English Electric Lightning
It is a British fighter aircraft, designed and built by English Electric. It was the first all-jet aircraft to enter service with the Royal Air Force. The Lightning was used as a interceptor during the Cold War and also saw service in Korea. It was replaced by the F-4 Phantom II in the mid-1960s.
The English Electric Lightning features distinctive twin booms, which give the aircraft its nickname, “Flying Pencil”. It was also nicknamed “The Beast of the Sky” due to its low wing loading and Mach 2 speed. The wingspan is only 19 feet, 8 inches. The fuselage is 13 feet long and has an empty weight that is only 1,600 pounds (725 kilograms). The cockpit has three seats for a pilot and two machine gunners/observers/gunners. It can carry up to 1,000 pounds of bombs or 3,000 pounds of fuel. The specification also called for easy maintenance and operation in the field, which were not achievable without some compromise such as reduced armament or field repairs. This aircraft was so fast and powerful that it was nicknamed the “Electric Flash”. Pilots who flew the Lightning said that it was like sitting atop a thunderbolt. The aircraft was so fast and powerful that it would often break the sound barrier, making a tremendous sonic boom.
