56 FLYPAST August 2018
FROM THE WORKSHOP ENGLISH ELECTRIC LIGHTNING
56 FLYPAST August 2018
“The fi rst job was to start cleaning, as the aircraft had been co-opted into the
Essex saltmarsh ecosystem. Apart from its substantial coating of algae and moss,
the spine was almost full of owl pellets, together with nests and eggshells”
in the windscreen remains as a
reminder of XN726’s final service.
The first job was to start
cleaning, as the aircraft had been
co-opted into the Essex saltmarsh
ecosystem. Apart from its
substantial coating of algae and
moss, the spine was almost full of
owl pellets, together with nests
and eggshells.
Luckily I still had some spares
squirrelled away from my previous
cockpit restoration, including a
canopy. I possess no engineering
skills whatsoever, but a very
practical friend of mine, Kelvin
Petty, was keen to assist. I ‘helped’
him to fit the replacement canopy,
which he connected to a hand
pump so it could be opened and
closed hydraulically.
Internal corrosion
and shrapnel damage
weren’t as bad as
I feared and a
good clean with
water and white
spirit, followed
by a spray with
WD40 penetrating
oil, improved
the appearance
significantly. One good
thing about the poor condition of
the cockpit was that everything I did
made it look better.
Parts for the F.2A can be hard
to come by as the aircraft had
served mainly in West Germany.
Fortunately, a number of
instruments and panels were left
in the cockpit, although several
were smashed and many consoles
had superficial corrosion.
Replacements and additions were
obtained from various sources
including aeromarts, online
auction sites and contacts in the
Lightning world.
Lincolnshire-based Darren
Swinn has been particularly
helpful. He’s restoring the frontfuselage section of sister aircraft
F.2A XN728, formerly the well-
known hulk beside the A1 road
at Balderton, Nottinghamshire.
We’ve been able to exchange
information, swap items for our
rare Lightning variants or borrow
instrument mountings, and the
like, to copy.
Kelvin helped me remove
items and I took them home to
strip down, clean and treat any
corrosion. Lightning F.1s and T.4
two-seaters had cockpit internals
painted black whereas those in
F.2s and later versions were grey.I found a patchwork of different
tones, as some scuffs and
scratches had clearly been
touched-up in service, not always
very carefully or with the same
shade. This information was filed
away in case a fellow ‘anorak’
accused me of not using the
‘official’ colours!
The minimum possible internal
repainting was carried out, using
model-making paints. I wanted
to keep the interior as close as
possible to its original ‘in service’
condition, rather than have it look
factory-fresh. There’s a fine line
between retaining a ‘used’ look (or
‘patina’ if you’re in the antiques
world) and giving the impression
it’s ready for the scrapyard.The front fuselage of XN726 arrives by
truck at Boscombe Down on
April 1, 2000.Lightning F.2A XN726 next to a former
Fleet Air Arm Supermarine Scimitar at
Shoeburyness.The port ‘elephant ear’, which covers the
main equipment bay, after repainting –
including English and German stencilling.