Lightning & Whirlwind

Probably not what you expected from the thread title!

Nevertheless, this is the RAF Lightning Jet which stands as one of the two Gateguards within RAF Akrotiri. I was in the area the other night so decided to capture them both at night, lit by sodium lights only.



I converted the Lightning to B&W because I thought the orange sodium lights lessened the detail of the aircraft.

A little about the Lightning - The UK's Air Ministry issued specification F23/49 for a high speed a point defence air superiority interceptor jet fighter armed with cannon to protect the UK's airspace from air attack by foreign powers in 1947, the Lightning was English Electrics response. The English Electric Lightning F1 entered front line service with the RAF in 1960 demoting the existing hawker hunter interceptor force into ground attack aircraft, during the "Cold War" the RAF's Lightnings intercepted numerous Soviet TU-95 (Bear) bombers probing into UK airspace over the North Sea but they would always turn back once intercepted. Lightnings were finally phased out of service in 1988. the Lightning was a more than capable aircraft in it's day - capable of speed of Mach 2.27

this is a RAF Westland Whirlwind Helicopter


Gas turbine powered Whirlwind HAR10 and HC10 helicopters were to form the backbone of the RAF's search and rescue and tactical transport helicopter force during the 1960s.

The new turboshaft engine was lighter and more powerful than the piston engine it superseded and offered improved performance and reliability. A total of sixty-eight new air-sea rescue HAR10 and transport HC10s were manufactured by Westland and a number of Whirlwind HAR2 and HAR4 piston-engined helicopters were subsequently re-engined. The first RAF unit to employ the HAR10 was No.225 Squadron, Transport Command, which became operational with the aircraft on 4 November 1961. Used by the RAF in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Far East, the last squadron to be equipped with the aircraft Cyprus based No.84 Squadron converted to the Westland Wessex in March 1982. This aircraft is the first production machine. The design was so successful that jet-engined Whirlwinds were in service for twenty-one years.

2 nice shots there! Think the b&w works really well.

Very nice JR, esp the first one. But now... what are sodium lights? :-/

sodium lights are the bright orange security lights you see around military installations mainly.

Nice work Jack You have brought back a few memories, when you mentioned Gateguards on an RAF camp. Do you live on camp too?

Just showed my son, and he has given them his approval, he is into all types of aircraft


I like the mono too.

I like the Lightning Jack - great angle.

I think one of my first airfix planes as a kid was a Lightning. I used to have a whole bunch of planes and helicopters hanging from my bedroom ceiling.

No Moonie - I used to live in the Officer's Mess at Episkopi Garrison - but got bored with it, so now I live in a house/villa behind the Castle in a small Cypriot village (Kolossi) amongst Cypriot locals.



http://www.kolossi.org/english/indexen.html

LOL , I can imagine it would be boring Definitely better to live among the locals

they are great !
i like the first one in B&W and like the wide angle view to give the feel of the huge aircraft !