Lightning photos

[Stigish]

This is one fantastic picture
This should at least be enlarged and framed with pride of place in the Hangar for all visitors to admire.
Have you thought about getting some prints done of the best 2 or 3 pictures, to make some extra cash towards the fundraising?

[320psi]

Yeh we have some photos/prints to sell and they do sell pretty well on our stall at open days, but with most things the photograher needs to give his/her blessing or will take a cut.

Printing low volume good quality shots isnt cheap either, we might only sell 10 - 20 of each per year

And some prints/negs dont 'blow up' all that well for larger format

Good idea

[RLN]

Love that last batch of pics, Andy. I still want one

[Jigsaw]

Excellent Andy

[Thumper]

DEFINATELY the best so far! Thanks 320, really love the last 2 shots

[320psi]

Love that last batch of pics, Andy. I still want one

There two that need saving very soon before they get even closer to the scrapmans axe if you really want one, XS919 and XN728, one of which is for sale, XS919 at Fransfield
Forget 728 shes well past saving

Would take some doing and your gonna need deep pockets, but its all part of owning old jets, we have been there, done it, doing it, well you know the rest

Go for it, get some interested people around you and do it, just do it

[RLN]

Will look into it, thanks.

[320psi]

Will look into it, thanks.

Hope you dont mind me giving you some advise if your serious, and you dont think Im telling how to 'suck eggs' please read on;

You want to get intouch with the 'Wheel Gate' childrens play park management first, I have been intouch with them before re her condition and they were semi helpful, I put a mate of mine onto them re buying and moving her but they then went behind his back and stuck it on Ebay for £10,000 which of course there were no bidders and hence no buyers.
All the Lightning people in the uk know her and know £10,000 is way to much

They know what they have, but they dont if you know what I mean

Now if you want my advise, I would start talking to them, tee up a meeting and meet them face to face, forget emails and letters, you gotta 'get in there' and do the 'biz'

Now to I would personally offer £5000 for her, thats what she is worth in scrap metal, (well slightly less to be honest as she is classed as a 'mixed load')

Your gonna need at least £5000 - £8000 to dismantle her using a proper aircraft 'shifting company' (I have contacts if you want them) they will do it properly, under HSE rules, proper cranes, knowhow and kit etc, remember she in a kids play ground and rotten, so extra care is needed, one wrong move and she could end up twised or bent and that will be the end of her

The guys will need access to the site and size up the job

Also you wont get her out though the gate,even in the four bits that makes 'her up', there no room, its gonna be dismantle on site, wings off and fin off (already been cut and joined several times before) then a crane over the big hedge around that end of the site and onto a low loader, this will involve the council and the police in road access/closure's etc.

One thing I will say is that she will never stand on her undercarriage again, she will always need the steel frame work hidden under her belly, as when she was moved for a second time in the late 90's to Fransfield she was cut wrongly, inside of the oleos, and isnt strong enough to hold her own weight now, unless you can find a new set of uncut wings (forget it )

She is an emtpy shell so there no problems with removing seized in jet pipes, engines etc
Cockpit is semi complete, snag is cockpit items are becoming very difficult to get hold of, very sort after, but thats the least of 'things' on the list

Heres a few pics of her back in 2008, she 'sadder' than this now Im afriad



Notice the wooden 'box' under her ventral, that hides the steel frame work holding her up









And fin, you can just see the cut line about one ft up, this will need cutting again







And theres more, if you are serious, dont try this on your own, get a group of like minded folks around you for support, in funding and moral backing, you will need lots of friends, this is not something to be taken lightly,once the ball is rolling thats it, your off

Belive me, when you have a group of people around you its amazing what can be done, big hills can be moved

Look at us and what we have done in 22 years eh

And if your successfull do me a favour, get her back looking like this, how all of the Lightning nutters (me included) remember her, Aug 1987 at the Last Last Ligthning show, where she was centre stage in the 9 ship, oh memories



She will only ever be a cosmetic resortation, but that would be much better than rotting away where she is

I will give you all the help I can muster, she needs saving very very soon

[Xplumberlives]

I really hope this happens!

[Gaz]

*THIS IS COMPLETELY HONEST!!!*

I just thought to myself "It'd be great to get some mates together and buy her for Bruntingthorpe, a Lightning would look great up there".


Then I remembered!!!!!!

[Xplumberlives]

*THIS IS COMPLETELY HONEST!!!*

I just thought to myself "It'd be great to get some mates together and buy her for Bruntingthorpe, a Lightning would look great up there".


Then I remembered!!!!!!

PING!

[320psi]

*THIS IS COMPLETELY HONEST!!!*

I just thought to myself "It'd be great to get some mates together and buy her for Bruntingthorpe, a Lightning would look great up there".


Then I remembered!!!!!!

Gaz, all, Brunty is not such a daft idea, DW would welcome you as a group Im sure, we would also welcome you, and 'if' you got her there, we/you could stick 4 concrete plinths down at the side of the apron by the shed and stick her there, as a great gate guard, 3 Binbrook ladies back together again

A spray of waxoil/WD40 mix and polish every month is the easiest thing to do, 2 - 3 people, one days fun, no probs

A site and a good landlord is your first consideration, it was for us 23 years ago, without Brunty or DW none of us would have what we have today

Unless you have a big back 'yard'


I will leave it with you

[RLN]

Andy - stop. You're breaking my heart. Tried to talk to SWMBO, and I got things like
divorce
castration
retard
onanist
what about...
shouldn't you be..
rude word for pudenda

I appear to be sleeping on my own tonight

Why don't women get it? No, not sex, XPL.

I'm devastated.

You cannot understand how pissed off I am. Worth a divorce?

[Saracenman]

yeah go for it

[320psi]

Andy - stop. You're breaking my heart. Tried to talk to SWMBO, and I got things like
divorce
castration
retard
onanist
what about...
shouldn't you be..
rude word for pudenda

I appear to be sleeping on my own tonight

Why don't women get it? No, not sex, XPL.

I'm devastated.

You cannot understand how pissed off I am. Worth a divorce?

Oh shit !

Sorry mate, I should have put that one at the very top of my list, snag is I dont have them problems, I knew Lightnings long before I knew my good lady wife, when my mates were buying hot 'Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts, Manta's, Capris, etc I was buying super sonic jets and running around on a 1978 Yam RD350

Sarah and the kids understand (just) my strange ways, I think

Ummmm I think your scuppered mate, you gotta have backing from the 'lady' first before you go head long into preserving a Lightning

The hours needed to be 'put in' are staggering Im afriad

Im not selling this one am I ?

Slowly slowly, get your like minded group together first, thats paramount, then the good lady needs a gentle hand

Worth divorce?

Well I cant answer that one

[MadNaddy]

I hope she doesn't have access to this forum!!!!

[RLN]

That's the problem - she thinks I'm weird just for being on a P.C.

[320psi]

Not good RLN, feel for you

Right a few more piccies

First two are some real oldies, taken in 1961 and show F1 XM136 which was delivered to Leconfield by Bee Beamont in Dec 1959 to begin work with AFDS (Air fighting Development Squardon) which was run by Jimmy Dell from EE and Peter Collins

136 unfortunately crashed near Coltishall in Sept 1967 due to a fuel or hyd leak fire in or around frame 57,(back end) which burnt though the elevator control rod, the pilot Jock Sneddon ejecting safely, the aircraft had achieved 742 hours





XS449, in 226 OCU markings, put out to pasture as a decoy at Binbrook in 1977, scrapped by Sept 87



XS452, flown to Cranfield in May 88, saved by a small bunch sold and dismantled in 1998 and now in SAfrica



XR773, left Binbrook for Bae at Warton in 87 to help with the Foxhunter trails along with 904, 693, 925 and 724
Shes now with Thunder City in SAfrica



XS929, flown to Akrotiri in May 88, spare recovered and placed on a plinth, painted in 56sqd colours in 2001 still in situ



Oh look its our 'gal' XS904 looking rather nice, you know her story



XS895, spares recovered in March 88, cut and moved to Pendine ranges June 88, scrapped in 1997



Few more yet

[Pujgnie]

... loving the 56 Sqn ones Andy

Happy memories of Akrotiri and all that stuff... (sigh)

Any pics of Akkers Bat hangar per chance ?

[320psi]

... loving the 56 Sqn ones Andy

Happy memories of Akrotiri and all that stuff... (sigh)

Any pics of Akkers Bat hangar per chance ?

Thanks mate

Glad they are bringing back good memries

No I havent seen any pics at all

[Mackrick]

Thanks Andy .... Keep them coming please ....

[Saracenman]

they look SO great in B&W

crack on 320 please

sm

[Gully]

Stunning stuff Andy.

Were EE producing more than one Mark of Lightning simultaneously? Reason I ask is that if you place the serials in sequence, they don't seem to follow the Marks? F3s, T5s and F6s overlap? Or am I not really paying attention?!!

Thanks,

Gully

[320psi]

Stunning stuff Andy.

Were EE producing more than one Mark of Lightning simultaneously? Reason I ask is that if you place the serials in sequence, they don't seem to follow the Marks? F3s, T5s and F6s overlap? Or am I not really paying attention?!!

Thanks,

Gully

Ummm, you are paying attention, and a good question

Reason, yes Mk's over lapped also some F3's were updated to F6's (728 being one), not all though and some T4's were updated to T5s, again not all, some T5's were 'new' build along with F6's , all very mixed.
F1's, F1as and F2a's werent touched really

[320psi]

Evening

Few more for you

XS416, spares recovered in March 88, placed on the dump, cut and moved to Rossington in July 88, Removed to Peaks Top Farm New Waltham Dec 1992, moved to Gainthorpe March 01, currently in lots of bit back at Binbrook



XR769, was the last Lightning to be lost in RAF service, April 11th 1988, whilst out on a two ship sortie, a No1 reheat pump fire burnt its way all the way down the fuse under the starboard wing, Dick Coleman the Canadian exchange pilot leveled off at 10,000ft pointed her out to sea and ejected safely, just before the controls seized up, aircraft was seen by the other Lightning pilot (Ian Black) to go into a slow turning dive though the cloud layer and eventaully into the North sea, where she still lies, as she was deemed not worth recovering so near to the end of ops'

All the 760 series were lost to crashes in some sort or another over the years, strange




XR765, crashed aprox 30 miles off Flamborough Head, July 1981, due to fire in rear fuse, pilot Jim Wild ejecting safely.
Wreckage recovered for investigation, broken fuel pipe found to be the reason



XR757,spares recovered April 88, placed on the dump, cut and moved to Rossinton, airfame scrapped Dec 92, nose saved, curently at Gainthorpe.



XR726, spares recovered March 88, placed out on the dump, cut and moved to Rossington July 88, scrapped by Dec 1992



XR718,flown to Wattisham Feb 87, spares recovered, placed on the fire dump, disposal by MOD July 1992, cut and moved to Blyth Valley Collection Walpole Suffolk



XM173, that very famous Lightning, that now sits in the Duxfords AirSpace hanger.



XR763, Crashed on approach to Akrotiri July 87 after a/c ingested parts of the firing banner on an APC, with resultant double engine failure, pilot Dave Chan ejecting safely, wreckage scrapped by local scrap dealer, fin saved and erected in the grounds of the officers mess



Few more yet