Lightning takes to the roads

[Mayfly]

Oh don't you start too!!!!!!!

[Mags]

Must admit I prefer the shiney ones too but that one does look in very good nick.

I like this one..........

[Jigsaw]

If I could see one fly again I would not care if it was pink with yellow stripes.

[Saracenman]

If I could see one fly again I would not care if it was pink with yellow stripes.

aha - a certain person's private jet?












































sm

[Jigsaw]

Ahhhhh....dyslexic stripes

[RLN]

If I could see one fly again I would not care if it was pink with yellow stripes.

Ditto.

[Saracenman]

you know EXACTLY what I'm gonna say to you RLN...............

sm

[RLN]

Funnily enough.................yes. Maybe the Beeb should have an "RLN in Need" night and send me to S. Africa.

[Saracenman]

just flog some of your Plutonium on the black market mate - sorted

sm

[RLN]

How do you think I got the Alfa?

[320psi]

I think I am correct.. but early Lightnings had the red nose. (No doubt Andy will correct me if wrong )

Nice pic.. but spoilt by the Flat grey colour, and that red is a bit too garish for my liking. Prefers the shiny aluminium look personally

The red noses never impressed me at all, they werent ever red, pretty sure of it.

I can only think of two that have been painted red (cant think why they would) and thats XS936 and XR769 at Conningsby

Heres XR769 just after Chris Berners Price 'dropped her in' at Leeming in 1988, she was bound for BDRT at Leuchars but Chris called an 'emergency' near Leeming and left her there as she only had one landing left, she was 'his' aircraft



Here she is just after her move from Leeming and rebuild/repaint at Conningsby



The Ligthning at Waddo, XR770 looks like this, the right colour nose cone



They werent ever painted, the proper coating is just the fibre glass cone

[Pujgnie]

<< Stands corrected from he who knows..

Thanks Andy

[320psi]

Andy, when you get to watch the vid.

Are the yellow frames a normal way of lifting a lighning AND what to they do to the belly tank to take the weight while its in that plinth.



Cheers, David.

Hi David, found this photo of a T5 that had gone off at Binbrook (happened alot in wet/high cross wind situations)



The lads under the wing look like they are just about to position the under wing beam, and the crane is waiting to be attcahed to the lifting cables.

This made for interesting recoveries when the aircraft was 'well off' on the grass, the crane wouldnt be able to reach, not being able to go onto the grass its self.

In these cases, they would attach a large 'A' frame to the two main wheel change jacking points in the centre of the wheels/hubs,which have an unbeliveably fine thread, and then haul the aircraft out of the mud

Imagine doing that at Binbrook which was near known for good weather at night in the rain in December

[RLN]

What sort of repairs were needed? Is the Lightning undercarriage robust enough to go cross country?

[320psi]

What sort of repairs were needed? Is the Lightning undercarriage robust enough to go cross country?

All depends really, how hard the landing was, how far they went off, how much effort it took to pull it out.

The aircraft would be 'pulled' from the line and go though alot of checks before being cleared 'fit to do a trip'

Some were written off, but not very offen, again this depended on the airframe life left (FI)

Its a pretty robust old 'bird' the Lightning, just very very very tempremantal

[Molerat]

This made for interesting recoveries when the aircraft was 'well off' on the grass, the crane wouldnt be able to reach, not being able to go onto the grass its self.

It could go onto the grass ............... but the next half day was spent digging it out again (re Coltishall around 1973 and a Warrant Officer who was in charge of the recovery)