SB.5 WG768 at Cosford, 17th May 2007; author	P.1A WG760 at Cosford, 17th May 2007; author

The Shorts SB.5 at Cosford is not a Lightning of any kind, but I think it deserves a place in the survivors list. Used by the RAE to investigate different wing sweep angles and tailplane positions, it ended up only confirming that English Electric were right all along. This head-on shot shows the essentially similar final configuration and hides the many differences when compared with the P.1 - the fin shape and single engine for instance. Information current as of 17/05/2007.

Now onto the real thing - starting with the P.1A (where else?), this is WG760 on display at the RAF Museum at Cosford. She's in excellent condition and next to the Shorts SB.5 and its extra tail section, illustrating the development of the type nicely. Information current as of 17/05/2007.

P.1A WG763 at Manchester, October 1998; Garry Lakin	P.1B XA847 at Marine Salvage, 26th February 1998; Hugh Trevor

A little more tricky to get a nice overall picture of is another P.1A - WG763 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Both WG763 and WG760 used to be on display by the parade ground at RAF Henlow, but as they gradually deteriorated, thankfully somebody realised their historical significance and both were moved on to safer homes. WG763 was one of the first exhibits to be acquired in the early 1980s by the then-new museum in Manchester and has been on display there ever since.

Above is a rather more reclusive Lightning; in fact, a P.1B. Back in the early 1980s she was on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon, but when the RAF Museum gained a more representative Lightning F.6, XA847 went up for tender. This was a rather disgraceful affair in that the scrapmen had just as much chance of buying this historic aircraft and turning it into saucepans - however thankfully a collector bought her instead. Unfortunately he then stored her dismantled in the Southampton area for some years. The 1994 Farnborough SBAC show saw her re-assembled and on display in the static (not looking too wonderful apparently), but then she disappeared into storage once more. However, recently Marine Salvage in Portsmouth acquired the aircraft, and hoped to sell it to a museum - this didn't happen but thankfully Giles Howell bought it and intends to fully restore the aircraft and place it in a dedicated building to keep it in good nick.

F.1 XG329 at Flixton, 24th October 1999; author	F.1 XG337 at Cosford, 17th May 2007; author

XG329 was one of the development batch of F.1s and when it came up for tender was purchased by a more than averagely-determined buyer. Instead of cutting the wings off as is often the case, he dismantled the aircraft correctly (a huge task) and transported it carefully to the museum at Flixton. Now reassembled and on display, she's in excellent condition and is a credit to the efforts made to keep her intact. Rather a pity, then, that she is she left outdoors to gradually rust away when a replica Spitfire plus various tables and chairs take up valuable hangar space!

XG337 is a Lightning F.1, one of the development batch in fact. She completes the line-up of Lightning ancestors and prototypes there and has been suspended from the roof of the Cold War Exhibition in a traditional Lightning vertical climb! Information current as of 17/05/2007.

F.1 XM135 at Duxford, 16th April 2000; author	F.1A XM172 at Booker, 26th April 2006; author

XM135 is another F.1, the example preserved at Duxford, and very nicely presented she is too, apart from all that stuff hanging off the pitot probe to let those of low IQ realise that there is a damn great aeroplane in their way. Wearing 74 'Tiger' squadron colours, I suspect it's the Tigers scheme from when they were the RAF's display team back in 1961/1962. XM135 was the very first full-production Mk.1 and also the last Mk.1 to leave service. She's also famous for being the aircraft in which an engineering officer had a a frightening flight when he inadvertently advanced the throttles too far during a ground test. Flying with no canopy, not strapped in and with his flying experience limited to prop trainers, he successfully managed to avoid obstructions on the runway, lift off and then land safely! Information current as of 23/04/2005.

In 1999 XM172 left RAF Coltishall's gate, later being replaced by a Jaguar. On removal from Coltishall she was damaged in several places, faded, and had the tails and outer wings cut off. XM172 spent a brief period in Jeremy Clarkson's garden for his TV show 'Speed', but didn't stay there no matter what you might have been led to believe! She also showed up in the static park at the 2000 SBAC display at Farnborough, but soon returned to Booker. A plan to display her on a roundabout in Farnborough came to nothing, and she was placed in imminent danger of being scrapped because British Airways wanted the aircraft removed from the site. What with BA's retirement of Concorde, recent attempts to raise costs for private pilots, airshow goers etc. and now this I know which airline I will certainly never consider using again! Anyway thankfully Neil Airey has stepped in and bought her, moving her to a new home at Spark Bridge in Cumbria. This was made a needlessly urgent and hurried task by the airfield owners wanting her off site by the end of April 2006 or she would be scrapped! Thankfully the task was completed in time and she now sits resplendent in Neil's back garden - viewable by appointment. She's pictured here going up the M40 from Booker on the night her journey began. Information current as of 14/01/2007.

F.1A XM173 at RAF Bentley-Priory; April 2001; Mick Reeves	F.1A XM192 at Hemswell, 25th June 1999; author

RAF Bentley-Priory... the only UK RAF station with a Lightning gate guard - how has it come to this? Unfortunately XM173 is not only hidden away out of sight from the public, but she's now up for disposal! Mick who took this photo has created a 1/7 scale flyable model of the Lightning - more info to be found at his web site.

XM192 was the 24th production Lightning and flew with 111 Squadron (becoming the subject of an Airfix kit in the process) and then 226 OCU when 111 upgraded to F.3s. Remaining in second-line duties with 226 OCU, 145 Squadron and the Binbrook and Wattisham Target Facilities Flights, XM192 was retired at the end of 1973. After a period of storage the aircraft was put on display at the the gate of RAF Wattisham and remained there for many years before being acquired by Charles Ross of Binbrook Unfortunately the wings and tail were cut off for transport, but a good job was made of patching her back together for her time at Hemswell. Sadly the museum there folded in 2005; XM192 escaped the scrapman and has been moved to the Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre at Woodhall Spa. Information current as of 07/02/2006.