posted on Jun, 19 2005 @ 04:40 AM
Has anybody caught the show on discovery wings hosted by the ex RAF tornado pilot John Nicols?
The show the other night was absolutley awesome....he went out to cape town S. Africa to a place called Thunder City where they still have a couple of
flying and restored British Electric Lightnings!
The lucky bugger got a couple of flights in one as a co pilot and boy O boy was he chuffed!
The show gave an all round great impression of what these cold war birds flew like from a pilots point of view...considering this aircraft is 50 years
old its performance still shocked the pants of mr Nicols....and dont forget he has spent his lifetime flying military fighters!
The best part of the show for me was some of the interviews with ex pilots...one of them told the story of his first ever flight in a lightning and
said that his instructor made the comment on going vertical from take off......
"you see young man we only have wings on the lightning to keep the nav lights apart"
The awesome sight of seeing both those Rolls Royce Afterburners kick in after take off with the lightning climbing at some ridculous rate still gives
me goose bumps....if you get the chance try and catch the re-run of the show....i promise you wont be dissapointed!
regards.