of us will be flying will be paper darts.
sory 4 the typos but got this orf fast
jb154
jb154

Anybody know what’s stopping them from getting airborne for a few seconds?

Yes the big stick wielded by the CAA……. :rolleyes:

This is the second time this has been up on ebay in the past few months, at the same starting bid and the last time there were no bidders.

The ad states “in the spring of 2005” so it seems to have happened already! Or is the Lightning, apart from its other wondrous features, also a Time Machine?

I’d rather go to Thunder City and fly in one….not just taxi!

If they would let it in the air for a few seconds, even if it’s just a few feet off the ground, I’d be all OVER this. Anybody know what’s stopping them from getting airborne for a few seconds?