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XS897 Fitting Cockpit
XS897 Tail, belly tank and radar fitted
XS897 How She Looked in Service
XR754 How She Looked in Service
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08/04/08 Glenn Reay remembers taking photos of XS897 and other Lightnings while they were in service and has kindly let me use his photos
I will let Glenn take up the story:-
Hi Jim,
I visited your website recently and having enjoyed the photographs of your re-assembling of Lightning F6 XS897 I decided to search through my large collection of Lightning photographs I took during the 1980's.
I was a regular visitor and photographer of Lightnings at the bases during those times, alas I was unable to spot a good clear photo of '897, the markings on the rear of these camflaged machines being hard to make out on many photographs, due to being stencelled in black on top of dark green, doesn't help!
I did however find the attached photograph of her "sister" aircraft XS898 parked on RAF Binbrook's pan during the "Last Lightning Display" in 1987, a very, very, wet day, which I'm sure those who attended will never forget, along with myself! I assume both aircraft at the time were allotted to number 11 Sqn,.according to my notebook jottings,!! at any rate, perhaps this picture will give you all an idea of how '897 also looked during operational Squadron Service at that time.
many thanks
Glenn Reay
Glenn carries on with more incredible Lightning photos:-
Hi Jim,
No problem, thanks for asking and your kind comments,
Please let me know XS897's Squadron code and I will try to forward you a picture of your Actual Aircraft whilst at Binbrook as I'm sure I WILL have a picture of it flying at Binbrook. I shot rolls and rolls of 35mm film off there in the 80's as I was a regular visitor
There were always lots to see Binbrook then being a busy operational station. I bought a machine some years ago which very cleverly converts 35mm negatives into positive pictures on my computer, so after many hours of scanning them in I've been able to convert many of my 35mm aircraft negative images on to computer discs.
I've also included with this email a couple of more shots from that very rainy day at the last lightning show in 87 ' the aircraft very famously now flew in a diamond nine formation for the crowd of which your aircraft may have taken part, and there was also a superb display by a solo F3 Lightning, the rain and moisture showing off to good effect as the aircraft made some low level high speed passes that day,..we all certainly got soaked to the skin that day, but it was a lovely day to remember, and the last time ever the Lightnings at Binbrook all flew together
I braved many wet and windy days at Binbrook to photograph the Lightnings as they were just about my favorite aircraft,I have also included another shot of '898 from a different angles and yet another "sister" aircraft '895 this shot shows her taxying back in after a sortie it is seen here in a later paint scheme of Barley grey though I have pictures of it in camoflage too,!! sadly both '895 and '898 were to become victims of the breakers yard cutting torch, although I think a cockpit example of one of them is still in existence.
Anyhow I digress if you can find out the tail code of your aircraft please let me know and I will try to forward a photo of her flying at Binbrook.
Kind regards
Glenn
Here are some more Lightning photos from Glenn's Binbrook collection:-
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