F.3 XP743 at Burton upon Trent, 8th May 2004; Richard Thorpe	T.5 XV328 at Bruntingthorpe, 1st May 2004; author

XP743 first served with 56 Sqn from 1964 until 1969, then transferred to 29 Sqn, where it served until 1975. After retirement it went into storage initially, then eventually sold for scrap. The nose was allocated to 351 Sqn ATC in 1982 and it has been with them ever since. They are currently undertaking the task of restoring her - contact Richard direct if you can help with any spares, particularly a control column. Information current as of 08/05/2004.

This is the nose of XV328, owned by Neville Martin's Phoenix Aviation at Bruntingthorpe. Not usually on display, it is wheeled out at the open days and for a small charge you can sit in it and make 'dacka dacka dacka' noises to your heart's content. XV328 was another one of the 'Arnold Glass Air Force' Lightnings that ended up being scrapped at Cranfield. She is an ongoing restoration project and has recently had a repaint. Information current as of 01/05/2004.

F.6 XR754 at Doncaster, 19th May 2002; Bob Lawson	F.6 XR757 at New Waltham, 27th June 1999; author

Looking a bit tired, XR754 is on a trolley which could indicate that it has been used as a travelling exhibit, and is rather faded from prolonged time outside. However with the SYAM's move to Doncaster she has joined many of the other exhibits under cover, which can only be good news.

Now back to the NATO Aircraft Museum to see their F.6 nose - XR757. Looking much better during my visit than she appeared in the picture that used to be displayed here, unfortunately the cover makes photography a bit of a waste of time. The radar bullet was being worked on nearby. Unfortunately in summer 2000 she had to move on, and is now at Grainthorpe.

F.6 XR759 at Haxey, 28th July 2003; Brian Kearsley	F.6 XS898 at Lavendon, 11th March 2000; author

Not many people have a Lightning in their back garden... sadly for XR759 the proximity to trees and grass along with outside exposure have resulted in faded paintwork and a distinctly green tinge. Information current as of 28/07/2003.

XS898 was one of the last Lightnings in service and on retirement was bought along with several others and delivered to Cranfield airfield. There the plan to fly them to Monaco came to nothing and they gradually deteriorated, and were eventually offered up for sale once more. Many were scrapped and XS898 was one of the unlucky ones. However the nose section was saved and Tony Collins, a big Lightning fan, had the choice between this one and XS899. Choosing XS898 because it had part of the wing still attached, he soon brought it back to superb condition and now takes it to local events to raise money for charity. The canopy mechanism is even operative, so no struggling with the huge weight of the canopy is needed if you want to sit in it!

F.6 XS899 at Horsham St. Faith, 21st April 2007; author	F.6 XS922 at home, March 2006; Neil Airey

XS899's nose was restored to an incredible condition by WO Mick Jennings and his team at RAF Coltishall - as he modestly admits though, he's had a hangar to put it in and the services of an RAF station to help out. Many aspects of the restoration were treated as a training exercise, if only more stations were so smart! XS899, like XS898, was one of the 'Arnold Glass Air Force' Lightnings scrapped at Cranfield in late 1994. With Coltishall's closure, the nose section has moved to the City of Norwich Aviation Museum along with the rest of Mick's cockpit collection. Information current as of 21/04/2007.

Neil has owned this cockpit for some while now, and as it is trailer mounted, it is available for functions and will pop up around the country as a result - for instance, it is booked for Cockpitfest 2006 at Newark. The conopy will be fitted within the next couple of months.The tail fin of this aircraft is owned by Hugh Trevor, and it's radome has been used to replace the missing one on Neil's other Lightning nose - XS932. Information current as of 16/03/2006.

F.6 XS932 at Farnborough, March 2006; Neil Airey	F.53 ZF582 at Reading, September 2004; Paul Hartley

Having spent a period on display at the Shoreham Museum of D-Day Aviation, XS932 went into storage on the North side of the airfield by kind permission of the Thomas Collection of Military Vehicles for some time afterwards. This was because Shoreham authorities threatened to scrap it in December 1999 if it stayed in the 'back garden' of the D-Day Aviation Museum, as it was in the way of an extension to their taxiway! Charming treatment for a Lightning nose that is restored and internally complete (though the more valuable and delicate items have been removed and are stored elsewhere). After that she was loaned to the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust for a while and then sold on to new owner Neil Airey, who has since moved her to his home in Cumbria. Information current as of 14/01/2007.

One of the noses saved from the ex-Saudi fleet sold back to BAe in the 1980s was bought by a private owner in Reading and displayed at his home for some time before moving to the museum at Hurn, where it is now being given further attention and will hopefully become a sit-in exhibit. Information current as of 17/10/2005.