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The English Electric Lightning is a British fighter aircraft that served as an interceptor during the 1960s, the 1970s and into the late 1980s. It was capable of a top speed of above Mach 2. The Lightning was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric.
On 31st January 1947, the former 91 Squadron was redesignated 92 Squadron, flying the Meteor before re-equipping with the Sabre and then the Hunter. While flying the Hunter in 1960, the squadron was designated as the RAF's aerobatic squadron, with the name Blue Diamonds, a name the squadron carried on after tranferring to the Lightning.
In 1962 the official aerobatic team of RAF became The Tigers from No. 74 Squadron. They were equipped with nine English Electric Lightning F. 1A aircraft and are the first team in the world to uses aircraft capable of reaching Mach 2 (twice as the speed of sound).
The first prototype, designated the P.1, took to the air on the 4th of August 1954, piloted by Roland Beamont, EE's chief test pilot. Powered by Sapphire engines, on its third flight (on the 11th) it exceeded Mach 1 in level flight, the first British aircraft to do so.
From 1963 the official aerobatic team of the Royal Air Force became the Firebirds which fly nine English Electric Lightning F.Mk 1A aircraft. The team was from No 56th Squadron at Wattisham, Suffolk as all planes were painted in the squadron's paint scheme in overall silver and red tail.
Apr 5, 2021 · The Lightning was a radical aircraft from the outset. Born of a 1947 Ministry of Supply study, English Electric designed the P1 with twin, vertically mounted engines. The first official P1A flight, with WG760, was on August 4, 1954 in the hands of Chief Test Pilot Roland Beamont.
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Jan 2, 2013 · I remember that the static had T-33A 53-5049 (Buzz No. TR-049) and the flying had a USAF refuelling demo by KB-50J 49-0376 with RB-66B 54-0529 (serials provided by a couple of kind spotters as I did not have a telescope at that time) plus 74 sqdn was the Lightning aerobatic team.
