The English Electric Lightning had a very impressive performance and a high work load for the pilot. It was the job of the highly experianced pilots of Lightning Training Flight ( LTF ) at RAF Binbrook to convert other pilots to the Lightning. During a NATO exercise a Lightning intercepted a very surprised U2 pilot at 88,000 ft.
The Lightning was for all practical purposes the last truly British air-superiority fighter. From the 1960s on, the British government would, for good reasons but not always with the tidiest results, join into collaborations with other nations to develop leading-edge combat aircraft such as the Jaguar, Tornado, and Eurofighter Typhoon. The Lightning was the last of a very distinguished breed.
The painting depicts a Lightning Mk6 of LTF climbing under full after burner. This aircraft is now preserved at Bruntingthorpe and is one of a pair of Lightning which kept in ground running condition by the Lightning Preservation Group. It regulary takes part in fast taxi runs.
Artist Paul Howard.
Available as a A3 or 20x16 inch print.
