Lightning Eject: The Dubious Safety Record of Britain's Only Supersonic Fighter

by Peter Caygill

Overview

"The English Electric Lightning entered RAF squadron service in 1960 and continued flying in the interceptor role until 1988. It had a stunning world-beating performance with a top speed in excess of Mach 2 and a climb rate that would take it to 40,000 feet in a little over 3 minutes. The aircrafts safety record, however, left much to be desired. During a period in the early 1970s the attrition rate was the loss of a Lightning every month. There was a six per cent chance of a pilot experiencing an engine fire and a one in four chance that he would not survive.This book looks at Lightning accidents and incidents in chronological order using the official accident reports, Board of Inquiry findings and firsthand accounts from pilots. It puts the reader very much in the cockpit. "

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783376285
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Aviation
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Peter Caygill has had a lifelong interest in aviation history. His previous books The Darlington Spitfire (1840370769) and Spitfire Mark V in Action (1840372486) were both published by Airlife. He obtained a private pilot's license in 1979 and is a member of Cleveland Flying School.

Table of Contents

Introduction vi

Chapter 1 The Lightning in Service 1

Chapter 2 A Golden Age 13

Chapter 3 Enter the F.6 36

Chapter 4 The Lightning Worldwide 55

Chapter 5 The Engine Fire Epidemic 69

Chapter 6 Lightning Accident Review 88

Chapter 7 Picking up the Pieces 95

Chapter 8 Still Supreme 118

Chapter 9 Wind-Down 128

Chapter 10 Lightning Lair 136

Chapter 11 Lightning Swansong 152

Chapter 12 The Final Reckoning 159

In Memoriam 167

Glossary 168

Appendix 1 RAF Aircraft Damage Categories 171

Appendix 2 Lightning Write-Offs in RAF Service 172

Appendix 3 Lightning F.3 Selected Emergency Drills 177

Index 182