BAC Lightning jet fighter of the Royal
Air Force shown in aviation art prints by Michael Rondot. Including Lightning's
of 19 and 145 squadrons. The last pure British jet
fighter, the Lightning is shown in these wonderful aviation art prints,
available from Cranston Fine Arts.
English Electric (later BAC)
Lightning. Originally designed by W F Petter (the designer of the
Canberra) The first Lighting Prototype was first flown on the 4th
August 1954 by Wing Commander R P Beamont at Boscombe Down. The second
prototype P1A, The name of Lightning was not used until 1958)
(WG763) was shown at the Farnborough show in September 1955. The Third
prototype was flown in April 1957 and was the first British aircraft ever
to fly at Mach 2 on the 25th November 1958 The first production
aircraft made its first flight on 3rd November 1959 and entered
operational service with the RAF on the 29th June 1960with |NO. 74 squadron
based at Coltishall. The F1 was followed shortly after by the F1A which
had been modified to carry a in-flight refueling probe. The
Lightning F2 entered service in December 1962 with no 19 and 92 squadrons.
a total of 44 aircraft F2 were built. The F3 came into service between
1964 and 1966 with Fighter Command squadrons, re engined with the Roll's
Royce Avon 301 turbojets. The Lightning T Mk 5 was a training
version Lightning a total of 22 were built between August 1964 and
December 1966. The BAC Lighting F MK 6 was the last
variant of the lightning, base don the F3, this was the last single seat
fighter and served the |Royal Air Force for 20 years. First Flown on 17th
April 1964, and a total of 55 F6 saw service with the Royal Air Force, and
the last Lightning F6 was produced in August 1967. A Total of 278 lightning's
of all marks were delivered. In 1974 the Phantom aircraft began replacing
the aging Lightning's, but 2 F6 remained in service up to 1988 with Strike
Command until finally being replaced with Tornado's
Specifications for MK1 to 4: Made by
English Electrc Aviation Ltd at Preston and Samlesbury Lancashire,
designated P1B, All Weather single seat Fighter. Max Speed: Mach 2.1
(1390 mph) at 36,000 feet Ceiling 55,000 feet
Armament: Two 30mm Aden guns and Two
Firestreak infra red AAM's.
Specificaitons for MK 6: Made by
English Electrc Aviation Ltd at Preston Lancashire, designated P1B,
All Weather single seat Fighter. Max Speed: Mach 2.27 (1500 mph) at 40,000
feet Ceiling 55,000 feet Range: 800 miles
Armament: Two 30mm Aden guns and Two
Firestreak infra red AAM's. or Two Red Top. or two retractable
contain 24 spin-stabilized rockets each.
Lightning Legend by Michael Rondot.
226 OCU / 145 Sqn RAF Coltishall EE Lightning T5 XS420 226 OCU / 145 Sqn RAF Coltishall, taking off in full reheat for a max performance rotation and climb. No other jet fighter has been sorely missed since the Lightning retired from RAF service and the Counter Aviation Authority (CAA) set about keeping surviving examples grounded. However, not all fighters die, and some Lightnings did not fade away either. They lived on because there were people willing to spend time and fortunes lavishing TLC on them until 1999, against all odds and officialdom, Lightnings are back in the sky. The return of the Lightning is celebrated in Michael Rondots brilliant portrayal of a Lightning T5 in the markings of 226 OCU/145 Squadron taking off in full re-heat for a maximum rotation climbout. This outrageous, extravagant display of scorching performance is just one of the heady delights of the gloriously overpowered Lightning. It is an aircraft of which legends are made. Stories abound this special airc.........
Of all the classic fighters to have served with the RAF since the l950s, no other aircraft had the raw power and breathtaking performance of the Lightning, and of all the variants the F2A was considered to be the best.
Item Code : MR0032
Lightning Thunder by Michael Rondot. - Editions Available
No.5 Sqn and No.11 Sqn Lightnings intercept a Tu-95 Bear, supported by an essential Victor tanker. QRA, day and night, 24hrs a day, 7 days a week 52 weeks a year, 365 days a year - never a day off, always ready! Over and over again for so many years, the air defences of Britain were regularly tested by Russian Tu-95 Bears as they probed NATO airspace high above the North Sea.
Item Code : MR0070
Lightning QRA Intercept by Michael Rondot. - Editions Available
This classic portrayal of 92 squadrons 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.
Lightning Thunder by Michael Rondot
A No. 19 Squadron Lightning F2A on take-off. Of all the classic fighters to have served with the RAF since the
1950s, no other aircraft had the raw power and breathtaking performance of
the Lightning, and of all the variants the F2A was considered to be the
best.
Lightning by Michael Rondot
A 50th Anniversary tribute to the English Electric Lightning.
Lightning Legend by Michael Rondot No other jet fighter has been more sorely missed since the Lightning
retired from RAF service and the Counter Aviation Authority (CAA) set
about keeping surviving examples grounded. However, not all old fighters
die, and some Lightning's did not fade away either. They lived on because
there were people willing to spend time and fortunes lavishing TLC on them
until 1999, against all odds and officialdom, Lightning's are back in the
sky. The return of the lightning is celebrated in Michael Rondots
portrayal of a Lightning T5 in the markings of No.226 OCU/145 Squadron
taking off in full reheat for a maximum performance rotation climbout.
This outrageous display of scorching performance is just one of the heady
delights of the overpowered Lightning. It is an aircraft of which legends
are made. Stories abound about this special aircraft and the pilots who
flew it but none were more deserving of legendary status than the test
pilots who first flew the Lightning.
Art and aviation have been like a brother and sister to me. We have grown up together, learned together and made our adult lives together. But you do not have to have an appreciation of aircraft to admire the graceful lines of a Spitfire or the functional simplicity of a Focke-Wulf 190. They are themselves a work of art and they cry out to be painted - not as machines of war and destruction, but as objects of beauty, born of necessity and function, yet given a life and iconic classicism beyond their original calling. My interest and love of art and aircraft was gifted to me by my father, a designer and aeronautical engineer of considerable repute. Denis Berryman C.Eng. FRAeS. He gave me his eyes, his passion, his dedication and his unwavering professionalism. I owe him everything. And I miss him terribly. A love of art and of beautiful and interesting things takes you on a journey. You discover new interests, new fascinations, and you want to paint them. You want to paint them in their environment, in their element. Whether it is an aeroplane, a warship, a racing car or a beautiful woman, their gift to an artist is the same: Their lines, their texture and the way that light and shadows give them form. These are the food and oxygen of an artist. Not the paint and the canvas. These are mere tools. The secret is in the passion and the perception...
New Dambusters Paintings, Prints and Drawings!
A brand new series of releases featuring the aircraft and airmen of the Dambusters Raid.
This superb new collection of aviation art shows may of the famous events of the raids, but also shows some of the lesser known aircraft and details - the bomber that was so low that the tallboy bomb was ripped from the aircraft by a high wave (above), or the below treetop route to the target taken by one of the bombers, or the trains that were shot up by the gunners of the Lancasters on their way to the dams.
