The English Electric Lightning was the only single-seat supersonic interceptor fighter designed and manufactured in the UK. It saw service with the RAF in the sixties and seventies and gained a worthy reputation for its speed ( in excess of Mach 2 ) and phenomenal rate of climb. It was, however, a not entirely reliable aeroplane and over fifty were lost during its operational career. In this book, the author has gathered together 16 personal accounts of what it was like to fly the Lightning, thrilling stories that convey the immense brute power of the machine and also its many pitfalls. It will enthrall the enormous following the aircraft still enjoys. Two are now flying in South Africa and four are being restored to flight-worthy condition in the UK. To see a Lightning take off and climb vertically until it vanishes into the sky is one of the most spectacular sights in aviation.

© 2004 Pen & Sword Aviation (Ebook): 9781781594285

Release date

Ebook: September 19, 2004