Aviation_News_2017-03

Thankfully, the weather held on the

uphill cycle ride from Market Rasen to RAF

Binbrook. I arrived without delay having

ridden past queuing traffic and more and

more pedestrians approaching the air eld.

It was only some time afterwards that I

heard of and met people who could not get

to the event due to the jams. Police turned

people away many miles from the base.

Organisers had helpfully made all

the remaining Lightnings visible to the

enthusiast, so it was possible to see more

than 60 on the day. Many were in a poor

state, used as decoys or for crash rescue

training on the other side of the air eld.

As for the show, there was silver

Lightning F.6 XP693 from BAe Warton in

the static display along with a based T.5

and F.3. From overseas air arms there

were two Royal Danish Air Force F-16s,

a West German Air Force Tornado from

its element of the Tri-national Tornado

Training Establishment as well as a USAF

contingent. This consisted of an A-10A

from the 91st Tactical Fighter Squadron

(TFS) at RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, F-5E

from the 527th Aggressor Squadron at

RAF Alconbury in Cambridgeshire, F-111E

from the 55th TFS at RAF Upper Heyford,

Oxfordshire plus an F-15C from the 53rd

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 53

A pair of Phantom FG.1s from 111 Sqn, based

at RAF Leuchars, were present in the static.

The Phantom took over the air defence

role from the Lightning – making the duo’s

attendance particularly appropriate.

Lightning F.6 XP693 was a trials aircraft throughout

its  ying career. It  rst  ew on June 16, 1962 as an

F.3 but was later converted to an F.6.

The French Air Force provided the

Mirage F1C for the  ying display.

50-54_lightning_talesDC.mfDC.mf.indd 53 02/02/2017 18:18