Overview

With an unmistakable design and classic natural metal finish, the English Electric Lightning is a powerful example of the enormous capabilities of post-war British aeronautical design. First developed in response to a requirement in 1947, English Electric's design was so radical that it was initially opposed by the RAE at Farnborough. Despite this, it was later to become the only all-British supersonic aircraft to enter production and the last all-British single-seat fighter. Although the type suffered from chronic underdevelopment throughout much of its career, which adversely affected its export potential, it remained a success at home and skilfully defended UK air space for more than 25 years. The first prototype took to the air on 4 August 1954, and on its third flight it became the first British aircraft to exceed Mach 1 in level flight. In late 1956 an order for 20 aircraft was placed so that testing of every aspect of the new fighter could be accelerated. In October 1958 the RAF officially named its new aircraft as the 'Lightning' and the first production Lightings were delivered to Number 74 Squadron at Coltishall on 29 June 1960. Capable of a performance to match even today's fighters with speeds of Mach 2 and an unsurpassed rate of climb and ceiling, the Lightning served in the front line of the RAF through many of the hottest years of the Cold War until the late 1980s. However, it was eventually hampered by its short range, increasingly outmoded avionics and modern-day weapons-load capability. Today, the last examples can be seen flying in South Africa. This well researched book is the very first detailed history of the Lightning type for many years. With an exciting range of new material from EE company photographic archives, the author delves into the history of the Lightning, including details about its design and development, operational history, his own flying experiences in the Lightning, export and overseas operators, and personal accounts.

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9781906537036

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"Tim McLelland is an established aviation writer and photographer with an interest in all aspects of aerospace, specialising primarily in post-war military subjects. He has authored a wide range of books on a variety of subjects. He has also produced numerous features for many aerospace both in the UK and overseas. His contributions have appeared in magazines such as Aircraft Illustrated, Air Extra, Armed Forces, Air Forces Monthly, Flypast, Aviation News and many other well-known titles. Tim McLelland also edited Air Forces International magazine, a military aviation publication produced by an overseas publisher. He also edited Scale Models magazine, and also edited the house magazine of the International Plastic Modellers Society (UK). As part of his photography and writing work, Tim McLelland counts himself fortunate to have been afforded a great deal of direct access to military units around the world, talking to serving air crew and staff officers on all aspects of operational and training activities. He also regards himself as being particularly fortunate to have been given many opportunities to fly as passenger in a wide range of combat aircraft, enabling him to see first-hand what military flying is all about. His ""log book"" includes types such as the Jaguar, Lightning, Harrier, Tornado fighter, Tornado bomber, Hawk, Hunter, F-4 Phantom (both in US and British service), Buccaneer, Nimrod, Canberra, Hercules, VC10, Chinook, and many others, as well as historical types such as the Lancaster and Shackleton and a number of flights with the world-famous Red Arrows, and the US Navy's Blue Angels team. Away from the world of military operations, Tim McLelland also worked with Channel 4 Television, as a stills photographer, on the Treasure Hunt and Interceptor TV series. His published works include Buccaneer (Haynes - A detailed account of the Buccaneer strike aircraft, exploring the design and development of this significant post-war aircraft, culminating in a description of modern Buccaneer operations, prior to the type's withdrawal from RAF service); Vulcan - A Complete History (Crecy - An authoritative and detailed exploration of the Vulcan bomber, including a full description of the type's design, combined with first-hand accounts from former air and ground crew associated with the aircraft); The RAF Manual (Cassell - Designed to provide the reader with a detailed reference source, this large and detailed publication includes information on the RAF's squadrons, airfields, weapons and support equipment, combined with detailed descriptions of typical operational and training exercises); Fighter Pilot (Virgin - Produced as a ""fly-on-the-wall"" account, this popular book (reprinted in paperback) explores the RAF's selection and training procedures and takes the reader through to the front-line, with first-hand accounts from serving pilots and descriptions of typical training missions); Tiger Meet (Osprey/Reed - An all-colour photographic essay, exploring Nato's ""Tiger"" squadron community. Images of combat aircraft in flight and on the ground, combined with informative captions); Flying Tankers (Osprey/Reed- Colour photographic coverage of aerial refuelling tanker operations with ""action"" images of tanker and receiver combat aircraft, with descriptive captions); Hunter - A Complete History (Crecy - A large, detailed and authoritative account of the Hawker Hunter fighter, with details on the aircraft's design and development, service history and exports, combined with accounts from former Hunter pilots, and a detailed production listing for every Hunter operated in UK military service); Aircraft Modelling (Ian Allan - An illustrated comprehensive guide to collecting and building model aircraft, looking at available products, creative skills and associated topics such as reference sources, information and hobby groups, etc.): Avro Vulcan (Cassell - A detailed account of the design and development of the Vulcan strategic bomber. Reprinted in paperback, this book includes accounts from former Vulcan air and ground crew, combined with technical and production data and a complete historical account of every aircraft built); RAF - Ready and Focused (An all-colour photographic celebration of the modern Royal Air Force, comprising of images showing all of the RAF's recent and current operational, support and training aircraft both in the air and on the ground, combined with informative captions.); Fight's On (Airlife - Exploring the world of military combat training, this all-colour photographic book includes images of a wide variety of modern military aircraft ""in action"" in the air, with supporting caprions, explaining the role of ""aggressor"" training and dissimilar aircraft flying.); C-130 Hercules (Airlife - Celebrating the world-wide success of the mighty Hercules transport aircraft, this book combines all-new colour photography with an informative text, describing many aspects of Hercules operations around the world.) Tim McLelland lives in Sheffield."

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