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The need for speed
The mighty Lightning was propelled by two
Rolls-Royce Avon RA24 turbojets, mounted
one above the other in the fuselage with the
lower engine forward of the upper. Between
the Avon 210 in the Lightning F1 to the Avon
302C in the Lightning F53, dry thrust was
increased from 11,090lb to 12,030lb, and thrust
in afterburner (or ‘reheat’ as it was then known)
from 14,140lb to 15,740lb. RAF pilots loved
ying the Lightning, despite its shortcomings- range, endurance, armament – and its
demanding ying characteristics. Things
happened fast in the cockpit of a Lightning,
and this required the pilot to think quickly
and to react accordingly. The Lightning was, in
every respect, a ghter pilot’s aeroplane.
The Lightning was retired from the RAF in 1988, much to the chagrin of its pilots.