Why is the English Electric Lightning not allowed?
Table of Contents
Why is the English Electric Lightning not allowed?
The shape of the Lightning meant that space for fuel was at a premium and while the Lightning carried as much fuel as its design allowed, it was not sufficient to keep it in the air for long when it flew at speed.
When was the English Electric Lightning made?
By 1963, the newly formed British Aircraft Corporation (which had subsumed English Electric) were working on a design for a two-seat Lightning development with a variable-geometry wing….Specifications (F. 6)
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Maximum Speed | Mach 2.0 (1,300mph / 2,100 kph) at 36,000 ft |
| Maximum range | 850miles (1,370km) |
What happened to Thunder City Lightnings?
Following a fatal accident in 2009 in which an English Electric Lightning crashed at an airshow, the company ceased flying operations after the accident investigation found major shortcomings in its maintenance programme.
Who built the English Electric Lightning?
English Electric
British Aircraft Corporation
English Electric Lightning/Manufacturers
Who made the English Electric Lightning?
What replaced the RAF Lightning?
Tornado F3s
The Lightning’s direct replacement was the Tornado F3s, an interceptor variant of the Panavia Tornado. The Tornado featured several advantages over the Lightning, including a far larger weapons load and considerably more advanced avionics. Lightnings were slowly phased out of service between 1974 and 1988.
Does thunder city still exist?
Thunder City, which has the world’s largest civilian-owned fleet of ex-combat jets including three English Electric Lightnings, three BAe Buccaneers, seven Hawker Hunters and a retrofitted Puma helicopter, is to cease flying operations with immediate effect.
What happened to GEC?
The General Electric Company, or GEC, was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering….General Electric Company.
| Type | Public limited company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1886 |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Defence arm bought by British Aerospace to form BAE Systems (1999) GEC renamed Marconi (1999) |
What was the British Electric Lightning used for?
The English Electric Lightning belongs even today amongst the most successful interception fighters, and it was the first British aircraft to fly at twice the speed of sound. Yet at first, the Lightning as the P.1 was only a research airframe to examine flight attitude in the supersonic arena.
What was the last British Lightning Jet?
The final British Lightning was the Lightning F.2A. This was an F.2 upgraded with the cambered wing, the squared fin, and the 610 imperial gallons (2,800 L) ventral tank. The F.2A retained the A.I.23 and Firestreak missile, the nose cannon, and the earlier Avon 211R engines.
Why does the Lightning have a limited range?
The Lightning has exceptional rate of climb, ceiling, and speed; pilots have described flying it as “being saddled to a skyrocket”. This performance and the initially limited fuel supply meant that its missions are dictated to a high degree by its limited range.
Is the Lightning the only UK fighter capable of Mach 2?
It remains the only UK-designed-and-built fighter capable of Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric, which was later absorbed by the newly-formed British Aircraft Corporation.