FighterControl

I was able to enjoy quite a number of 'working day' visits to Binbrook during the final months of operations. Both 5 and 11 Squadrons were very obliging. I particularly enjoyed seeing the engineering side of this magnificent aircraft, and although the 'cull' had started to reduce some short houred frames ready for scrap and to recover spare parts thankfully a number of the fleet are still available to see and visit even today.
This visit was on the 9th July 1987 and starts in the LESF (Lightning Engineering & Servicing Flt.) hangar formerly used by the LTF (Lightning Training Flight), then onto the operational flight line before going back inside to 11 Squadron's hangar. Some of the frames had already had their identity's removed with serial and markings painted out.
There's a few here so please enjoy

F.3 XP750 ex. 'DE' LTF - parts recovery well underway






F.6 XS903 'AO' 5 Squadron under major service


XR757 'BL' 11 Squadron under major service


Serial on this ex. 11 Squadron frame written in biro on the masking tape on the nose!




This TF-100F from Flight Systems Inc. operated with the RAE Bedford over the North Sea for several weeks






F.6 XR773


T.5 XS419 ex. 'DV' LTF




T.5 XS417 'DZ' under maintenance


T.5 XS458 'DY' awaiting a bay inside




Out onto the operational flight line with just 3 aircraft in use - XR755 'BN', XR726 'BM' and XR758 'BF'






















Now back inside to 11 Squadron's hangar
F.6 XR725 'BA' the flagship for OC/11 Sqdn


F.6 XR754 'BC'




F.6 XR756 'BH' only 1.8 hours remaining on frame


F.6 XS919 'BB'




T.5 XS452 'BT' under maintenance




T.5 XV328 'DU' awaiting seat swop






Back out onto the line to see the Tornado F.3 ZE206 'BF' from 29 Squadron which had arrived the day previous with an emergency












Hope you enjoyed these
3Greens

Excellent!

Enjoy? You bet . Great post but then I am a self-confessed lover of Lightnings. Many thanks for posting these.

Very nice indeed.

Thanks for sharing

Kev

Hi Keith

Absolutely fabulous mate , what else can I say!!

Those pics look like they were taken yesterday as they are so clear. Pure nostalgia at its very best.
I can remember a visit to Binbrook as a school leaver in 87. We were guests of 5 sqn and were so well looked after. I remember they were filming that day, Calendar or Look North and we were taken to the side of the runway near the decoys to watch a QRA demo using 2 Lightnings , XS932 and 933. The pilots dashed to the jets, climbed the ladders, into the cockpit, strapped in, flicked the buttons after an almighty whoosh from the starter the engines started with a jet of flame from each and off they went and straight into the vertical. It seemed like a 2-3 mins from climbing the ladder to going into the vertical!! What a sight, what a noise and what a privilege for 2 16yr olds to witness!!

Excellent stuff Keith as usual

Regards Glenn

Keith, all crackers as usual.

We had some some good days at Binbrook.

Tim

Excellent post!
It reminded me of the excellent (at the same time sad) day during the following month when the final Binbrook airshow occurred (22/8/87). I made a special trip with friends from Bournemouth that day to attend the show and I remember seeing all those lovely frames in hangars, outside and in the air. I think it was the very next day when the Lightnings were withdrawn from use and 5 Sqn and the LTF were disbanded
Thanks for the super pics and the nostalgic trip

Great stuff..

Very nice - great topics, brilliant quality! Thanks for sharing.

Great shots, although sad in a way. I too made it to the last Lightning show at Binbrook, but the Lightnings weren't withdrawn until the following Summer. I think that 5 Squadron were the first to go, leaving 11 Squadron to operate for a few more months. The last RAF ones I saw in service were at the Mildenhall show in 1988. From what I recall, the last display was at RAF North Coates of all places, so a bit low key.

Absolutely awesome! Much better weather than in August of that year! I never managed to get into the hangars during the airshow so seeing these shots is superb! Thanks for sharing. I never realised the F-100 was based there temporarily

Great pictures.
And great memories.

My one and only vist to Binbrook was 3 days earlier At the start of our trip through England we (4 boys from The Netherlands) had to vist Binbrook and see Lightnings in the flesh.
A great and hot day including the FS F-100F.

Excellent set, thank you so much for sharing.


Paddy will be misty eyed when he sees these in the morning.

Hi Keith



‘Misty eyed’

I’m in floods, Rog

My all-time favourite aeroplane: a proper Lightning

Thanks for a superb, memory-jerking post, Keith

Paddyboy

Great set Keith.Alway good to see a few LIghtning photos .Thanks for posting

Superb post Keith, these bring back so many memories, thank you for posting

Paul

Pure Gold.
Would love to have experienced a visit to RAF Binbrook in its heyday... fortunately I'm old enough to remember Lightnings flying and displaying. Good memories.

binbrook87 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 7:21 pm

Absolutely awesome! Much better weather than in August of that year! I never managed to get into the hangars during the airshow so seeing these shots is superb! Thanks for sharing. I never realised the F-100 was based there temporarily

Yes, the "Last, last Lightning Show" was a tad wet! As I recall, all hangars had their doors cracked open enough to be able to see what was inside, I think most had a list or a map of what was where in the hangar for the spotters (i.e. ME!) to be able to work out what we saw. Quite a day out! In fact, after the excitement of the amazing 11-ship launch in the murk and clag (and the brilliant diamond 9 passes that followed), it took 20 years to attend a show that lived up to that one, when I went to the Mustang meet at Columbus, OH in 2007!

Great memories!

The Last Last Lightning show for me, has never been surpassed!

Many, many hours spent at the crash gates as a teenager, one lovely day before the last show, Group Captain John Spencer came rocking up to the gate offering a free ticket for the show, nobody volunteered!! So I did free entry to the best show ever!!

Many years later 40 something years old, on my first trip to Bruntingthorpe, I got to sit in the cockpit of his Lightning XR728 JS. The memories and the smiles of all those years ago came flooding back (the wind caused the eyes to water too!!).

Every once in a while a thread is started that brings memories flooding back, this is most definately one of those, thank you.

sschofield wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 02, 2024 3:22 pm

binbrook87 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 01, 2024 7:21 pm

Absolutely awesome! Much better weather than in August of that year! I never managed to get into the hangars during the airshow so seeing these shots is superb! Thanks for sharing. I never realised the F-100 was based there temporarily

Yes, the "Last, last Lightning Show" was a tad wet! As I recall, all hangars had their doors cracked open enough to be able to see what was inside, I think most had a list or a map of what was where in the hangar for the spotters (i.e. ME!) to be able to work out what we saw. Quite a day out! In fact, after the excitement of the amazing 11-ship launch in the murk and clag (and the brilliant diamond 9 passes that followed), it took 20 years to attend a show that lived up to that one, when I went to the Mustang meet at Columbus, OH in 2007!

Great memories!

I don't remember a map (because I arrived a little late?), so does anyone have one that they could put on this thread? Many thanks, TM74