Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) A proper Lightning

The British Lightning once outran the F-14 and F-15 to catch a Concorde? 🧐 This isn't a fairytale, it happened in April 1985 during a NATO exercise. British Airways offered up their supersonic flagship as the ultimate high-altitude rabbit, challenging NATO’s best of the best to a stern-chase intercept at Mach 2.2 at 57,000 ft. While the "Teen Series" superstars struggled to close the gap in the thin, freezing air of the stratosphere, the "old man" of the group - the EE Lightning - was the only one with the raw lungs to overhaul the Concorde and claim the "kill."

Probably put the air brakes away though for that.

Richard
A cracking aircraft. It's such a shame that the UK government put such a wall up to stop a group flying one! At MOD Boscombe Down we have a 2 seater as a gate guardian.

The follow up fighter aircraft was as fast on one engine, and it had two! I'm talking about the TSR-2! Unfortunately the Americans killed it, and tried to sell us us the F111.

Dave, I shall have to pay that one a visit, most of the time that the Tigers were based at Coltishall they were a conversion unit so plenty of side by sides as well as the hot North Sea Bear intercepts.

Nothing quite like them for brute power.

Absolutely - another misguided uk government decision.

I will have to sign you in!

We'll do that some time soon then, when I am a bit more robust..

I flew in Concorde once London to JFK. What a plane. Mach 2, 55,000ft and a still & quiet watching 747s going slow below going rapidly backwards at 700 mph & the stars above.
When the afterburners kicked in it moved.
But it had 4 of the engines the lightning had 2 of the same. The lightning must have been a ride to savor even if it had no range..

Excellent John.

The Concorde had 4 Olympus engines and the Lightning had 2 Avons fitted.

But just about the same. Concorde was jaw dropping. At Mach 0.98 & 32,000 ft over the Bristol Channel the pilot hit the go levers & it hit Mach 2 & 55,000 ft in what seemed seconds.