English Electric Lightning

XS417

Britain's first Mach 2 fighter  that served for 40 years on the front line ,I remember them fondly flying about Lincolnshire and at air show's , sadly now confined to museum's but at least there are lots of survivors here are a few that I have managed to snap around the UK .

XM135

ZF588

XM192

XR753

XS903

XG337

WG760

WG768

Starting with the top photo :

XS417- a T5 version Newark Air Museum 

XM 135- F1 shown in 74 Tiger Squadron markings at IWM Duxford ,this was the last F1 to fly

ZF588 -an F.53really serial number 53.693 Royal Saudi Air Force painted as an 74 Squadron aircraft at East Midlands Air Museum

XM192- an F.1A with a long career part of its history being as a subject for Airfix models when it served with 111 Squadron ,now at Thorpe Camp near Woodhall Spa

XR753- Hard to photograph mascot at R.A.F Coningsby 

XS 903 -F6 variant flown into Elvington Air Museum in 1988 were she is still on display

WG 760- P1A prototype also took part in fire streak missile trials now at Cosford

XG337 -F1 hanging in a vertical climb pose at Cosford in the cold war section.

WG768- not really a lightning but a Short SB5 built by the REA to test English Electrics theory's on swept wings and tails so a part of lightning history , also on show at Cosford.

There are a few more on display around the UK ,hopefully catch up within them all and will update if I do .

Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre

vampire nose and cockpit

uniform display

R.A.F Cranwell is a famous part of the R.A.F's history and just across the road from it the Heritage centre covers its story from being a R.N.A.S base to today as Training  collage .Entrance is free and it's a fascinating place ,lots of hands on stuff for the kids (or wife) to have fun with including a jet provost simulator in which the landed perfectly other than forgetting to put the under carriage down and I ran out of fuel miles from the landing strip ?

Lots of hands on stuff to play with 

Jet Provost

lots of displays and cabinets to view

B.A.O.R ,zombies ,survivors and other things finished in March

PSC Pz1V box set 3 models for £13.99 .

March has been a productive month for me , besides finishing my stags and modern police (see earlier post) for the guild painting competition ,I managed to complete 3 Pz 1V's  .some Zombie's and survivors and some B.A.O.R bits and even started my cold war Russians.

start of a Zombie Hoard

Various Manufacturers 

err...ok couldn't resist these 

St Trinians v Zombies ?

Scimitar 

S&S Recce Landies  lovely kits

F.O  and sniper

ZSU 23/4 S&S again  

Over all I am chuffed that I have done so much the PSC stuff is really good I am starting on their Late war german infantry now ,the S&S cold war vehicles are great ,I have had these since September and only just realised some of the crews arms and heads were missing so cut bits of other unused figures .The Zombies are Zombicide and Studio Miniatures for 7ombie TV rules and the Girls are the ones from Crooked Dice.The Scimitar is the Airfix one I mentioned earlier .

Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial

Former RAF Elvington is now home to a nice collection of Aircraft and vehicles covering pre WW2 up to recent times ,it is also the home to many memorials and displays  and boasts a rather fine restaurant so no excuse not to visit .The staff are mainly volunteers and are really helpful and informative and have "special days" when the engines on the DC 3 and Buccaneer are started up during our visit we were lucky to get a guided tour of the DC 3 Dakota complete with a taped recording of British Paras going into action from a Dakota after flying through flak .

Buccaneers

Dakota

..and inside ,its a very steep walk up to the cockpit

another Buccaneer 

yep Buccaneers 

Allied Air Forces Memorial 

Aircraft spotting in Lincolnshire

Thorpe Camp

Spotting Military Aircraft in Lincolnshire is not as easy as it used to be ,but with a few Air Bases still active and some nice museums its still possible all these were taken within an hour of each other on a visit today .

Beechcraft fron RAF Cranwell

Typhoon and Lightning Mascot at Coningsby

Pair of Typhoons

Typhoons taking off from Coningsby