The design proposal for a fast jet interceptor aircraft had first been suggested in January 1949. The concept became a reality when on 4 August 1954 the English Electric Lightning was flown for the first time by chief test pilot Wing Commander Roland ‘Bee’ Beamont. It eventually entered service with the RAF in 1960.
Powered by two Rolls Royce Avon turbojet engines, it was designed to be a fast (very fast) interceptor fighter charged with protecting the V bomber fleet scattered around Britain. It had to be so light and skinny to achieve the speed necessary for its intercepting abilities that there was little room left for fuel tanks, and therefore its range was limited. But it was the fastest aircraft ever produced in Britain: it could reach mach one in a vertical climb (the speed of sound, 760 MPH at sea level) and reach mach two at 60,000 feet. It could also frighten the bejesus out of all the rooky pilots, much to the amusement of the flight instructors!
Giving rooky pilots a serious fright
New pilots had not experienced anything like this aircraft before. The wingspan was only 11 metres, about the size of a largish lounge. If the instructors managed to get their rooky pilots in one of the two-seater trainer variants, then the options for amusement were boundless. At some point while flying it vertically and still accelerating like a rocket, the flight instructor would say to the trainee, “The wings are only there to mount the navigation lights”. The trainee would reply “Sh-I-I-I-I-t,” and the instructor would smile knowingly. Several pilots described it “like being strapped to a skyrocket”. After his first solo flight one pilot said, “I was in full control right up to releasing the handbrake”.
The Lightning wins an American challenge
Many people, particularly engineers, will be aware of phrase ‘tight tolerances’, which refers to the gap between two mating surfaces. These can be measured in thous – 1,000th of an inch – or even microinch – 1,000,000th of an inch. In the 1950s, predictable and reliable tolerances together with material consistency were not as they are now, but every now and again there is and was an item of machinery that turns up whereby everything on it, more by accident than design, fits perfectly. English Electric Lightning XR 749 was just such a beast.
Although the USAF spy plane U2 was shot down by a Russian missile in 1960, it was thought (particularly by the Americans) that it could not be caught by any aircraft. The gauntlet was thus thrown down and the Brits picked it up. For this exercise the U2 was flown at more than 65,000 feet. Feeling cocky and secure (as the Americans do), the pilot sat and waited, but to his shock and amazement, the Lightning XR 749 flown by Flight Lieutenant Mike Hale not only intercepted the U2 but continued up and up to an estimated height of 88,000 feet – over 16 miles. At this altitude the sky is black and the curvature of the earth is clearly visible.
Could Concorde be caught?
Another test took place in 1984, whereby British Airways kindly offered a challenge to all allied air forces to see if it was possible to catch Concorde. This particular gauntlet was picked up by the USAF with their F15, F14 Tomcat, the venerable F104 Star Fighter, the French Mirage, and of course Flight Lieutenant Mike Hale in his English Electric Lightning XR 749.
With Concorde flying at mach 2.04 on this particular flight, nothing could catch it – except the Lightning, again much to the surprise of the Concorde crew, and disappointment of the American and French air forces.
Lightning XM135 in need of a fix
Another Lightning story concerns XM 135, now proudly on display at the Duxford Air Museum. It was at number 33, Maintenance Unit, RAF Lyneham with a troublesome electrical fault. Several attempts to fix it had been carried out with limited success. It was then decided that a quick but very short run down the tarmac was necessary to finally determine the fault but there were no pilots available.
The commanding officer, Squadron Leader Walter ‘Taffy’ Holden, was keen to get it out and back to its own unit. Walter did have some previous flying experience, in a single engine propeller driven training aircraft, but after he achieved his wings, he decided to go down the engineering route. But Taffy was nothing if not decisive. All the Lightning needed surely was a quick throttle up for a second or two, bring it to a stop and do it again. What could possibly go wrong?
Taffy Holden vs XM135
The canopy had been removed for ease of access, and the ejector seat disconnected for safety and on 22 July 1966 in jumped Taffy without a proper helmet, so far so good, and who needs a helmet when you’re not going to take off anyway.
The engines started, no problem, so Taffy then pushed the throttle fully forward. Unfortunately, and unknown to Taffy, the throttle controls had pre-heat notches for each engine and once past these notches the throttle could not be returned without prior instruction in which Taffy was found wanting.
Luckily on delivery a few days earlier, the proper pilot had left the aircraft in take-off mode, whereby all the flaps, slats and all that malarkey was in the correct position for take off. Otherwise Taffy would soon have been flying straight and level through about a dozen bedrooms in the village of Lyneham, causing untold mayhem. Encountering the first bedroom would have seen him off instantly. Taffy was able to squeeze back on the stick and he was then airborne, but in a rocket-ship trying to do what it did best and that was frighten anyone brave enough to sit in the cockpit.
An unexpected addition to Taffy’s limited flight log
Luck was on Walter’s side that day. He eventually figured out how to take the engines out of pre-heat and also had the wit to circle the airfield so that he wouldn’t get lost, which was a distinct and speedy possibility.
The happy end to this story is that Squadron Leader Walter ‘Taffy’ Holden did eventually manage to land the aircraft without any mechanical damage, although his trousers were never the same again. Not only did he not get the sack, which he thought would be his inevitable fate, but he was able to add to his very limited flight log “Five minutes in a Lightning”.
