Member Since: 14 Aug 2005
Location: Preston
Posts: 67
when i was an apprentice in the middle 60,s , did a bit of work at Warton where they were built. use to sit near the end of the runway having my butties watching them take off. They basically sat on there arses and took off vertically, brilliant sight. Also saw them testing the TSR2 ,another brilliant plane that the government abolished because of cost of building Concorde.ex DI D2 and D3 owner now have FFRR TDV8 but thinking of coming back to a D4 Love my Disco
30th Mar 2023 11:46 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13080
If you want impressive take offs, you want the Eurofighter Typhoon. That really does rotate in to the vertical off the ground without the "just fly level for a couple of seconds to build up speed" that Lightnings did. Better power-to-weight than the Lightning and enough fuel and weapons on board to actually get somewhere and do something.
But I do love the old Lightning. Classic British "we want a fast interceptor" and that's exactly what we got. A "climb like a homesick angel, fire two missiles, land, repeat" interceptor. Love it. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
It was said that the wings of the Lightning were only there to keep the navigation lights separated.
AFAIK, a Typhoon has yet to intercept a U2 or (a bit difficult, this one) intercept and then overtake Concorde.
2015 Volvo V40
2014 D4 HSE
2006 RRS - C'est mort. Fin... ...It's alive! Oh no, it's not - scrapped.
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31st Mar 2023 7:14 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13080
In it's day, the Lightning was amazing. To say "well nothing else has done X" when such things aren't going to happen today anyway is a little, er, disingenuous. Also, only one particular airframe actually did the special stuff. And it was considered to be a "particularly hot" aircraft.
The simple reality is that the Eurofighter is better in every metric. It climbs better, it's faster (especially when one considers supercruise), has better range and definitely carries way more "stuff" to use against the baddies. Add in the modern stuff like a radar that is second to none, IR sensors, a helmet and associated systems that allow "through the airframe" viewing and "over the shoulder" weapon cuing, and you have an aircraft that is absolutely night-and-day better.
It's a bit like the Vulcan. Everyone loves it, but the Victor was by far a better bomb carrier in any situation other than low level.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
Also the Typhoon is made of plastic and composite, making it much lighter to weight ratio. I worked on both these aircraft, and both had there quirks.
Both A/c have great pedigrees, but the Lightning hold's a special place, I went to my local village school, this actual school.
{https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-freckleton-air-disaster-the-story-behind-the-tragedy-in-lancashire/}
I remember well when the lightning took off it used to shake all the dust out of the school roof and lights, showering us kids with dirt and dust. Sadly the school is no longer there now.
When I was growing up in my parent's house, the house is in line with the runway, the house at the end had its windows cracked and the chimney stack destroyed, when a lightning did a low pass in 60's.
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