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From the first flight of the prototype P.1 on 4 August 1954 to the final flight of a Lightning in RAF service in 1988, the English Electric Lightning earned a unique reputation in the glamorous world of single-seat fighters. Everything about the aircraft shouted for attention, from the wild colour schemes of the 1960s to the breathtaking rotation take-offs and gloriously noisy, thunderous airshow routines that were just a small part of its flamboyant character. For those pilots lucky enough, and then good enough to fly it, here was a truly supersonic fighter with an integrated radar/weapons system and twice the performance of the legendary Hawker Hunter. It was outrageously overpowered, always short of fuel, intimidating to master and exhilarating to fly; small wonder then that it became an instant favourite with everyone who ever flew, serviced or supported the Lightning.
This classic portrayal of 92 Squadron's flagship Lightning F2A XN778 "King Cobra" taking off from a rain-swept RAF Gutersloh in 1977 pays tribute to the legendary fighter, its pilots and the engineers who enjoyed a love / hate relationship with the difficult and technically challenging Lightning.
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