T.5 XS416 at the NATO Aircraft Museum, 27th June 1999; author	T.5 XS417 at the Newark Air Museum, 6th February 2006; author

Going back to the NATO Aircraft Museum, we have XS416, a T.5 to keep their F.6 company. XS416 is fading a little but appears to be well-looked after; when I visited her tires were being pumped up anyway! Unfortunately in summer 2000 she had to move on, and is now at Grainthorpe.

Above is another T.5, the RAF's ultimate trainer variant, seen here preserved in Lightning Training Flight colours at the Newark Air Museum. A visit in 1999 found her to be looking pretty good. However the pitot probe has now been removed, presumably being too dangerous with kids running around the museum. She's also engine-less. Apparently the wings had to be cut off to transport her to the museum; if so, they've done a damn good job of putting her back together - I never noticed any obvious damage to them! The paintwork is now looking pretty shabby so let's hope she's due a repaint some time soon. Information current as of 06/02/2006.

T.5 XS420 at Fairford, 19th July 2003; author	T.5 XS422 at Stennis, November 2003; Larry Brusface

XS420's wings and tail were cut off for transport when she was acquired from the RAF. After a brief period inside a greenhouse style building (which didn't do her many favours), her owner, Murray Flint, moved her to his home and removed her old green/grey camo paint. He was well on the way to finishing her in this gorgeous natural metal scheme (mostly polished, but with some silver paint where the skin is in poorer condition) when the RIAT organisers made him an offer he couldn't refuse - finish the reassembly and repaint for display in the static at RIAT 2003! She duly moved to Cranwell for painting, and was then transported to Fairford for display at the show. Murra then moved her to FAST at Farnborough and she remains on display there, though ownership has now been taken on by Neil Airey of Lakes Lightnings. Information current as of 14/01/2007.

The Anglo American Lightning Organisation own XS422 and fully intend to fly her in the US. They have an impressive team working towards this goal so soon it won't just be South Africa's skies that are ripped apart by thunder and Lightnings! XS422 first flew in March 1965 and flew with 226 OCU at Coltishall, 29, 111 and 56 Squadrons and later on the Empire Test Pilots School at Boscombe Down. Retired in 1987 she was bought by a collector and stored for many years before finally going up for sale again. Bought by Marine Salvage, she was then snapped up by the AALO and transported to the US. Keep an eye on progress with the restoration by visiting the AALO web site.

T.5 XS456 at Wainfleet, 10th February 2003; author	T.5 XS458 at Cranfield, 11th August 2007; author

To be found at Elms Golf Centre at Wainfleet in Lincolnshire (keep going past the village turn off, it's the next one) is XS456. She sits in the car park with a rope barrier separating her from the cars. The paint job is quite thick in an effort to protect her against the local sea air and markings such as the serial are applied with tape rather than paint. On my first visit in 1999 she looked well looked after from the car park side, however the other side of the aircraft was gathering moss and mould - happily on my return visit I found she had been almost completely repainted, with only the tip of the fin on the port side and the underside of the wings and fuselage left to do. Much less moss and mould to be found this time! Information current as of 10/02/2003.

Now a rather special bird. The only T.5 in the UK in running order, this is XS458. Rescued by Tony Hulls from scrapping when businessman Arnold Glass's plans to get a number of Lightnings flying came to nothing, she has been restored from poor condition into an immaculate example of the breed. Now in better order than she was when in service, XS458 is regularly taxiied amidst the Cessnas at Cranfield and the airfield supports the presence of this bit of aviation history. With the College of Aeronautics a longtime resident here too, it's only right some of Britain's aeronautical heritage is preserved in active condition here. It was sold a while back to another big Lightning fan - Russell Carpenter. The engineering team are at Cranfield often and if you're very lucky you may see a taxi run. She's worn several paint schemes, as Russell likes to keep her looking fresh - the current one is a mix, with a 111 Squadron scheme on the starboard side and a 92 Squadron scheme on the port side, decorated with the squadron flashes of each unit that operated the Lightning. XS458 has her own website, here. Information current as of 11/08/2007.

T.5 XS459 at the Fenland Aviation Museum, 1st June 2000; author	T.5 ZU-BBD at Thunder City, summer 2000; Hugh Trevor

XS459 is on display at the Fenland Aviation Museum. Located in the Bamber Garden Centre in West Walton Highway, 459 nestles among huge hedges and garden furniture, but has enough clear space around her to enable good pictures to be taken thankfully! Currently her belly tank is stored nearby so the trademark bulged Lightning belly is absent, which looks rather odd. The museum also has another T.5, XS420, but that one is under restoration and not on display. Unfortunately my most recent visit found a freshly planted line of bushes or trees right next to the aircraft - when they've grown not only will they block photos from the side shown above, they'll do the aircraft no good at all with moss etc. bound to rear its ugly head.

The first Lightning to fly again after the final post-retirement deliveries to private owners, XS452 was once part of the 'Arnold Glass Airforce' at Cranfield. When his plans to fly them came to naught, they mouldered on the airfield until Tony Hulls rescued a pair, including 452. Restored to running condition and then bought by Mike Beachyhead, Barry Pover's Classic Jets completed the restoration to full airworthy condition and as you can see - she flies!

T.5 ZU-BEX at Thunder City, summer 2000; Hugh Trevor	F.6 XP693 at a wintry Exeter; Dave Littlefield LRPS

Another of Mike Beachyhead's flyers is XS451, and thankfully staying in silver - wot a proper Lightning should be, like. She's been equipped with a refuelling probe as Mike plans to use his Buccaneers to buddy-refuel the Lightning fleet. Now somebody please give me a ticket to Cape Town!

XP693 is a Lightning many afficionados of the type know well, for she was used by BAe for some years in the Tornado ADV radar trials. Keeping its highly polished natural metal finish for that whole time, it was a distinctive part of BAe's test fleet and on retirement was sold to the Classic Jet Aircraft Company at Exeter. Stripped down and practically rebuilt by Barry Pover's team, it's possibly the most perfect Lightning in existence and as such was one of several to be transported to South Africa to join Mike Beachyhead's collection of aircraft. XP693 will soon fly and join XS452 in the air - where she belongs.