Hi all,

Just to add a little something to Max and Ritches post.

Yes there will be an advert in Flypast spreading the word about the day, as we the LPG do all that stuff 😉

Heres the poster

Yes we will be running one Lightning (904) and plan to give her two runs durning the day, probably 11am and 3.30pm.

More details when I know more 😉

Cheers

Caught this on youtube, nice lightning footage! Look at the nosewheel skipping off the ground during the power runs.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qffkqcD7gns

Cheers Peter, thats an old flim, 458 hasnt been in the scheme for a few years now, not sure about the birds nest story,ummmmm, and the Hyds were full of air 😉

Cheers

Bingo!! FMk6 john had it first., It’s the starboard upper radius Rod from the undercarriage retraction mechanism. heres the next one, this one might a be a lot more tricky. will have to find a really nasty one for you 320psi. lol

To be exact its the ‘stage 14’ bypass valve which bleeds off air up to 89% power, it should close at around 89-91% power, from the cockpit and the ground there is a maked note/sound change from the intake dragging in air, basiclly the rush of air to the bypass valve thats heard before is silenced, and a marked increase in power is felt.

Sorry to be a smart a** :rolleyes:

Hi all,

Here’s a little tribute from AVM Ret. Peter Collins:

I served with Jimmy on Air Fighting Development Squadron when we accepted the Lightning into RAF service at the end of 1959. He had been the RAF Liaison Officer with English Electric during development of the aircraft (replaced by John Nicholls who died last year). Together with Ken Goodwin, Ron Harding, Alvin Moore (USAF) and myself we developed the tactics for using this fantastic aircraft as a Fighter Command interceptor. Jimmy was a marvellous boss, generous, fair, extremely knowledgeable and , of course, a superb pilot. It was really no surprise when he was tempted back by English Electric to become second only to Bea Beamont on the Lightning test pilot team. He remained very supportive of his RAF colleagues and we enjoyed a very fruitful relationship with EE and a friendship with Jimmy which endured. He will be much missed.

Peter Collins

And a shot of Jimmy in P1A WG763 in 2004, at Manchester Museum of Science & Industry, taken by Hugh Trevor of the LPG

John,
Thanks for the pic’s and Video links, lovely stuff 😀

Thanks for your help the other Saturday, I will be intouch 😉

MJR, what can I say, I thought about explaining all that but ‘lost the will’ while typing it out :rolleyes:

Be carefull what you say about 904 being the star, you know how 728 gets

See you soon guys

Date for your diaries, I will post these on the QRA thread as well:

April 26th, LPG open cockpit day (no running that day)

£8 per adult, kids £4, gates open at 10am
Basiclly come and see the two jets under cover for the first time, chat with us (if you want 😉 ) and our Lightning pilots, just come and take in the atmosphere, get close to the old ladies and take as many pics as possible

After that there may be a BAH open day at the end of May, more anon, when I know more

We are also planning an LPG 20th anniversary open day (20 years since Lightning operations finished and 20 years of us ‘messing’ around 😉 )
This will be in early July, but not confirmed yet

Cheers all:)

Thanks for the update lancman, great project, all the very best with it 😉

I know all about the lack of lottery interest in ‘projects’

Thanks

Ok sorry for what may seem a very pointless question but when people do the “anti det runs” on taxiable or airworthy jets how long do you run the engines for and what checks are made ?

Hi, good question 😉

We with our two Lightnings have always done ‘antidets’ every 4-6 weeks over the last 20 years, they usually comprise of;

The first checks are done prior to running.
1. Tyre pressure checks, inflation if needed (usually)
2. Power supply check (makes sure the Trolley ack is suppling the areo instead of just the aircraft battery)
3. Hyd oil and engine oil checks and top ups plus Avpin tank fill
4. Starter system ‘fail safe’ checks and ‘fixes’ :rolleyes:
5. An intake check (me usually) all the way down to the No1 and No2 engines to check for FOD damage, leaks and loose items
6 Remove all panels for visual checks once running

Once the aircraft is out on the pan the following happens:
1.Disucss the plan of attack :rolleyes:
2. No2 engine started first, watching brake pressure rise to within limits, JPT and RPM watched carefully, oil and Hyd warnings out.
3. Once all is settled and all on the ground are happy, the airbrakes are opened and kept open for visual check then retracted, then the flaps are operated and all flying surfaces operated separatley.
4. The throttle is advanced to 55% and a check on the warning panel is done to make sure the generator is on, then advanced to 65% and the DC power comes on line, again a light on the warning panel will go out.
5. At this point all main intsruments can be switched on and checked, rain dispersal and Stand by geni can be checked
6. Next the throttle is advanced though 80% the stage 14 bypass should close at 89% and this is heard and felt, it gives abit more ‘umph’, JPT and RPM noted
7. Throttle advance futher to ‘Max Cold’ (just before the reheat gate stops), again JPT, RPM and nozzle position is checked.(and fuel)
8. Slowly bring the throttle back and check all warnings, RPM drop and JPT rise, back to ‘slow idle’ at 34%
9. If reheat is to be engaged check all around on the ground and if all is good advance the throttle gently, though the gate, again watching JPT,RPM,nozzle positions (four stages) light up is felt. Hold her there are 5 seconds noted all the above and ease the throttle back to idle.
10. Once all is OK and all are happy the throttle is advanced again (up to 65%) to bring the JPT down then the throttle is brought back to the idle positon and shut down is completed.
11. Some one on the ground times the run down, once all has stopped all switches are made safe.

Then its the No1’s turn 😉

The BF’s (first bit) can take 1- 2 hours, the run can be anything up to 10 minutes, fuel use is always a big consideration for us :rolleyes:

Hope that gives you an idea of what running a Lightning 🙂