Will This English Electric Lightning Start?

Comments · 692

• TH

  @TheBluebirdProject · 10 days ago · pinned

  A huge thanks to everyone who&apos;s watched, commented and shared their stories about the Lightning. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading them — there’s an extraordinary amount of knowledge and experience in the comments here.<br><br>If you’re new to the Bluebird Project, have a look around the channel. There are plenty more films where we get inside remarkable machines, investigate accidents and engineering mysteries.<br><br>And a particular thank you to the Lightning Association team for letting me poke my nose into their world — and, of course, to Slender Steve for going considerably further and poking his entire body into an English Electric Lightning and John the Pilot for his splendid and ofttimes hilarious sarcasm. 😂<br><br>Welcome aboard all, and thanks for watching. — Bill

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• PU

  @PurityVendetta · 11 days ago

  My mum worked at RAF 16MU. She always says it was the best job she ever had an she&apos;s immensely proud that she worked to keep these aircraft, Lightnings and the V Force, in the air all over the world by supplying spare parts.<br>She&apos;s just lost my dad and is suffering with the early stages of dementia. I&apos;m going to show her this video tomorrow as I &nbsp;know I&apos;ll cheer her up and bring back good memories.<br><br>Thanks guys.

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• DM

  @dmi60 · 10 days ago

  Brought back memories from the 70’s when as ‘line swine’ I used to go down the intake. Examples are Someone testing the crackers (igniters) when you’re inside - that always got the heart rate up. &nbsp;Some comedian fitting the blank so you couldn’t get out. Taking the ladder away so you couldn’t climb down. Going down straight after shutdown to do a Friday afternoon AF coz the sooner you do it the sooner you got stood down - hot and airless &nbsp;Going down after a bird strike. Struggling to get out and getting so wound up the only thing you could do was reverse back in have a lay down and try to relax and try again. Breathing out as you go in over the top of the bullet so you naturally corkscrewed (fell) in. Grabbing someone’s ankles through the aux intakes. Trying not to bend the standby pitot tube as you stumbled to get on the ladder. I can hardly remember my own name but this video has triggered something from 47 years ago.

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• BR

  @brianwillson9567 · 12 days ago

  Wow. Never seen INSIDE a frightening before. A brilliant video and mega mega congratulations guys for keeping the bird alive.

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• PO

  @potrzebieneuman4702 · 11 days ago

  I&apos;ve absolutely loved E.E. Lightnings since I was a 4 year old child and my Grandfather gave me a Dinky Toys metal Lightning which by the way I still have. One of the highlights of my life was to spend a year in the U.K. in 1983 and watch a Lightning perform at an airshow there. I&apos;ll never forget the Lightning coming down the length of the airstrip at low level and then banking wings vertical to starboard in a turn letting me look straight up the jet pipes of the 2 Avons which by this time were side by side. The noise and smell of the kerosene was intoxicating and the whole display is something that has been burned into my now 70 year old brain. I&apos;m so glad someone is resurrecting this beautiful and historic AC to take to the skies again because there is literally NOTHING that comes close to the guttural feeling I got that day on the airfield behind a chain fence.

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• RI

  @richardstamper5630 · 11 days ago

  I love the simplicity of your explanations and the &quot;can do&quot; attitude - right up my street.

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• AO

  @aoaxa · 11 days ago (edited)

  I was the JEngO on 5(F) Sqn at RAF Binbrook 1984/85. This is a wonderful video that took me back to my early 20s. Wonderful guys, brilliant aircraft, I was almost in tears watching ‘AE’ in action again. I used to crawl down past the radar to inspect the engine compressor blades (those were the days!), I remember the rubber hammer getting the T-bird going when I was sitting in the cockpit waiting to go. Thanks guys!

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• IA

  @iannicholson6019 · 10 days ago

  I&apos;m 87 and I remember the first time I saw a Lightening &nbsp;fly at R A F Finningley, where &nbsp;the RAF held air displays every year in the 60/70s. What an experience to see, hear and feel the power of this remarkable aircraft &nbsp;as it climbed vertically above us wee mortals watching in awe below.

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• FR

  @Francesco-mo5cl · 9 days ago

  please never stop posting this type of videos explaining startup and maintenance, theyre just gorgeous

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• MI

  @mikesalmon434 · 11 days ago

  The team have done a wonderful job of restoration, the aircraft is looking pristine, beautiful.

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• BU

  @Buster-motorbike · 11 days ago

  My first ATC camp was RAF Coltishall in the early 70&apos;s. Lightenings were still on base. I vividly remember drilling on the parade square when a Lightening did a vertical climb directly above us. I nearly parked my breakfast in my trousers! The noise was painful.<br>Later during the week, the Lightenings flew out and were replaced by early Jaguars. Cherished memories. <br>I have a great deal to thank 308 (Colchester) Squadron ATC for.

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• PA

  @patricktortolano6271 · 11 days ago

  I’ve seen various videos about the lightning over the years but absolutely none of them came close to explaining how the plane actually works. <br>Your videos provide exactly the level of detail (clearly explained) that I’ve been looking for. <br>Can’t want for the next one!

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